How to store fermented foods… If done right, they’ll be preserved safely and continue to age and get better!
As the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods and through teaching Lacto-Fermentation at Traditional Cooking School, I’ve received lots of questions about fermenting over the years.
Are you wondering how much salt to use, what salt to use, how to store ferments, if fermenting is safe, or other fermenting questions? This video series will answer them!
The Lacto-Fermentation 101 Video series today covers…
How Do I Store My Fermented Foods?
If your ferment is done (more info here), transfer to cold storage — between 32 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit — like a refrigerator or cold cellar. Be sure to remove the airlock (if you used one) with a regular lid.
The cold slows down the organisms (but doesn’t stop them) so the food will be preserved while it continues aging. You can store fermented vegetables for a year or more. Fermented fruits should be consumed within a few weeks to month due to the alcohol content.
You can also freeze a ferment. This stops the organisms completely. Make sure to double or triple layer protect the ferment to prevent freezer burn.
Wondering if canning is ok for fermented foods? The answer is here: Does Canning Kill Probiotics In Fermented Foods?
Links Mentioned
- Free Fermenting Formulas Cheat Sheet
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods
- Subscribe to TCS on YouTube
- Lacto-Fermentation eBook
- Lacto-Fermentation eCourse at Traditional Cooking School
- How Do I Know If My Ferment Is Done?
- Does Canning Kill Probiotics In Fermented Foods?
What’s your best way to store fermented foods?
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You mentioned freezing the ferments as an option. Would a vacuum sealer work to keep the ferment fresh and air tight?
Hi Rachel,
A vacuum sealer is great!
Millie
Traditional Cooking School
perhaps this is not the most appropriate place to post this but. . .i purchased the e-book on lacto-fermentation and made pickles according to the instructions. can you pls answer two questions? one, the pickles were still not sour after 8 days (it has been cool here in vermont). should i just give them more time? two, the brine seemed to make the pickles too salty. can i cut down on the salt in the brine? if so, by how much?
thank you
Hi Roberta,
Yes, give them a few more days. That may also help with the saltiness. The salt is essential for fermenting safely and properly. A certain amount is required to protect the lactobacilli and repel spoiling organisms. If one reduces the salt, make sure to use a starter culture, and also don’t reduce too much!
Millie
Traditional Cooking School
Wardee.
I live in Mexico, and it is difficult to get many of the ingredients you mention in your recipes.
I put some brocolli and cauliflower to ferment, with you salty brine recipe, (I can’t get kefir,
to make whey, amazon mexico, does not have it available) that is why I used the salty brine.
but after 5 days, I see that the brine is not clear any more. Does that mean that the ferment is ruined? HOw can I do it right. Hope you can help me.
Hi Veronica,
Cloudy brine is okay, and normal. 🙂
Millie
Traditional Cooking School
Love all your articles on fermented and cultured foods! I think storage is one of the main questions I get from family and friends about ferments Glad to see I’ve been giving them the correct info. When you freeze fermented foods, does this put the bacteria in a stasis, or is it killed in the process?
Hi Rhianon,
Freezing stops the fermenting process completely. It doesn’t harm the good bacteria so when you thaw it’s equivalent to fresh. 🙂
Millie
Traditional Cooking School Support
Hello! Another question on the freezing of ferments. If I’ve frozen a jar of fermented pickles, then defosted, how long can it stay in the fridge before it should be consumed?
Hi Michelle,
Kept in the fridge it will last quite a while (weeks or even months depending the ferment). With pickles you may lose some crispness with freezing so you’ll want to consume them quicker.
~Danielle, TCS Customer Success Team
I love fermented foods and all the healthy benefits. I have two refrigerators. However, I milk two goats, and get 1 gallon plus 5 cups per day. I make cheese, but I’m running out of refrigerator space. We have a large upright freezer. But, we butcher our chickens & pigs. So, freezer space is at a premium as well.
So, I’m trying to find other ways to preserve my cultured veggies and pickles. I like the idea of vacuum sealing the veggies in canning jars, and am definitely going to give that a try. My initial attempts at vacuum sealing haven’t been all that successful. So, today’ I was wondering if I could culture some big, flat pieces, and then dehydrate them.
I have started my “first ever” batch of fermented cabbage. I am a house hold of one and don’t need a big supply of food that will spoil faster then I can consume it. I see on many posts that fermented foods have a shelf life of 1 to 3 days, I see in your post that it can be stored on the shelf for longer. can fermented food be stored in a cool dark area for up to a year or longer?
Hi, Milinda,
That is great! I’m so excited for you! After your fermentation process is done I would transfer it to the refrigerator. I would not store fermented cabbage at room temperature. Storing your sauerkraut in the refrigerator slows the fermentation down and keeps longer. Here is a great article you may enjoy on Traditional Cooking for One (or Two): https://traditionalcookingschool.com/q-a/5-tips-traditional-cooking-for-one-or-two-aw115/
I can’t wait to hear how your sauerkraut turns out 🙂
~Peggy, TCS Customer Success Team
Hi! Is it safe to air tight can fermented food without brine?
Hi, Kari,
We recommend to always store your ferments with the brine. If you do not have enough brine then add a salt water mixture and add it to the jar.
~Peggy, TCS Customer Success Team
Could I freeze extra yogurt whey to use in a ferment later? Or could frozen whey kill something and then not be used in a ferment? I make fermented lemonade a lot for my kids but still don’t go thru the whey fast enough and then after a week in a half the whey smells off.
Hi Kristine,
Yes you can freeze whey. The freezing process may kill off a little of the bacteria but it will still be good for you.
~ Vicki, TCS Customer Success Team
I am fermenting cucumbers for pickles. I have 1 quart and 2 half gallon jars sitting on the counter right now. In my refrigerator I already have 2 half gallon jars and one that is almost empty with fermented cabbage( kraut). I am growing my own cucumbers this year and will get a ton of them! I don’t have the room in the fridge and I don’t think my basement will be between 32-50 in the summer. Does that really matter? How did they do it before refrigeration?
Hi, Bonnie.
Before refrigeration, they kept their ferments in cool places, like cold cellars, basements, even buried in the ground.
It is important to keep them cool as the fermentation process slows down in cooler temperatures because the microbes cannot grow. You will experience continued fermentation (and rotting) if ferments are allowed at warm temperatures for extended periods of time.
~Danielle, TCS Customer Success Team
Hi,
My boys will be hiking and wanted to bring some of there favorite fermented vegetable, so I am wondering if I could vacuum seal dehydrated ferments. Would the lack of oxygen kill the lacto bacterias?
Thanks!
Carmy
Hi Carmy,
Since you have already dehydrated your ferments, we think it would be ok to vacuum seal them for your sons’ hikes.
However, we’re not sure about vacuum sealing the dehydrated ferments for long term shortage.
~ Vicki, TCS Customer Success Team
How’s about just storing in a freezer bag in the freezer? I’ll double bag, plus put in a paper bag to prevent freezer burn.
Yes, you can store ferments in the freezer as mentioned above:
“You can also freeze a ferment. This stops the organisms completely. Make sure to double or triple layer protect the ferment to prevent freezer burn.”
~ Danielle, TCS Customer Success Team
Hello! I’m in Boise Idaho as well ! I just made my first Huge batch of saurkraut . We packed it all in jars and put date labels on them and put them in the bottom of the fridge . But my husband’s cousin told him that we should have left an inch or so and poured brine over the top or it will go bad. Is this true? It’s pretty briney ..thanks so much
Hi, Marci! It is a good idea for the kraut to be submerged under its own juices or topped off with brine — especially for long-term storage. You can still add some brine if needed. And if you have any glass weights to press down on the kraut to keep it submerged, that works, too. —Sonya, TCS Customer Success Team
Hi, I have made a lot of Cauliflower and carrot stick fermentation.
As you mentioned, once fermentation is done, they could be put into a freezer.
Could you tell me if I could freeze them, the vegetable and the brine juice together in a jar and put in the freezer, or do you recommend just the vegetables only.
Also, once de-thawed, are the cauliflowers and carrots still be crunchy, same as before they were put into the freezer?
Your answers to my above questions would greatly help me before I freeze my vegetables.
Thank you.
Hi, Betty,
The ferments with these two veggies freeze well but they aren’t going to be like freshly fermented veggies. They’ll lose some of their color, texture, and taste but often it’s not much. With fermenting they lose some crunch after freezing they lose a bit more.
~Peggy, TCS Success Team
Fermented foods are a great source of probiotics, which help us have a healthy gut. That’s why I love eating fermented foods, especially kimchi. Thank you for sharing tips on how to store fermented foods properly!