Heard a master gardener say "salt is not a season" at the farmers market

I was picking up some peppers from a guy who grows heirloom varieties and he overheard me talking about my latest hot sauce ferment. He just shook his head and said "salt is not a seasoning, it's a roadblock". That really hit me different because I have been way too focused on flavoring my brine and not enough on how the salt controls the bacteria. My last batch of cucumber pickles went mushy because I probably skimped on salt to let the dill shine through. I am wondering now if I have been under-salting my ferments just because I was afraid of a salty taste. Has anyone else had to dial back the herbs and just trust the salt percentage more?

2 comments

2 Comments

abby_singh17d ago

Salt ratio matters more than flavor. Bacteria don't care about your dill.

aaronrobinson17d ago

Hell yeah that's a solid point. I've learned the hard way that 2-3% salt by weight is a must for crunchy pickles, no matter how much garlic or dill you cram in there. The salt is the boss of the brine, not just a flavor add-on.