I am unsure whether to just heat and bottle or add fresh ingredients…. decisions decisions…. You usually add some fresh as well don't you? I have some red and yellow capsicums and garlic roasting at the moment in contemplation.... The top discoloured a little from the cabbage I think.SmokenFire said:Lookin good Bumper!!
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tutorial Fermenting Peppers 101
- Thread starter RocketMan
- Start date
Bumper said:
A bit of discoloration at the top is normal and perfectly fine. In truth I'd pull/process and then taste. Once you know where it's at the needs for balance will be self evident. It's possible that you'll blend it and be totally happy without any addition.
Done and done. I'm making some other sauces today too, so the roasted peppers and garlic won't go astray if it doesn't need it. Thanks!
SmokenFire said:
A bit of discoloration at the top is normal and perfectly fine. In truth I'd pull/process and then taste. Once you know where it's at the needs for balance will be self evident. It's possible that you'll blend it and be totally happy without any addition.
You guys are awesome! Thanks very much for all this info!
I'm also looking for a recipe which uses a ready made Scotch Bonnet Mash to make a hot sauce with, can you point me in the right direction?
I'm also looking for a recipe which uses a ready made Scotch Bonnet Mash to make a hot sauce with, can you point me in the right direction?
Making a mash tonight and looking for some info on salt content. I saw a bunch of different posts on here saying 2% by weight, 3.6%, or 6-10%, just wondering what the general standard was and if it changes if you're using a brine. I was planning on making two ferments - one with salt water brine, and one with just salt
basicbatch said:
I usually stick with 4% by weight of ingredients for my ferments. Sandor Katz says you can pretty much do what you want. A handy chart from fermentation recipes is one I've used in the past. Many here use starters such as whey or hooch from sourdough or probiotic capsules, and it is generally held that you can get away with less salt when starters are used since they jumpstart the ferment. Note that I'm not using brine; I blend the ingredients into a fine mash and add the salt to it. Here is a link to a tutorial I posted a while back that may be of some use.
Please be sure to photograph your process and share it with us here - we love pics! Best of luck on your newest journey.
SmokenFire said:
I usually stick with 4% by weight of ingredients for my ferments. Sandor Katz says you can pretty much do what you want. A handy chart from fermentation recipes is one I've used in the past. Many here use starters such as whey or hooch from sourdough or probiotic capsules, and it is generally held that you can get away with less salt when starters are used since they jumpstart the ferment. Note that I'm not using brine; I blend the ingredients into a fine mash and add the salt to it. Here is a link to a tutorial I posted a while back that may be of some use.
Please be sure to photograph your process and share it with us here - we love pics! Best of luck on your newest journey.
Awesome, thanks for your help!
SmokenFire said:
I usually stick with 4% by weight of ingredients for my ferments. Sandor Katz says you can pretty much do what you want. A handy chart from fermentation recipes is one I've used in the past. Many here use starters such as whey or hooch from sourdough or probiotic capsules, and it is generally held that you can get away with less salt when starters are used since they jumpstart the ferment. Note that I'm not using brine; I blend the ingredients into a fine mash and add the salt to it. Here is a link to a tutorial I posted a while back that may be of some use.
Please be sure to photograph your process and share it with us here - we love pics! Best of luck on your newest journey.
Sandor Katz is also a whacky-doodle weirdo who despite having written a few popular books on fermentation, doesn't have any formalized food safety education. Most commercial providers sell in the range of 10-15% to err on the safe side (losing a shipping container of mash to spoilage is not smart business), but you can get away with 4-5% minimum as long as it's processed expiditiously.
-Pablo- said:
Ya Mr Katz tends towards irreverent with regard to currently held views on food safety. He's certainly an acquired taste, and by no means the 'scientific expert' on the world of fermented foods. I am by no means any kind of expert either, though I'm glad to share my experience with the amazing community that is THP.
Hello there!
Thank you very much for all the precious suggestions here.
I am doing m fermenting since 1 month now, and I would like to get to the final stage, cooking my sauce and adding some vinegard.
Though, I see now some mold has been growing on top of it. I used a cabbage leaf to try keeping all the vegetables below brine level, and the mold has grown on top of the leaf, which is partially out of the liquid.
Would you recommend to through it away? I hope not, as I do not have many chances to restart (I have been using my own grown peppers).
Is it enough if I remove all the mold from the top and cook the sauce adding some vinegard?
I will try to post a photo as soon as I can get back home.
Thank you very much in advance,
V_p
Thank you very much for all the precious suggestions here.
I am doing m fermenting since 1 month now, and I would like to get to the final stage, cooking my sauce and adding some vinegard.
Though, I see now some mold has been growing on top of it. I used a cabbage leaf to try keeping all the vegetables below brine level, and the mold has grown on top of the leaf, which is partially out of the liquid.
Would you recommend to through it away? I hope not, as I do not have many chances to restart (I have been using my own grown peppers).
Is it enough if I remove all the mold from the top and cook the sauce adding some vinegard?
I will try to post a photo as soon as I can get back home.
Thank you very much in advance,
V_p
Here it is the picture of what is happening to my fermenting
Can anyone advise on how to proceed?
Can anyone advise on how to proceed?
The picture is very difficult to see. I have had a batch of ferment grow some mold on top of the cabbage leaf same as you describe before. I pulled the leaf and there was no further sign of mold or decay under the leaf - it was only on top of the cabbage and above the mash, so I processed the batch and it was fine. I suggest you open it up and take a look - if the mold is only on top of the cabbage leaf and did not get into the batch underneath I believe you are safe. If molds and/or growth is discovered under the cabbage leaf then I would advise throwing it out, better safe than sorry. Good luck.
We make preserved lemons at our house to use in cooking. Essentially, take about 8 lemons and cut 4-6 long slits in 4 of the lemons and stuff them with salt (I use Kosher), then stuff them into a jar and fill up over the lemons with juice of the other lemons. I put it in a cabinet and turn it over every few days for a couple months until the juice in there changes to a deeper yellow color and is thick like gravy. Then, we cook it with chicken and rosemary. Be careful how much you use because it is very salty (but incredibly delicious). Be sure to remove the seeds before cooking as they are not delicious at all. The lid if not perfectly tight will indeed leak (see notes below on lids).
The point of this long story about lemons is that I used a teaspoon of the thickened lemon juice out of the preserved lemons jar to start my ferment of a gallon jug of coarsely ground ghost peppers with 6% of the weight of the peppers added in salt and otherwise, just filtered water. I didn't add garlic or onions or anything else. This sat for 5 months and I just made a usual batch of sauce with fresh peppers, etc., that was equal to about 48 woozies and used 4 cups of the ferment in it. The ferment has taken on this beautiful aroma. If you dry ghost peppers slowly in your dehydrator, they smell like pineapples. It's intoxicating, and here was that lovely perfume in the ferment. I make a lot of sauce and give it to friends and eat a lot of it, but all my hot head buddies think this batch was the best ever.
The mash will "grow" and seep up into your bubbler and out all over the place, so you must leave room at the top, and even then, I had to remove mash to another jar from several jars as it grew and grew for over a month. I attended to it every day. After a month or so, it stopped growing and stabilized and can sit .... I dunno, for years?
If your ferment is not closed up tightly (and when you use mason jars and the plastic lids, you MUST use a gasket between the jar and the lid or you will def get the white yeast and one of my jars in that condition also developed a black mold (and that jar got pitched in the composter). I like to drill a large hole in the lid and put a bung and a bubbler, and that provides the most successful ferment for us.
The point of this long story about lemons is that I used a teaspoon of the thickened lemon juice out of the preserved lemons jar to start my ferment of a gallon jug of coarsely ground ghost peppers with 6% of the weight of the peppers added in salt and otherwise, just filtered water. I didn't add garlic or onions or anything else. This sat for 5 months and I just made a usual batch of sauce with fresh peppers, etc., that was equal to about 48 woozies and used 4 cups of the ferment in it. The ferment has taken on this beautiful aroma. If you dry ghost peppers slowly in your dehydrator, they smell like pineapples. It's intoxicating, and here was that lovely perfume in the ferment. I make a lot of sauce and give it to friends and eat a lot of it, but all my hot head buddies think this batch was the best ever.
The mash will "grow" and seep up into your bubbler and out all over the place, so you must leave room at the top, and even then, I had to remove mash to another jar from several jars as it grew and grew for over a month. I attended to it every day. After a month or so, it stopped growing and stabilized and can sit .... I dunno, for years?
If your ferment is not closed up tightly (and when you use mason jars and the plastic lids, you MUST use a gasket between the jar and the lid or you will def get the white yeast and one of my jars in that condition also developed a black mold (and that jar got pitched in the composter). I like to drill a large hole in the lid and put a bung and a bubbler, and that provides the most successful ferment for us.
Hi,hot stuff said:
Thanks, I'm looking for recipes that use other ingredients e.g. a Scotch Bonnet and Mango Hot Sauce using a ready made pepper mash.
I've got a batch of Scotch Bonnet Pepper Mash and want to make some Hot Pepper Sauce with other ingredients but can't seem to find any recipes that use "Pepper Mash" as an ingredient. Plenty of recipes in how to make mash. My question is does anyone know of any recipes that I could use? I'd like for instance to make a Scotch Bonnet and Mango Hot Sauce but instead of using fresh Scotch Bonnet Peppers, use the mash instead. It's really difficult to get a good variety of hot peppers where I live.hot stuff said: