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Can you kill yourself with fermented veggies?  

post #1 of 9
9/21/08 at 3:27pm
Thread Starter 
My fermenting dills look weird. They have what looks like white sediment on them. I'm scared to taste them in case they're not supposed to be like that.
post #2 of 9
9/21/08 at 4:24pm
A white sediment is normal. As they ferment, the brine turns cloudy, and when it sits for awhile, it settles out as a sediment. I'm not sure what the sediment is, but it's caused by the fermentation process. Sauerkraut has the same thing, it's just not as noticeable.

If your pickles smell good, taste them. If they taste good, eat them.

If there's anything really wrong with a ferment, you'll know it! It will smell bad and taste bad (and usually there will be a visual clue as well).
post #3 of 9
9/21/08 at 4:30pm
I have read that if it is truly "bad", like will make you sick, it will smell so rotten you won't *want* to eat it.
post #4 of 9
9/21/08 at 4:40pm
I have made bad batches and it took only my nose to tell me. There is a very big difference.
post #5 of 9
9/21/08 at 7:58pm
Oh yeah - my failed sauerkraut was beyond anything you would want to smell more than once. It was obviously a putrified mess.
post #6 of 9
9/21/08 at 8:03pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the replies.
I tasted one and it's not very salty nor very sour. It's still really crunchy too. (I'm not using any grape/oak/whatever leaves to make them stay crunchy.)
Should I add more salt when I add more brine again?
I know, I'm such a noob. I'm picking up something to help me on Friday-ish but I looked at the Wild Fermentation site and I'm trying it by the directions there (and from one of my cookbooks).
TIA.
post #7 of 9
9/21/08 at 8:18pm
Fermented veggies can kill you if the giant crock falls on your head off a considerable height...

But yeah, it smells bad if it's bad.
post #8 of 9
9/22/08 at 1:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by quietserena View Post
Fermented veggies can kill you if the giant crock falls on your head off a considerable height...

But yeah, it smells bad if it's bad.
LOL
Glad I'm not the only one whose mind conjured up all sorts of silly scenarios to answer the question.
post #9 of 9
9/22/08 at 2:50am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by quietserena View Post
Fermented veggies can kill you if the giant crock falls on your head off a considerable height...

But yeah, it smells bad if it's bad.
I was wondering if I'd get any replies like this. I'm glad I did.
I felt really silly posting it but the whole time I was looking at my pickles thinking "I'm going to die of botulism."
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Mothering › Forums › Health › Nutrition and Good Eating › Traditional Foods › Can you kill yourself with fermented veggies?