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fermenting Jalapeno\Strawberry and other first ferment....

simon04

simon04

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I thought I'd share this from my first attempts at a fermented sauce... I'm embarrassed to say, I did not grow the ingredients, but had to buy them....
 
Jar#1
280g Pineapple
150g Red Jalapeno
144g Shallotts
25g Salt
5 Cloves of Garlic
3tbs White Vinegar
2tsp Minced Ginger
1.5tsp Pickling Spice
Whey Starter
 
Jar#2
450g Strawberry
450g Red Jalapeno
33g Salt
3tbs White Vinegar
Whey Starter
 
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DaQatz said:
Should be interesting. Personally I've found I don't like the taste of ferments as well when they are done with starters like yoghurt whey.
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Hopefully I can draw an opinion on this soon too.... when I test the finished product. I figured the Yoghurt Whey would be the easiest at the time, as I had a use for the remainder of the Yoghurt.
 
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Yeah if you're making yogurt, you tend to have a lot of extra whey. It seems to give it more "yeasty", and "complex" taste. When I use hooch from sourdough starter, or acidophilus. Then it tends to have a "cleaner" flavor. Which lets the peppers taste stand out more.
 
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I'm an advocate of no starters at all, just let the natural lactobacillus from your local environment take hold and viola! I also avoid adding vinegar as the instant lowering of PH can inhibit fermentation.
 
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hotstepper "No starter" and Sourdough hooch have very similar ferments. They tend to me the same wild cultures. Except with the sourdough hooch starter it begins more quickly, and has less chance of unwanted infections. Another note when you "wild ferment" either with no starter, or with sourdough your lactobacillus strain tends to be mostly "lactobacillus plantarum" due to how common it is.
 
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Nice combination of ingredients simon04. When I decide to use a starter I sometimes use whey as opposed to sourdough hooch, mostly because of convenience, but I also like the sourness that they whey adds. Plus, I always have some plain yogurt with added lacto bacteria in the fridge, plus I really like the creamy result after the whey has been harvested.
I have also used Caldwell's vegetable starter when fermenting several different vegetables, and have been very pleased with the results, it is fool proof......but it does add an additional expense. They have done the research and testing for many years and have a proven track record in commercial fermenting.
But most of the time I just use a couple tablespoons of juice from an existing ferment stored in the fridge, and just enough salt to give the lacto bacteria time to get going.Unless I'm making kimchi or pickles and I want to retain some crunchiness.
 
When I looked at the pictures you posted, I can't tell how your airlock is attached to the lid or if there is an air tight grommet.
Also, The jar with the Pineapple blend has a lot of open space above the contents. The more space there is...allows more oxygen in the ferment vessel which can cause problems. Normally just an inch or so of space is recommended.
Good luck, I'll be interested in hearing how they come out....they sound tasty.
CM
 
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Great info
Chili Monsta said:
Nice combination of ingredients simon04. When I decide to use a starter I sometimes use whey as opposed to sourdough hooch, mostly because of convenience, but I also like the sourness that they whey adds. Plus, I always have some plain yogurt with added lacto bacteria in the fridge, plus I really like the creamy result after the whey has been harvested.
I have also used Caldwell's vegetable starter when fermenting several different vegetables, and have been very pleased with the results, it is fool proof......but it does add an additional expense. They have done the research and testing for many years and have a proven track record in commercial fermenting.
But most of the time I just use a couple tablespoons of juice from an existing ferment stored in the fridge, and just enough salt to give the lacto bacteria time to get going.Unless I'm making kimchi or pickles and I want to retain some crunchiness.
 
When I looked at the pictures you posted, I can't tell how your airlock is attached to the lid or if there is an air tight grommet.
Also, The jar with the Pineapple blend has a lot of open space above the contents. The more space there is...allows more oxygen in the ferment vessel which can cause problems. Normally just an inch or so of space is recommended.
Good luck, I'll be interested in hearing how they come out....they sound tasty.
CM
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Great info, thanks!!

I ended up using the remaining yoghurt to make Tandoori marinade. It seemed convenient to use the whey. I am intrigued by the other methods.

The airlocks are actually glued onto the lid - mostly out of desperation, but they are air tight. Such fermentation process is rare here in the UK (as far as I know), so such containers can be hard\expensive for me to find.

The Strawberry mash went crazy, and actually bubbled through the airlock. The Pineapple one behaved, but I understand about the air gap - may be a learning curve.

My next thoughts are how to complete the sauce.... I'm thinking simmer... Blend... then simmer again and bottle...
 
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Simon,
Just be aware, as you may already be, that cooking the fermented sauce kills off the beneficial lacto (probiotic) bacteria.
 
As for the fermenting container, I just use a standard size or wide mouth jar, and plastic screw on lids, with a hole drilled to fit a rubber grommet.
I'm confident you can find a supplier for the grommet somewhere in the UK, they are pretty commonly used for other applications. And even a metal lid will work out fine, they just tend to rust quickly due to the acidic vapors they are exposed to.
 
And I'd also bet you would be surprised at what fermenting is taking place nearby that you're just not aware of.  Folks that ferment regularly, like myself, have been doing it for years and it becomes so commonplace there's really nothing special to talk about.
Then when one stumbles on a site like  THP, and discovers others with an interest in the process,and it becomes a new found infatuation.
 
Case in point,,... it's been decades since I was without a fermented item in my refrigerator. And most of my friends have no idea that I do it,or what it is or that many times the foods that I bring to parties, include fermented ingredients.
CM
 
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I guessed that cooking would kill the lactobacillus, but I wondered if it would be safer. That said, it would be nicer to have an all-natural pro-biotic sauce... I will be testing the PH anyhow.

I can almost certainly get different sized grommets from an electrical store, which I may try next time. One thing I'm thinking about is a way too keep whole ingredients under water i.e. the spacer at the top of the jar.


For now, at least, I will be making my own fermenting jars, so any such ideas appreciated :-)
 
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There are a bunch of varied  approaches and all sorts of weights and DIY gadgets to keep the solids submerged in the brine.(baggies of water, glass beads in a baggie, glass disks, etc....)
I have tried many of them myself in the past.
But I have found that by far, the best one is the one my grandma used.
Namely, a few outer leaves off a head of raw cabbage.... pressed into the jar so that they fit tight around the inside edges of the jar and positioned to keep the air lock isolated so it doesn't get fouled, and separate the air space from the brine.
The fresh cabbage stays stiff enough to hold the solids beneath the surface for weeks, and when the primary ferment is complete, you remove the cabbage and toss it in the compost.
An added benefit, is the lacto bacteria from the cabbage that's introduced to the ferment vessel.  Its cheap, and never fails.
CM 
 
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Solid info CM - well done sharing that!  I've fermented with hooch or whey or salt as availability allows - it's amazing at how different each ferment can be when the same recipe is made but different starters are used.  I tend to like the whey influenced tart sharp note for ferments with red rocotos or orange manzanos, the inherent sweetness of those peppers balance that tang.  I'm all about the tang.  Also, probably tacos. 
 
Simon04 it appears you're off to a great start and I believe you'll be very happy with the results after the simmer blend simmer method.  Please post pics of the resulting sauces!    
 
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I got around to bottling these sauces today...

The Strawberry one, I just blended and bottled. The Pineapple one, I blended, simmered and then bottled.

I did briefly taste before bottling, the Strawberry one is very mild and quite earthy, the Pineapple has an initial acid\fruit taste, followed by a delayed warming heat and Scotch Bonnet flavour. I will update with some further tasting notes soon.

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Update.

I tried the strawberry one with my beefburger today. I'm afraid I wasn't too impressed. The best part was the acidity... I wasn't fussed about the flavour, and there was almost no heat. Out of desperation, I mixed it with tomato sauce for it to be palatable :-(

I have higher hopes with the pineapple one - at least there will be heat if nothing else! The plan is to try it as a serving sauce, and\or if that fails, to use it as a wing sauce.... I will update again shortly.
 
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