Attack of the mold

Well I just got back from vacation yesterday and couldn't wait to check on my fermenting beans! I carefully took the jar down from its resting shelf and with great excitement pulled back the cloth over the top. And the results were......moldy :(
I was so upset, especially since my first batch was so easy and turned out relatively well. I think the problem was that, I may not have had the beans completely submerged in the brine, and that could have caused the mold. Also, when my family and I left for vacation we completely closed the house up. My family's house is a bit on the "moist" side to begin with (always fighting mold on the corner walls), and we had some big storms roll through while we were alway, so the atmosphere in the house may not have been conducive to a successful fermentation either.
So it looks like the salty beans will be the winner, but I would like to keep fermenting different things even after the class is done.
I've included a picture on the moldy beans for your viewing pleasure :)

Fermenting recap…so far

Sorry for the absence, but I have been busy fermenting! On Wednesday, July 8th, I started by first batch of spicy fermented green beans. I bought a bunch of fresh green beans and Serrano peppers, cut the ends off the beans and put  them in a mason jar, along with the peppers and chilli flakes. Next I made my brine, which was a cup of water along with a tablespoon plus a teaspoon of salt. I know it's crazy, but I actually don't have a measuring spoon at my house so I just "eye-balled" the salt measurement (which is hindsight was a bit of a misstep). Next I poured the brine over my beans in the jar. Now I come to the most difficult part of the process…..finding a small cup/jar that would find in the top of the mason jar and keep the beans submerged in the mason jar. After searching high and low I finally found a shot glass that would would, but I was still a bit skeptical. Once I had by whole fermenting apparatus all set up, I took a clean towel and secured it over the mason jar and set it on a shelf and let it do it's thing.
Fast forward to Friday, July 17…..it's time to try the beans! The recipe said to let them ferment for two weeks, but I'm on vacation this week and wanted to try them before. So I open the jar, and try a bean. The verdict….not bad, but super salty. They are edible and I don't mind them, so I sealed up the jar and popped it in the fridge. Now I can't wait to get back and try them, to see if being in the fridge for the week makes them better or worse.
Now onto my next attempt, which I started on Friday, July 17th. I followed the same recipe, expect I didn't have any serrano peppers, so I just skipped them. I was also a little more conservative on the salt on my brine and actually used a measuring spoon! Also, I was visiting my parents in NY when I made this batch, and used snap beans (fresh from their garden), instead of traditional green beans. So now that batch is sitting at my parent's house, fermenting away while we're on vacation. Can't wait to get back and try them! Pictures of my project to follow!

My first blog post...ever

Hello my fellow microbiology students, and welcome to my blog! My name is Liza, and I probably one of the most un-savvy tech people you'll ever meet, so working on this blog will be a good challenge for me. But I must admit, so far everything really has been pretty straight forward.
Ok on to fermentation news....I have decided to make Hot and Spicy Green Bean pickles.

 I love spicy food, and I already know I love dilly pickles, so I figured combing the two should be a win-win! I would also love to make a sourdough starter and bread at some point, but I'm going to be super busy and travelling a lot for the next three weeks, and the green beans seemed at little more forgiving at the moment. Maybe after my busy few weeks I'll be able to make the sourdough ( I'm hoping by writing my intentions here on the blog I'll hold myself more accountable!).
Here's the link to the recipe and method I will be using:
http://phickle.com/hot-beans/
I'm planning to go the store and get my ingredients in the next couple of days, and I'll check in once I get this pickle party started.
That's all for now, my dog sounds like she's causing some trouble upstairs so I've got to run ;) Good luck to everyone!