Appreciation post: My neighbor's kimchi story changed how I think about salt

He was showing me his setup last week. Said he uses 2.5% salt by weight for his napa cabbage. Always weighed it. I used to just sprinkle it on until it felt right. Tried his exact method on a small batch of sauerkraut. The texture after 10 days was way better. More crisp. Less mushy. Made me realize I was probably under-salting for years. Anyone else have a specific salt percentage they stick to for different veggies?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty_walker3mo ago

Oh man, that's so true. I read this whole article by a fermentation blogger who swears by 2% for most things, like carrots and green beans. But she said for cucumbers, you gotta go even lower, like 1.5%, or they get too soft and weird. It really does make a difference when you measure.

leoward3mo ago

Learned that the hard way, @betty_walker, my last pickles turned into salty mush lol.

ruby_murphy1mo ago

Lost a whole batch of green beans once. @betty_walker, you're totally right about measuring, I just eyeball it and end up with salty mush too. It's like a science experiment gone wrong every time.