Sauerkraut Survivor, Day 2: 24 hours later

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I was careful to note the times I took the baseline samples, and I followed them closely so the second samples were taken 24 hours after the first ones.

Later that evening, I noticed the brine was getting dangerously close to the tops of the glass on the mason jars and the salsa jar. Although it was only a few minutes per jar (so glad it’s only day 2 so the CO2 has a chance to re-build), I spent over an hour total removing brine via the glass test port with the small pipettes I use when I extract the samples. I took before and after photos “for the record” but I won’t post all of them here now. I am learning how much time it takes to write a post when including every last detail and all the documentation, and I know how anxious you are to view the results.

I want to note here, because I don’t believe I mentioned this on any of my posts, but I have a specific protocol for taking samples. I have a box of latex gloves that I am going through like water, and I remove a few drops of brine with pipettes through the glass tube on the jars that have them. I am not opening any lids at all. Days 3 and 7 I will carefully remove the airlock for the Pickl-It and Lacto-fermentation Air-Lock System by Cooking God’s Way and quickly dip a pipette in for the sample, closing the airlock right behind it - all in a matter of 2-3 seconds. I am comfortable with this method as Pickl-It states on their website that opening the lid is acceptable during the first week as the CO2 will build back up and push any oxygen out. I am taking the more conservative route and will be only accessing it through the airlock twice.

The Jars: 24 Hours Later

Here are the photographs of the jars on the second day, with any notes I jotted down.

Jar 1 (Cheesecloth), Day 2
As you can see by the first photo (taken a.m.), the brine appeared to be browning. On the other hand, by the evening, I didn’t see any browning (second photo). Hmm. There is no visible mold or yeast. I will include the samples of pH and glucose for this jar only - they are all still reading 6 pH and highest glucose on the scale - 2000 (or more) mgs of glucose per deciliter (dL), or 4 tsp glucose per liter (a mason jar is just shy of a liter).

Jar 2 (Olive Oil), Day 2
This brine is still nice and green. No visible mold or yeast. You can see in the second photo where the CO2 has pushed its way through the olive oil. The third photo is a combo of before I removed the excess brine, and after I removed the brine. I did this for all accessible jars and took the same amount out. pH and glucose tests have not yet changed.

Jar 3 (Water Baggy), Day 2
The photo below is after I removed the excess brine that evening. That morning I thought the brine could have had a hint of brown, but it could be my imagination. No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose tests have not yet changed.

Jar 4 (Cabbage Leaf held down by small jar), Day 2
This jar leaked a little during the day before I removed excess brine. No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose tests have not yet changed.

Jar 5 (Cabbage Leaf, Shot Glass, White Lid), Day 2
You can see on the very top of the photo where the glass test port is that it’s full of brine. It ended up leaking up through the test port. The pressure is so tight! This likely wouldn’t have happened with an airlock, as the pressure would have been released through there instead. No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose tests have not yet changed.

Jar 6 (White Lid), Day 2
See how nice the brine looks on the top? You can tell there is a screen in this jar keeping the floaties down. No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose tests have not yet changed.

Jar 7 (White Lid with Baggy), Day 2
This photo was taken after the excess brine was removed. The focus is off, but it is doing well. No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose tests have not yet changed.

Jar 8 (White Lid with Airlock), Day 2
This jar is doing nicely. No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose tests have not yet changed.

Jar 9 (Metal Lid), Day 2
This photo is after excess brine was removed. Everything is looking well. No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose tests have not yet changed.

Jar 10 (Metal Lid with Airlock), Day 2
This photo was taken before excess brine was removed. Notice how you can’t see the top level of the brine like you could on Day 1? No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose tests have not yet changed.

Jar 11 (Cork with Airlock), Day 2
This guy was a leaky mess. The pillowcases I have underneath all these jars was wet in a 12″ spot around this dude. It was a reminder that I wanted to put plates under the ones I suspected of overflowing. It’s done now, but too late! Can you see the brine up in the test port and also in the airlock? It leaked out of the airlock hole as well as between the cork and the glass where it was pushed in. I changed the water in the airlock. No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose tests have not yet changed.

Jar 12 (Lacto-fermentation Air-Lock System generously donated by Cooking God’s Way), Day 2
This photo taken after excess brine was removed through the airlock. I’m glad it’s only Day 2 so the CO2 has a chance to re-build. The airlock has lots of little bubbles. No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose samples were not taken today.

Jar 13 (Pickle Pro generously donated by Homesteader’s Supply), Day 2
Can you say “tight seal?” You know the seal is tight when the brine comes out the airlock grommet and not around the threads of the lid. I absorbed the excess with napkins and changed the water in the airlock. No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose samples have not changed.

Jar 14 (Pickl-It purchased through the generosity of GNOWFGLINS), Day 2
I’m glad I followed their directions and did not fill to the neck! I did not need to remove any brine from this jar. No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose samples were not taken.

Jar 15 (Harsch purchased by the generous donations largely from Homesteader’s Supply along with with GAPS Diet Journey, Hybrid Rasta Mama, and Dishrag Diaries), Day 2
This is going to be the Great Mystery. Since I can’t test it or even look through the jar, it will be a wonderful surprise when I do go to open it up. I can’t wait I neglected to take a fresh pic, but nothing has changed. That evening I did hear a couple of bubbles escape.

Jar 16 (Bucket), Day 2
The brine is still browned due to the oxygen exposure. It does appear happy, though (see the bubbles on the edge?). No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose samples have not changed.

Jar 17 (Fido), Day 2
The brine is slowly rising. I’m glad for the head room I gave it. Everything is looking good so far. No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose samples were not taken.

Jar 18 (Salsa Jar), Day 2
This is one tight seal! The pressure is so intense it actually blew off the cap. See the mess? I would not feel comfortable using this type of jar without an airlock - that’s for sure! It almost looks like the brine is tinged brown, but I can’t be sure. No visible mold or yeast. pH and glucose samples have not changed.

Brine Samples Under the ‘Scope

Here are a few photos of the samples I took from the brine, as viewed under my AmScope microscope. All the jars looked essentially the same. I am seeing a teeny bit of activity, but not too much.

You can click on the images to view them larger.

I apologize you can’t see them better - I am working on exchanging my camera for a better one with higher resolution so you can see the little guys as well as I can through the ‘scope.

This sample has something that looks fern-like. I am not yet sure what it is, but I noted it and will see what I can find. Lots of green specs from the cabbage.

I think I may be seeing the beginnings of Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Do you see the white highlighted objects below? Not many, but they are thinking about it

You can probably see more going on in this one:

I have videos and will create a YouTube account so I can upload them there for you to view. It’s fun seeing the action!

The next post will show you how the jars look on Day 2 and any notes that I made on those jars. Stay tuned!

THANK YOU!

Many of the supplies (including the cabbage) purchased for testing were mostly covered by the donations from Loving Our Guts, Pickle Me Too, Easy Natural Food, Common Sense Homesteading, Lisa M., Traditional Foods, Grocery Geek, Rachel C., The Urban Hearth, Hybrid Rasta Mama, Sarah M, Miriam R., and Leslie C. THANK YOU!

The Lacto-fermentation Air-Lock System was generously donated by the manufacturer, Cooking God’s Way.

The Pickle Pro was generously donated by the manufacturer, Homesteader’s Supply.

The Pickl-It was purchased through the generosity of GNOWFGLINS.

The Harsch crock was purchased by the generous donations largely from Homesteader’s Supply along with with GAPS Diet Journey, Hybrid Rasta Mama, and Dishrag Diaries.

If you would like to contribute funds to this experiment, I would be ever grateful. Please send PayPal funds to: [email protected]. If you have a blog I would be happy to list it as a contributor. Thank you!