Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some common questions about our fermented products. If you have other questions, please contact us.
Yes, just like you would do with yogurt. Our products are raw, with living probiotics and refrigeration slows down the fermentation process, maintaining the vegetable crispness.
To keep your fermented vegetables freshest longest, make sure that the vegetables are submerged in the brine as much as possible when you put them back in the fridge. Stored this way they will last one to two months.
Refrigeration slows the fermentation, but it doesn’t stop it. Our products are alive with beneficial bacteria, so the bubbling you see is the natural process of fermentation still happening in the jar.
Nope! That tart, tangy taste is the result of the all natural lacto-fermentation process. A little salt added to the vegetables is all it takes to get it started.
After a few hours at warmer temperatures the fermentation process will resume and you may see more bubbling. After a few days unrefrigerated, the vegetables may become softer and more sour, but they will not spoil.
The white sediment is a natural by-product of lacto-fermentation. When the jar is moved, the sediment is distributed throughout the jar, giving the brine a cloudy appearance.
We hope that you can reuse your jar for your own kitchen storage needs, but, if not, you can return your Wake Robin jars to Ohio City Provisions or to our production facility at the Hildebrandt Building. Contact us and we’ll let you know when we will be available to take them.
The salt in fermented foods selects for the desired lactobacillus bacteria. These bacteria are essential to creating the lactic acid that preserves the vegetables. The amount we use is prescribed by the food safety consultants at Cornell University.