Vegetable Database

Every vegetable ferments on its own terms. Water content sets how much brine the tissue gives up (and therefore how a dry-salt jar self-brines); pectin sets whether it stays crisp or goes soft; and salt tolerance sets the band that is both crisp and safe. The table below is the working reference — all values match the Brine & Salinity calculator so the numbers you read here are the numbers it computes.

Per-vegetable reference

Salt % is by weight. For submerged jars it is the equilibrium-brine % (salt as a percent of vegetable + water); for dry-salt ferments like kraut it is a percent of vegetable weight alone. Ready windows are at the ideal 18–22 °C / 64–72 °F lacto band — colder is slower, warmer is faster but softer.

Vegetable	Water %	Salt % band	Crunch / pectin class	Typical ready window
Cabbage	92	1.8–2.5	High — stays crisp; classic dry-salt	14–28 days (sauerkraut)
Napa cabbage	95	2.0–3.0	Medium — kimchi base	3–14 days (kimchi)
Cucumber	95	3.5–5.0	Low — softens fast; needs tannin + cold	7–21 days
Carrot	88	2.0–3.0	High — very firm; slow	7–21 days
Chili pepper	88	2.0–5.0	Medium — hot-sauce mash	14–90 days (hot sauce)
Green bean	90	3.0–5.0	High — dilly beans	7–21 days
Radish / Daikon	95	2.0–3.0	Medium — can soften	5–14 days
Beet	88	2.0–3.0	High — earthy (geosmin)	7–21 days
Garlic	58	2.0–3.0	High — low water, may turn blue	14–90 days
Ginger	79	2.0–3.0	High — fibrous	14–90 days

Note

Mixed-vegetable jars (giardiniera, curtido) split the difference: hold the whole jar at 2.0–3.5% equilibrium and expect it ready in 5–10 days. The softest vegetable in the mix sets the texture, so a cucumber or radish in the jar pulls the whole batch toward the higher salt and the cool-and-fast end of its window.

How to read the columns

• Water % — higher water means the vegetable gives up more of its own brine under dry salt, and dilutes an added brine more, lowering the final equilibrium salt. Low-water items like garlic (58%) barely dilute a brine; high-water items like cucumber and napa (95%) dilute it noticeably, which is one reason cucumbers sit in the highest salt band.
• Salt % band — the crisp-and-safe range. Salt below the band invites softening and spoilage organisms; above it slows the lactic bacteria and can stall the ferment. Never drop any jar below the 2.0% safety floor.
• Crunch / pectin class — how much structural pectin the cell walls carry. High = naturally firm and forgiving. Low (cucumber) = prone to mush; lean on tannin, calcium, and cool temperatures.
• Ready window — calendar days at 18–22 °C to reach a finished, sour, shelf-stable ferment (pH at or below 3.4 for finished lacto). Taste from the early end of the window and refrigerate at 2–4 °C when it is where you want it.

Tip

Pair a low-pectin vegetable with a high-pectin one and a tannin source (grape, oak, tea, or horseradish leaf) so the crisp items reinforce the soft ones. Cool fermentation is the single biggest crunch lever — see mushy or soft pickles.

Caution

These bands and windows are quality and head-start guidance for fermented (lactic, acid-producing) and refrigerated ferments. They are not canning schedules. Taste and texture are never a safety test — for shelf-stable jars, confirm acidity with pH safety and read Safety & Botulism. Low-acid vegetables that are not fermented or pickled to a safe pH require pressure canning, which is outside this reference.

See also

• Brine & Salinity calculator — equilibrium-brine grams for any of these vegetables
• Salt Percentage — total-weight vs equilibrium-brine bases, with worked math
• Troubleshooting: Mushy or Soft Pickles — keeping the low-pectin items crisp
• Spices & Tannins — the crunch-preserving compounds and their doses