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Tried lacto-fermenting garlic with a 2% brine instead of 3% and got a weird slimy texture

Last month I was on a garlic kick (I put it in everything) and decided to try a lower salt brine to see if it would speed up the ferment. Well, after about 10 days the cloves got this slimy coating that freaked me out. I did some digging online and apparently that can happen with garlic when the salt is too low - something about bad bacteria getting a foothold before the good bacteria takes over. Tossed the whole batch and went back to 3%. Has anyone else had this happen with other veggies at lower salt levels?
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2 Comments
taylor.mary
Yeah "slime city" pretty much sums it up. I had the same thing happen with a batch of carrots at 2% brine. They turned into these weird slippery sticks that smelled fine but felt wrong. Learned the hard way that 3% is the minimum for most stuff, especially garlic.
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shah.olivia
Lower salt means slime city, that's just how garlic rolls.
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