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fermenting First Wild Ferment Questions

Hello,
 
This year I finally decided to bite the bullet and try a long-term wild ferment.  I've scowled the forums and multiple posts, but still have questions.  I feel if I have a better understanding of how things work, I'll have more control when creating my hotsauces in the future.
 
This is from the pinned post on Fermenting 101.  I've bolded and underlined my areas of interest/questioning.
Wild Fermentation. For a wild fermentation you are going to collect the wild yeast that is in the air and use it to ferment the peppers. To do this you first need to add enough salt to the mash so that the bad bacteria cant infect your mash before the good bacteria get going. Typically this is somewhere between 6 and 10 percent of weight. Some add a little Ascorbic Acid as well to retard mold. Place your mash into a container and cover the top with several layers of Cheese Cloth to keep out any dirt but to allow the bacteria to get in. Once you see that mash bubbling away you can loosely add a lid and allow the fermentation to continue.
 
1.  In the above post it mentions allowing yeast to get into the mash, but then goes on about the bacteria performing the fermentation.  So which is it? My understanding is it's the bacteria; in which case what is the purpose of the "wild yeast"? 
 
2.  Is the % brine based on the weight of the water in the brine, or weight of the peppers/other ingredients .  If I did it by weight of water, is my mash ruined?
 
3.  Lastly what should I expect in the "bubble" faze before adding the lid?  What size are the bubbles?  Is it contingent on the texture of the mash?  Once I see any kind of bubbles am I ready to go (or do I have to wait until a certain size and number)?
 
I apologize if this post is long.  I'm just trying to garner a better understanding of fermenting peppers, and I'm finding myself getting overwhelmed.  I appreciate any help.  
Thank!
 
 
 
I have done a few and this is my understanding.

1. Wild yeast = bacteria
2. Salt is a percentage of dry ingredients
3. Little tiny bubles. Almost like carbonation in a soda, except far fewer bubbles.

Welcome to THP
 
You don't want to cover it with cheesecloth, all of the bacteria are on your peppers already. And you don't want yeast in there, it's actually lactobacillus bacteria that do the fermenting.

And everyone seems to do the salt a little differently. You can do percentage of the straight pepper weight, salt it, and not add any water. Some people make a brine(just salt and water) and put whole peppers in that. In my latest batches, I'm experimenting with adding water relative to the weight of the peppers, and then adding salt as a percentage of that combined weight. I'd go with somewhere around a 3% salt to start, 6-10% seems like way too much, and would only work if you're diluting with a ton of vinegar after fermentation.

You want a lid on from the start, and during active fermentation just open it once a day or so to let off pressure.
 
@tctenten
tctenten said:
I have done a few and this is my understanding.

1. Wild yeast = bacteria
2. Salt is a percentage of dry ingredients
3. Little tiny bubles. Almost like carbonation in a soda, except far fewer bubbles.

Welcome to THP
 
Thanks for your succinct answers.  However, to my knowledge; bacteria (specifically lactobacillus) is not a wild yeast.  Yeast eats sugar and poops alcohol.  Lactobacillus eats sugar and poops acid.  Seems odd that the pinned post would mention it.  
 
I realize I'm being a stickler, just trying to understand the process.  I'm starting to think there's more flexibility in this than I thought, and I'm just being a worry "wort" (pun intended).
 
@Jubnat
You don't want to cover it with cheesecloth, all of the bacteria are on your peppers already. And you don't want yeast in there, it's actually lactobacillus bacteria that do the fermenting.

And everyone seems to do the salt a little differently. You can do percentage of the straight pepper weight, salt it, and not add any water. Some people make a brine(just salt and water) and put whole peppers in that. In my latest batches, I'm experimenting with adding water relative to the weight of the peppers, and then adding salt as a percentage of that combined weight. I'd go with somewhere around a 3% salt to start, 6-10% seems like way too much, and would only work if you're diluting with a ton of vinegar after fermentation.

You want a lid on from the start, and during active fermentation just open it once a day or so to let off pressure.
 
Thank you for your advice. My understanding is that with a wild ferment you need the oxygen initially to get the bacteria growing since you're not using a starter.  Once you have enough bacteria you can close it up.
 
I recently started my own mash (I'll post pictures when I get a chance), but I made a 6% brine by weight of water instead of dry ingredients.  I think mathematically it works out closer to 5%, so hopefully it won't spoil during a long ferment.  Although, I do like your idea of doing it by total weight.  I'll keep that in mind for a future batch.  And I have airlocks so things don't blow up :).
 
You don't need oxygen or leave it open to catch the wild bacteria. It is already on the vegetables, just like yeast for a sourdough starter is actually in the flour.
So if you have an airlock, I would just put it on from the start.
 
Just from reading your excerpt yes. I think you are overthinking it.

I think the op is referring to wild yeast as good bacteria.

I also agree with Jubnat about the airlock. Put your mash in jar, cap it with an airlock and let it ferment.
 
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