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I think it’s more a problem in home canning. Fermenting should be safe cause c botulinum can’t thrive in salty environments and would get out competed by whatever the lacto bacteria is - also theyd decrease the pH which c botulinum really doesnt like. If you use clean veggies (wash em and make sure theres no soil), wash your hands, and follow whatever recipe you’re using you should be totally fine.
Prevent what you’re fermenting from getting into contact with air. That’s how mold grows. Get some kind of weights (they make purpose-built glass ones, but some people [me] just use zip-lock bags filled with water) and sanitize whatever container you will be fermenting in. Also also, make sure you add enough salt. The salinity will prevent bad microorganisms from developing before the lactobacilius (however it’s spelled) bacteria start eating all the sugars and takes over.
Trust your eyes, nose, and tongue:
- If it’s moldy, throw it away.
- If it smells bad, throw it away.
- If it tastes bad, spit it out and throw it away. Maybe rinse your mouth out, too
As long as you are fermenting sugars and not celulose, meat or whatever is in tea you should be fine
Clean your equipment with star-san or a similar product. Use the correct amount of salt. Wash veggies very well with water+friction. It also tends to be very obvious when a ferment gets infected so if the smell isn’t super sour, there’s no black or white mold, and there’s no pellicle then chances are you’re good to go.
Botulism risk doesn’t really happen with fermentation, the types of environs when made inhibit botulinum propagation. Now if you are canning non-acidic foods then you run that risk and should be using a home pressure canner.
that’s wild beacuse I have wanted to get into botulism for a while, but I am held back by my fear of fermentation.
use at least 2% salt for the wieght of the veggies+water, use clean equipment, and keep the ferment under brine and you should be good. As long as the ph is below 4.6 its safe.
I do a fair bit of home canning/pickling and I always add vinegar, or sour ferment my brines. As long as it’s sanitary and acidic then there is nothing to worry about
