2.25% salt for Brussels Sprouts
10.0 days at 68 °F · pH target 3.50 · within recommended range
Salt calculator
Enter your vegetable weight and a salt percentage. We return the exact salt mass in grams, plus teaspoons for each common grain.
Grain matters: one teaspoon of Diamond Crystal weighs half as much as one teaspoon of fine sea salt. Weigh in grams when you can.
All salt grains
| Grain | Grams | Teaspoons | Tablespoons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Crystal kosher | 22.5 g | 7.92 | 2.64 |
| Morton kosher | 22.5 g | 4.69 | 1.56 |
| Fine sea salt | 22.5 g | 3.95 | 1.32 |
| Pickling / canning | 22.5 g | 4.09 | 1.36 |
About Brussels Sprouts
Cousin to cabbage, Brussels sprouts ferment into a crunchy, tangy snack with a deep umami finish. Sandor Katz documents them halved or quartered in a brine; the cabbage-family Lactobacillus produces clean acidity. Best when fermented young, when sprouts are firm and still tightly closed. Loose, yellowing sprouts disintegrate during fermentation.
Fermentation data
- Default salt
- 2.5%(you are viewing 2.25%)
- Salt range
- 2–3.5%
- Time at 68°F
- 10.0 days
- pH target
- 3.50
- Water content
- 86%
- Preferred styles
- brine pickle, lacto ferment
Technique
Trim outer leaves and stem-end. Halve lengthwise (or quarter if large). Pack tightly into a jar with two crushed garlic cloves, a teaspoon of black peppercorns, and one bay leaf per quart. Cover with 2.5% brine (25g salt per liter water). Weight below brine, leave 1 inch headspace. Ferment 7-14 days at 65-72°F. Taste from day 7. Refrigerate when balanced. Soft outer layer is normal; mushy texture throughout indicates over-fermentation.
Salt level notes at 2.25%
Use when you want a mild pickle — e.g. pepper jars for sandwich garnish. At this salt level, monitor daily and refrigerate at first taste-check-pass.
Safety: Safe range for lacto-fermentation. 2% is the most common default for cabbage, kimchi and pepper mash.
Explore other salt levels for Brussels Sprouts
- 1.5% — minimum safe
- 1.8% — low-salt sauerkraut
- 2% — standard sauerkraut
- 2.25% — lightly-salted brine-pickle (current)
- 2.5% — standard hot sauce
- 3% — brine-pickle standard
- 3.5% — kimchi rinse stage
- 4% — traditional kimchi / kvass
Sources
- Katz — Wild Fermentation (2nd ed., p. 90)
- NCHFP (UGA) — Fermented and Pickled Products
- Sandor Katz, The Art of Fermentation (Chelsea Green, 2012)
For educational use only. Consult your local food safety authority for commercial production.