Mold on Dill Pickles

[zyzyfont]

Some of the batch of cucumbers that I set up in brine in July was left alone too long and developed impressive mold on the top. One jar had a kind of smooth, milky layer on the top and the other one had an alien looking green an grey layer over the top. In both cases, you can see that some of the mold has fallen to the bottom of the jar where it now remains. I scraped off both layers and topped off the jars with new brine. Is it OK to eat those pickles? Is it likely that the taste will be effected by the mold that has fallen into the brine?

It appears from other posts that I read that its probably OK, but I just thought I should check with some of you all that have more experience. I started making brined vegetables last year and it kind of seems like magic. I have gotten rave reviews for the pickles I have made previously and I keep telling people its like falling off a log.

Thanks for any feedback anyone has to offer.

[Christopher Weeks]

I'm guessing, but the "smooth milky layer" is probably Kahm yeast, totally normal, not mold, and not dangerous. Also, the residue that has accumulated on the bottom, if it is a creamy-white, is probably mostly dead bacteria that are doing your fermenting for you (maybe some yeast and maybe some mold, but not mostly).

Green and grey does sound like mold. Was it fuzzy? What was it growing on? Mold won't grow on acidic brine, but it will grown on bits of food that float to the surface. I watch my ferments and if a little mold grows, I spoon it out and if it was on the glass, I wipe it with a rag dipped in vinegar. But I usually let it continue to ferment and haven't noticed off flavors from this protocol. If the entire surface was moldy, I might consider tossing the jar, but I also might not. Most people seem to be more mold-risk-averse than I am.

[Beets and bones]

If I see some growth I'm not sure about - I get rid of everything that looks 'suspicious', transfer to a new jar and put it in the fridge for 3-4 weeks making sure the pickles are completely submerged in brine. Most of the time the 'good guys' clean everything up nicely, but when a batch goes bad - you just know by the smell, the look, everything about it says yuck.. It only happened to me once that a batch actually did turn bad. Hope it helps.