Re David's comment on lack of fermentation...that's so amazing. Mine have always "misbehaved" and fermented. It would be interesting to compare the two and see what the flavor difference (if any) might be. Virtual taste testing would be such fun. I've always accepted it as a fact, and they definitely change in flavor over their course of their lives. They settle down after about a month, and just mellow after that. I don't ever refrigerate and mine don't mould, althought they are very frisky in the fermentation stage.
I'm 3 weeks or so into my first batch and I have yet to see real fermentation. I took off the snap-top metal and glass top and used a cut freezer bag with a pinhole or two and thick rubber bands to cover the cannisters. I just eyeballed the salt...but used PLENTY. I have had a hell of a time keeping lemons submerged. I'm going to use a baster to get some of the liquid out, and push in a heavy glass on the top. The rinds are looking somewhat translucent though. I wonder if I maybe used so much salt that fermentation isn't going to happen? Anyone?
I'm about the same time into my batch from Joy of Pickling and they smell heavenly. I wedged 3 lemons & 2 for juice & salt into a regular mouth pint mason jar. The juice got very thick from salt & natural pectins I'm thinking. I can't really tell if the lemons (and lime batch) are fermenting cause I shake them up every day and take the lids off to sniff. The limes kinda lost their color (wrong variety?) but the lemons are beeyuutiful and plump and intensely yellow. I think I'll cut one up tomorrow at the market. Edrena
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Noel Gieleghem said:
Re David's comment on lack of fermentation...that's so amazing. Mine have always "misbehaved" and fermented. It would be interesting to compare the two and see what the flavor difference (if any) might be. Virtual taste testing would be such fun. I've always accepted it as a fact, and they definitely change in flavor over their course of their lives. They settle down after about a month, and just mellow after that. I don't ever refrigerate and mine don't mould, althought they are very frisky in the fermentation stage.
I'm 3 weeks or so into my first batch and I have yet to see real fermentation. I took off the snap-top metal and glass top and used a cut freezer bag with a pinhole or two and thick rubber bands to cover the cannisters. I just eyeballed the salt...but used PLENTY. I have had a hell of a time keeping lemons submerged. I'm going to use a baster to get some of the liquid out, and push in a heavy glass on the top. The rinds are looking somewhat translucent though. I wonder if I maybe used so much salt that fermentation isn't going to happen? Anyone?
I use plenty of salt and they don't ever ferment as far as I can tell. The softening and translucency of the skin, pulping of the flesh and intensification of the flavour all happen. My view is that fermentation is not required, that it is just a fairly harmless by product of a low salt mix. In another 3-5 weeks you can judge for yourself.
Next year when my orchard has grown some more I expect to have surplus citrus fruit so I may do high and low salt batches and see what difference it makes.
