Hi Karen, when you ferment vegetables, beneficial bacteria grow and create lactic acid, which coupled with brine is not a friendly environment for botulism. It’s an antagonistic environment for botulism as good bacteria acidifies the food while salt reduces the ability of bad bacteria to grow. Botulism can still occur if food is not properly fermented or stored. Sandor Katz, who is one of the foremost experts on fermentation, talks about botulism in his book The Art of Fermentation if you want to explore the topic further.

Note: I do not hold any medical licenses and if you have any concerns you should talk to your doctor before consuming fermented foods.

Hi Carolyn,

You can browse through my website, I have quite a few. I may be able to send you some more. Are you looking for any in particular? Kimchi, sauerkraut, sourdough?