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First, DO NOT throw away your order if the ice packs are melted or the products aren’t cool. The insulated packaging has kept the ferments “cool enough” in transit, giving your goods an additional day of coolness once they have shipped.

Fermented products can be safely transported unrefrigerated and can stay out of refrigeration for several days with no impact on food safety. There is no danger of spoilage or harm to the products within standard transit times. They are similar to red wine in this way, which when opened can be stored on the counter at room temp for several days. Recall that fermentation was the preservation method of our ancestors for thousands of years before refrigerators existed.

A normal result of moderate temperature fluctuations in transit is that the fermentation process may resume, causing the product to “wake up.” This can mean the creation of C02 gas which may cause a pouch to puff. A newer ferment, and especially a cabbage-based ferment, is extra lively and may be very gassy. Action Step: Poke a small hole and squeeze the gas out (it has to go somewhere.) If you don’t, the package will eventually burst and leak.

Leakage isn’t common, but it qualifies as a “normal” occurrence because the products contain liquid. The product is perfectly safe to consume, they are still preserved. Action step if an item leaks: First, give your product package a rinse. Second, transfer the veggies to an alternate container and make replacement brine (1 cup water: 1 teaspoon of salt/or to taste.) Eat and enjoy!

Although uncommon, one behavior of live, fermented food is the formation of kahm yeast which can form when oxygen is exposed to ferments. Kahm yeast is completely harmless, you can spoon or rinse it off and continue to enjoy your products. Kahm yeast is literally part of life and not an indication of a defect in the products. You can prevent it by keeping your ferments submerged under the brine.