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This was my first attempt at fermenting carrots… and it failed miserably.
As you can see from the picture, the carrots didn’t look particularly appetizing once a layer of Kahm yeast formed on top. Kahm yeast isn’t harmful, but it’s a sign that something’s not quite right with the fermentation process.
Some adventurous fermenters scrape it off and keep going, but since this was my first try—and I didn’t want the yeast to alter the flavor—I decided to throw the batch away.
Lessons Learned
Even though the carrots didn’t turn out edible, the experiment was far from a total loss. Here are a few takeaways:
- Weights matter. I packed the carrots tightly but didn’t use a weight at first. As the carrots shrank after 3–4 days, I should have added the glass weight sooner.
- Color changes. The carrots changed color during fermentation, which was expected.
- No mold = good brine. While Kahm yeast appeared, no mold grew, which suggests the brine had the right pH. (I didn’t measure it since I wasn’t planning to eat the batch.)
- Pleasant aroma. The brine smelled vinegary but not foul, which is usually a good sign, even with yeast present.
- Flavor additions work. Adding basil leaves was a success! Despite the failure, the carrots stayed crispy after 10 days, and the basil infused nicely.
Final Thoughts
Failure in the kitchen is part of the learning process, especially when experimenting with fermentation. I now know what to adjust—mainly using weights properly and monitoring shrinkage early on.
So, this wasn’t really a failure at all—it was a first step in learning how to ferment vegetables successfully.
Next stop: Trader Joe’s for another bag of carrots. Round two, here we come. 🥕