DownRiver said:
Interesting. It's good to know you have fermented peppers, straight up, with no sugar added successfully. I would have been doubtful.
So, what is your process, if I may ask? Do you use a starter? Do you use salt or brine? If so, what ratios do you use?
I like this approach!
I do indeed use a starter, just depends on what I have available. I have also done a pure wild ferment, without any starter and it was a success. I also would be lying to say I have never had one fail, but most work out well. I typically just add a bit of a finished fermented sauce as a starter, or fermented coconut water/coconut kefir. I have also used a probiotic from Customprobiotics.com as a starter with great results. Salt is even more important when fermenting this way, as the presence of sugars are lower, and thus the fermentation is not as vigorous and more prone to failure.
So the process goes typically something like this:
I clean the peppers very good, without using water that is too hot. I de-seed and de-stem them, before placing the peppers in a food processor. I have tried different ways, and continue to do things differently because both methods work just fine. I either add the salt directly, or make a brine. Typically no matter the method its ends up around 5% salt. I taste everything, and so I can tell when the salt levels are right. I do believe you should err on the side of more salt rather than less; besides the bacteria diminishes some of it anyways, and I use a salt that is considered to be very healthy. I add enough water to blend it all well together, but that's it. I don't want to water it down too much, at least not at this point. As its processing, I add the starter as well, so that all the ingredients are well mixed and blended together. I really let it sit in the processor for several minutes. Afterwards, I place this mixture in a glass jar with an airlock. Its pretty simple, and once you try it, you will want to experiment with other peppers to see which work well this way, and which ones do not. As I said, I personally think the Aleppo pepper is the best so far I have tried, and the finished product was surprising. Not only was it very good tasting, it has a very bright red/orange color that keeps, and a freshness to go with it.
Oh, and the plus side is the mash left over is even better than the sauce! Although you have to use it quickly, because it tends to mold even in the fridge after about a week.
Edit: Interesting fact: all peppers have at least a small amount of sugar in them, even if you cannot taste it. Some have more than others and will ferment "better".
