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tutorial Fermenting Peppers 101

ShowMeDaSauce said:
Mason jar, with a coffee filter, then lid then lightly put on the band if you want to make sure. Just the lid and band should burp if you lightly tighten though
You are both right, a mason jar would be better. I just happened upon these things at Ikea the other day, something like $1.2. I'll have to swing by the big market some time and poke around for the real thing. In the mean time, I just put a small weight on the bottle to keep it closed until pressure starts to build up.
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Not terribly effective, I predict. Any weight that would be enough to reseat the stopper will probably keep the bottle from burping in the first place. Still worth a shot.
 
I wouldn't put any weight on them. If they are able to burp at all with those seals that would be a good thing. I don't think you left enough room at the top for the fermentation. I'd give it at least an inch maybe 2 in those bottles.
 
MrGlen said:
A few pages back someone mentioned adding a potato to their fermented sauce and cooking it for an hour. Can anyone shed a bit more light on the why and how of this practice?
What I heard?!?! When you do a salt brine and cook with potatoes it removes some salt I no nada over and beyond that

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Hybrid_Mode_01 said:
 
     You'd be surprised how much pressure can build up in sealed jar of active ferment. :fire:
 
 
hot stuff said:
I wouldn't put any weight on them. If they are able to burp at all with those seals that would be a good thing. I don't think you left enough room at the top for the fermentation. I'd give it at least an inch maybe 2 in those bottles.
Thanks for the warning. I've seen, rather heard, some home ferments explode. Unnecessary excitement. Anyhow, I didn't "lock" the toggle on the bottle. Just in case, I'm going to put that bottle in a paint bucket to minimize mess. 
 
MikeUSMC said:
Same here. Probably right to the point of the "shoulder" of the bottle. Right where the neck starts tapering in
 
Alright, I'll take out a bit. Actually seems to have some yeast growing on top of the brine, as well. So, am I removing the sauce and replacing with water, or just nothing?
 
Greenguru said:
What I heard?!?! When you do a salt brine and cook with potatoes it removes some salt I no nada over and beyond that

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The potatoes did end up salty as heck. Delicious. Sauce is still a bit... much, much, much too salty. Going to ask the wife to find some of the daikon radishes ShowMeDaSauce recommended for salt removal.
 
 
MrGlen said:
 
 
Thanks for the warning. I've seen, rather heard, some home ferments explode. Unnecessary excitement. Anyhow, I didn't "lock" the toggle on the bottle. Just in case, I'm going to put that bottle in a paint bucket to minimize mess. 
 
They're saying you need more airspace or that won't ferment correctly or won't ferment at all. You might want to dump some out or get a bigger vessel. Good luck
 
MrGlen said:
 
The potatoes did end up salty as heck. Delicious. Sauce is still a bit... much, much, much too salty. Going to ask the wife to find some of the daikon radishes ShowMeDaSauce recommended for salt removal.
 
 

Adding extra diakon to kimchi is recommended if you make it too salty. You don't need to cook it.
 
The nice thing is diakon or Korean radish is cheap. Plus it taste great fermented, After removing it from the sauce you can either add a little sugar or some pear and onion puree. I prefer the pear. 3 days at room temp is all it should need to start getting sour.
 
You need to space to stop overflow because fermentation will cause the mash to float and escape your bottle. So don't fill the space with anything. If you are having yeast problems you may want to float some salt on top of your mash. Perhaps that will help.
 
I get 80% lactic acid at a brew shop. Add a few drops to the top of a ferment. Don't stir it in.
 
You can also pasteurize your mash first but it will also kill the lacto bacteria. Yeast cant handle temps over 140F for very long. All you need to do is add back some live lacto B bacteria. This is very simple to do by keeping a jar of homemade kraut or kimchi in the fridge. Its will keep for many months cold. You only need a tablespoon or two of juice in a new ferment upto about a gallon.
 
 
 
You know, an airlock is a great way to burp your ferment without letting in air. I would still use some sort of weight on the mash because you will need to leave several inches of room (translate: air) as your ferment will def grow while it is rocking. You need to keep an eye on it and sometimes even take some out as the level rises. Airlocks are available at all wine/beer making stores and on amazon.com for $1.50 each. i bought a huge glass jar with a leak-proof lid, then drilled out a hole the size of a # 7 drilled bung and then put the bung in and the airlock in the bung, and it was great. Before I began putting a weight on the top of the ferment, I had a little problem with the (harmless, but unappetizing) white yeast that would grow on the top, but usually a few teaspoons of salt water ladled onto the made it go away. It is annoying and resolved by weighting the mash so that the solids stay under the salty liquid.
 
Wow. Too much helpful advice to put into a single multi-quote. I'm going to:
1. Find a source for lactic acid.
2. Find some airlocks and bungs.
3. Finally make that Kimchi and also play with radishes.
4. Take some measurements to try to figure out how much growth a mash actually achieves as a percentage.
5. Find some sort of something I can use to keep mashes below the brine in the containers I already have.
 
I saw pics of people using cabbage leaves to hold down their mash. The cabbage leaves were above the brine. Why don't the cabbage leaves themselves end up getting yeast or mold? Or, they do get yeast growth, but are considered disposable?
 
Get some BPA free food dehydrator sheets. Place the Mason jar "band" on the sheet and cut out a circle a little larger than the band. Place this over your mash with any type of glass weight you can find. Even a smaller jelly jar. The lid will hold the jelly jar against the screen and mash.
 
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salsalady said:
Here's a post so people can get an idea of weights and quantities.  In preparation for an upcoming Making Hot Sauce class, I'm starting a ferment.  Originally, it was supposed to be a jalapeno, but I came into some habaneros, so we are on to PlanB!
 
Here's the ingredients- 32 1/2 pounds of fresh produce, before cleaning and trimming.
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I used the Robot Coupe-
1-to make it go fast (y'all know I'm inherently lazy  -lol- )
2- to get an even, small-ish dice on the veggies so they ferment at a good rate
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10 pounds of habs=this...
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my new toy!  A Big Mouth Bubbler 6 gallon
that 32pounds of produce topped off the jug, too full, so I took some out into the Little Bubbler.
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More in a bit-
Hello are they a guideline to the amount of sauerkraut juice per .... u have a load of vegetables and just 10 Oz of the kraft juice thanks Dan Aka Greenguru

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Hey all I need to start a Saltless Ferment Do any of you ALL have any suggestions to help me on the no NASTIES Path?
 
I have Tried Yeast and the Flavor was not interesting to me anyone
 
 
Thanks for all  
 
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