# Fermented Vegetables

A guide to making fermented vegetables at home using brine, dry salting, or for citrus fruits, to preserve them and enrich them with live microorganisms.

- Category: Side
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- vegetables
- non-chlorinated water
- 2.7 % non-iodized salt (preferably whole)
- citrus fruits
- 7 % salt

## Instructions

1. For brine fermentation, weigh the vegetables inside a clean jar until full, whole, in sticks or in large pieces.
2. Add non-chlorinated water up to the neck of the jar.
3. Add non-iodized salt (preferably whole) equal to 2.7% of the total weight of water + vegetables.
4. Close and shake well.
5. For dry salting, slice the vegetables thinly.
6. Transfer them to a bowl and add salt equal to 2.7% of their weight.
7. Massage until they soften and release water.
8. Transfer them to one or more jars, pressing well to eliminate air bubbles.
9. Add their liquid until they remain submerged, then close.
10. For citrus fruits, cut them into large pieces and proceed as for dry salting, using salt equal to 7% of the weight of the citrus fruits.
11. Vegetables are usually ready in about 3 weeks at room temperature; times change with temperature (cooler slows, warmer accelerates).
12. Citrus fruits require about 3 months.
13. Once ready, store them in the refrigerator to keep taste, acidity, and consistency more stable.

## Equipment

- clean jar
- bowl
- pH meter
- cabbage leaf

## Tips

- Use fresh, intact, preferably organic vegetables and citrus fruits, without bruises or mold. Rinse them well under running water.
- Use well-washed jars and caps in good condition, preferably new.
- Do not go below 2.5% salt for vegetables and below 6% for citrus fruits.
- It is normal for pressure to build up and for liquid to escape: to reduce it, you can vent every day by unscrewing the cap slightly over the sink and immediately reclosing it.
- A slightly cloudy brine is normal: it often indicates that fermentation has started.
- If you want to better check for safety, after 3-4 days measure the pH with a pH meter: it should be 4.2 or less. In any case, for fermented vegetables, the safety reference is below 4.6.
- To keep everything submerged you can use a cabbage leaf cut into a disc.
- If mold, unpleasant odors or abnormal textures appear, it is best not to consume.

## Source

- Original video: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNRG4wHCL/
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/dc6ef8c2-c0b6-4638-a6b4-8a7d801cc139
- Extracted: 2026-05-15

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt