Help! There’s mold on my ferment!
This is the most frequent question I receive from people learning to culture probiotic and enzyme-rich foods and beverages in their home for the very first time.
Frequently, the email is tinged with concern and for good reason. Fermenting food takes time and costs money. No one wants to have to throw out a batch and start over! Discouragement is the number one enemy that prevents more households from adopting this traditional method of food preparation, despite the fact that it has the potential to enhance health so dramatically in a short period of time! Repeated failure with the fermentation process is one reason why.
Mold: Toxic in All Cases?
Mold, a type of fungus, is a scary word in our society today. It is associated with severe allergies and other life altering illnesses. There’s even an entire career path devoted to mold removal. Mold remediation vans can be seen driving around town during all seasons of the year. This was unheard of when I was a child. It seems more people than ever are sensitive to mold these days.
Prospective homeowners and renters now know to check a home or apartment for mold before moving in. And, if there is a water leak, some people choose to pull up stakes and move to another residence even after clean-up for fear of the health effects of toxic mold exposure. This on the off chance remediation efforts were not 100% successful.
Certainly, toxic black mold that grows under damp carpets and inside walls is something to be avoided!
But what about those fuzzy spots floating on the top of your fermenting jar of root beer, orangina, pickles or beet kvass? How about pink spots adhering to your sauerkraut? Should you be concerned about fermentation mold too?
The first thing to realize is that some things that seem moldy aren’t actually moldy at all ….
Is it Mold or Yeast?
(...)
Read the rest of Mold on Cultured Foods: When it’s Dangerous, When it’s Not, What to Do! (861 words)
© Sarah for The Healthy Home Economist, 2016. |
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The post Mold on Cultured Foods: When it’s Dangerous, When it’s Not, What to Do! appeared first on The Healthy Home Economist.