Enrichment · Cultural Studies

Sour on purpose,
safe on record.

Fermentation is one of the oldest ways people keep food, and temperature decides most of how it turns out: too warm and sauerkraut goes soft, too cool and it stalls. Log each batch against the range for that ferment, check the salt by weight, and write down what you see so you know a harmless film from a batch to throw out.

Start a batchWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Life skills kit, $29 for 28 items.

Your batches

The worked example is made up: a crock of sauerkraut at 2.3 percent salt, two weeks in, with one reading at 77 °F and a white film skimmed on day nine. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · Cultural Studies$5

What you finish with
A record per batch with its ferment, start date, range (preset or your own), salt and vegetable weights; dated temperature readings with what you saw; notes. Counts days, readings in range and the average; works out salt by weight; flags readings outside the range, a salt level outside 2 to 3 percent for kraut and pickles, and signs that mean the batch should be thrown out.
Who it is for
Home cooks and gardeners, students doing a food science or cultural foods project, and teachers running a classroom ferment.
Format
Browser log with a saved record per batch. Prints a batch’s log, a table of every batch or a blank log for the counter; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Life skills kit ($29) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Cultural Studies space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Start a batch and pick the ferment, or set your own range.
  2. Weigh the salt and the trimmed vegetables.
  3. Read the temperature near the jar at about the same time each day.
  4. Note what you see and smell with each reading.
  5. Act on the flags: move the crock, skim a film, or throw out a spoiled batch.

Start a batch

Ranges by ferment

Where each ferment likes to sitSauerkraut60–75°Fermented dill pickles55–75°Yogurt108–112°Kombucha68–78°Sourdough70–85°50°F85°F120°F
Working ranges for home batches. For sauerkraut, 70 to 75 °F ferments in about three to four weeks; cooler takes longer.

Film or mold

A flat, white film on top of a brine is usually a harmless yeast; skim it and keep the food submerged. Fuzzy mold, a pink or dark color, a slimy texture or a rotten smell mean the batch has spoiled. Throw all of it out without tasting it.

Salt is measured by weight

Salt keeps the wrong microbes out while the right ones make acid. Weighing salt and vegetables gives the same result whatever salt you use; a spoonful of flaky salt weighs much less than a spoonful of fine salt. Use canning or pickling salt without iodine or anti-caking agents.

Sources

  1. National Center for Home Food Preservation. Fermenting sauerkraut and Fermented dill pickles (nchfp.uga.edu).
  2. National Center for Home Food Preservation. Making yogurt at home (nchfp.uga.edu).
  3. USDA. Complete Guide to Home Canning, Guide 6: Preparing and canning fermented foods and pickled vegetables (nchfp.uga.edu).
  4. Katz, S. E. (2012). The Art of Fermentation. Chelsea Green.

The worked example is made up. Follow a tested recipe for salt, time and storage; ranges here are working guides for home batches, not a food safety certification. When in doubt, throw it out. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.