Henry's totally right about the salt, but honestly the type matters too. Cheap table salt with anti-caking stuff can sometimes give you a cloudy brine and mess with the good bacteria. Next time try pure sea salt or pickling salt for a cleaner ferment. Also, smashing the carrots a bit before they go in helps the brine get inside better. A higher salt percentage and prepping them right makes a huge difference.

When you mentioned rethinking using real people in stories, that hit home. I used to believe borrowing traits from friends was harmless inspiration. But your neighbor story showed me how it can go wrong fast. Like, I once wrote a bossy coach based on my gym teacher, and he caught wind of it and gave me grief for weeks. Ngl, now I see how using real people just invites unwanted feedback and hassle. I'm totally with you on keeping fiction purely fictional.

Wow @jones.nancy, like sturdy shoes needing good insoles nobody notices.