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fermenting MikeUSMC's Ferments (pic heavy)

MikeUSMC

MikeUSMC

What's up, gang! Hope you don't mind, but I was kinda hoping to set up shop here, with the fermenting crew! Just officially joined THP today, but I've been lurking for quite some time, and you guys gave me enough confidence to start making/bottling my own stuff. Huge thanks in advance to all of you guys! You guys rock.

Anyway, here's a few concoctions I've been working on for the last year or so. All hobby stuff; mostly gifts for friends and family. A lot of these have been bottled up and given away already, but I thought I'd share what I've been working on so far. Here goes.....

My signature sauce ("Original Recipe"):
Douglahs, Chocolate Scotch Bonnets, pineapple, raisins, sweet onion, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, agave nectar, molasses, sea salt, Moscato wine (brine), powdered LB packets (starter)


Another few-
Red: Smoked red bells, smoked Red MoAs, smoked 7 Pot Lavas, sweet potato, roasted onion, roasted garlic, honey, sea salt, Moscato brine
Green: Blackened tomatillos, blackened Poblanos, jalapeños, and Scotch Bonnets (all green), sweet onion, roasted garlic, pineapple, cilantro, agave nectar, sea salt



Hobby labels for those ^:






My latest one (just processed about a week ago, not bottled yet):
Scotch Bonnets, golden raisins, baby carrots, red onion, fresh garlic, yellow bell pepper, yellow mustard, ginger, turbinado sugar, sea salt, ground turmeric, Pinot Grigio brine

Looked crazy, hahaha


I've got a few more ideas up my sleeve, and a freezer full of pods from last season! Thanks for looking, everybody!
 
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tctenten said:
Yeah. That is my. My first bottled fermented sauce.

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I think I added some Agave nectar while cooking.
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Thanks for posting that recipe, Terry. I'm growing Aji Jobito for the first time this year (too bad it's my shittiest looking plant, haha)
 
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tctenten said:
Yeah. That is my first bottled fermented sauce.
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Dude, I just went back and reread all this, and missed this ^ the first time. This is your FIRST attempt at a fermented sauce?! Holy shit, man! You set the bar pretty damn high for yourself. Gonna be hard to top this one! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think it can only go downhill from here, hahaha

I just ate another 4 straight spoonfuls! I don't want any of that pesky "food" ruining its flavor :party:

Again, awesome job, man. And I'm not just saying that to be polite :)

Congrats, you NAILED this one. Thank you VERY much for sharing it with me :cheers:
 
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My initial question is about the fermenting period and then the aging period. You have stated, and I also do it, that you do a 90 day ferment. I am fairly confident that 99% of the fermenting activity is probably done in the first month. Atleast that is what I have noticed on my ferments. Is there really any reason to leave fermenting at room temp where nasties can happen as opposed to just aging it in the fridge for the next two months?
 
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I totally agree. I bet that 99% of the fermenting is probably done in the first month. Besides seeing little to no activity in the jar after that, I don't have any real "evidence" to confirm or deny if that's true. I've never risked opening the jar to check the pH at 30 days vs. 90. Just doesn't seem worth taking that chance to me :shrug: I know that some people here do so that, and taste taste their stuff at different points along the way. I never have, mostly because all my stuff is small batches, and I'd be pissed if it went bad by letting oxygen in, and I wasted all those pods, haha. I look at it like: "Why intentionally let oxygen into the jar if that's the EXACT opposite of what you're trying to accomplish?"

Truthfully, the only reason I let a majority of mine go 90 days is because that seems to be "the norm" around here. Every SINGLE thing I know about fermenting, I read about here at THP in these pages :)

I feel like if you made it past the 30 day mark (fermenting at room temp) without any yeast/mold issues, it's *probably* safe to say it won't go bad, sitting on the shelf for two more months (?). That's just my guess though, and I'm sure anything could happen ;)

Do you "age" yours in the fridge (unopened) with the airlock still on? When I age mine, I dump everything in the Ninja and blend it, boil it in the stockpot, then put it back into a (clean) jar in the fridge to age. Sometimes for two weeks, sometimes a month. I personally don't have the patience to wait much more than that.

I figure, after it's all blended and boiled, THAT'S when the real "melding" of flavors starts. I could be 100% wrong on this; that's just the method I've used. After a few weeks in the fridge, I'll taste it again and see if I want to add anything: spices, sugars, salt, etc. If I add stuff, I blend and boil again, then it goes back into the fridge for another week or two. Repeat as necessary :)
 
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When I put in the fridge, I cap them with a plastic mason jar cap. You could keep the airlicks on, but it just takes up more space. I get into trouble when I do not use the cabbage leaves. I always seem to forget to buy them.
 
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All that being said, I have run a couple for only 60 days, and they came out good.

I've also had one (Jay's Peach Ghost Scorpion, peaches, agave, orange Bells, etc.) that didn't do shit for almost a month! Zero bubbles AT ALL. A month in, it took off like a bat outta hell!


That bastard was "glugging" so hard and fast, it sounded like one of those giant office water coolers being dumped out, haha. Still no idea why it took so long to take off (?)
 
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