Fermented Carrots

Question

I fermented some carrots (anaerobic, salt brine method) & they turned out great. But the water was really cloudy & not esthetically pleasing, so I dumped it. Should I make a new brine for storing it in the fridge? Does anyone have suggestions for other than salt water brine?

Answer 1

For the record, your brine was most likely fine. It's normal for lacto-ferments to get cloudy. As for replacing the brine, I would use another batch of salt-brine, and possibly toss in some fresh onions to kickstart a new round of fermentation and preserve your carrots that way.

Having said that, anything you add at this point is going to change your product. You could also do a typical pickle-brine using vinegar, water, salt, and sugar. If you're happy with your current carrots, I'd just add plain salt-brine and hope for the best.

Honestly though, I can't tell you for sure what will happen next. Picklemetoo.com is a great resource for home-fermenters though, especially beginners, and she has links to other good sources as well. I'm linking to a short article about cloudy brine.