Just Starting from Boston

B

bostonheat

Hi folks - Just started my first two ferments today in Boston. I'm also fermenting vinegar, which will hopefully be a happy marriage down the road.
 
The forums have already been a tremendous help in getting started.
 
First two batches are in small 16oz jars. One is 100% red jalapeno mash, the other is habaneros from my friend's garden with some carrot, shallots, and garlic. Added 4% salt by weight to both, and popped air locks onto the jars (trying without a brine).
 
We'll see how these first two batches go!
 
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bostonheat said:
Hi folks - Just started my first two ferments today in Boston. I'm also fermenting vinegar, which will hopefully be a happy marriage down the road.
 
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Welcome! I'm pretty new here myself - quick question, I'm sure the answer is around, just haven't seen it yet.  Why ferment?  I see lots of people talking about fermenting - is there a particular reason for it, or does it just create a different set of flavours?
 
 
Cheers.
 
Axiel said:
 
Welcome! I'm pretty new here myself - quick question, I'm sure the answer is around, just haven't seen it yet.  Why ferment?  I see lots of people talking about fermenting - is there a particular reason for it, or does it just create a different set of flavours?
 
 
Cheers.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Axiel - While I'm no expert, there are a couple of good reasons to ferment. First, it's one of two ways to get the acidity level in your hot sauce high enough that it will be shelf stable (i.e. won't require refrigeration and expire quickly): you can either ferment, which creates lactic acid as a bi-product, or you can add a lot of vinegar (acetic acid) or lime juice/lemon juice (citric acid). Many hot sauces do a bit of both - fermentation and then adding other acids. However, if you want a hot sauce where the vegetable flavors are the most prominent and/or you want to minimize vinegar/lime juice/lemon juice, fermenting is the way to go.
 
The other reason of course is flavor! Most popular commercial hot sauces are fermented, so if you want that flavor profile that most people associate with hot sauce, especially louisiana-style hot sauce, it's time to ferment. Tobasco, for example, is fermented for 3 years in wooden casks - just like bourbon - which gives it that distinctive flavor of fermentation and woodiness/smokiness (from the barrels).
 
In any case, look forward to hearing about your projects - fermented or not!
 
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