-
If you have a question about commercial production or the hot sauce business, please post in The Food Biz.
fermenting Fermenting Peppers starter culture
- Thread starter jatr24
- Start date
Always great to have another fermentor in the house 
Everybody's got their own way of doing it, but I personally swear by these:
They come in single serve 1g packets of powder, but they're kinda pricey. Almost a buck a piece. I'm sure someone else will chime in with their routine. Lots of different options
Welcome to the addiction!
Everybody's got their own way of doing it, but I personally swear by these:
They come in single serve 1g packets of powder, but they're kinda pricey. Almost a buck a piece. I'm sure someone else will chime in with their routine. Lots of different options
Welcome to the addiction!
Caldwells works great for large batches or if you want to make a larger lacto culture. Its a waste for anything under about 4lbs of veggies. You can however use it to make at least a gallon of liquid you could use in later ferments. Just feed it some veggies and a sugar source then store it in the fridge once its sour. It will keep in the fridge for many months.
Farm House Cultures sells a product called Gut Shot in various flavors but a quart is around $5. Its a probiotic drink. Dierbergs Markets carries it. Around a shot glass full is enough to kick start a 2lb ferment.
I just use homemade kraut or kimchi juice with a tiny bit of any sugar source added to it while im getting the other stuff ready. The sugar probably isnt even needed with many peppers.
Farm House Cultures sells a product called Gut Shot in various flavors but a quart is around $5. Its a probiotic drink. Dierbergs Markets carries it. Around a shot glass full is enough to kick start a 2lb ferment.
I just use homemade kraut or kimchi juice with a tiny bit of any sugar source added to it while im getting the other stuff ready. The sugar probably isnt even needed with many peppers.
If you got an asian store or restaurant that makes their own kimchi nearby, only 2 tbsp of the juice in a quart jar had it bubbling like crazy in less than a day.
Welcome to THP jatr24. If you poke around long enough you'll find a wealth of fermenting peppers information around here. 
For the last few years I have run salt only ferments for my peppers. I have previously used Caldwell's with good results. They have small packs on amazon that work well, but I agree they are best used with 4-5lbs of veggies versus something like a pound of peppers you just harvested. I've also used juice from homemade sauerkraut, homemade kombucha and whey drained off live yogurt before with good results.
All methods are fine, and no one is better than the other. Find what gets you consistently good results and roll with it. I recommend trying all methods and then deciding what you prefer - that's how I settled on salt only. Search the fermenting peppers 101 thread, the hot sauce making forum and pay attention to the posts from Rocketman and Chilimonsta especially.
I roll salt only with peppers fresh from vendors whom I know and trust (or from my garden) that have only been rinsed and not scrubbed or sanitized, meaning I'm using the lacto naturally present on them when I get em. Visible dirt or blemishes removed, cut in half to check inside for any mold, and then into the food processor for grindage. That resultant mash is fermented for 3-8 weeks usually, then pulled and processed.
That's just me. I've fermented certain batches for a year or more and love the subtle nuance that aging provides but it's not like it was 'holy wtf way better-er' than stuff that was 2 months old.
For the last few years I have run salt only ferments for my peppers. I have previously used Caldwell's with good results. They have small packs on amazon that work well, but I agree they are best used with 4-5lbs of veggies versus something like a pound of peppers you just harvested. I've also used juice from homemade sauerkraut, homemade kombucha and whey drained off live yogurt before with good results.
All methods are fine, and no one is better than the other. Find what gets you consistently good results and roll with it. I recommend trying all methods and then deciding what you prefer - that's how I settled on salt only. Search the fermenting peppers 101 thread, the hot sauce making forum and pay attention to the posts from Rocketman and Chilimonsta especially.
I roll salt only with peppers fresh from vendors whom I know and trust (or from my garden) that have only been rinsed and not scrubbed or sanitized, meaning I'm using the lacto naturally present on them when I get em. Visible dirt or blemishes removed, cut in half to check inside for any mold, and then into the food processor for grindage. That resultant mash is fermented for 3-8 weeks usually, then pulled and processed.
That's just me. I've fermented certain batches for a year or more and love the subtle nuance that aging provides but it's not like it was 'holy wtf way better-er' than stuff that was 2 months old.
Pretty much the only reason i use kraut or kimchi juice is i always have homemade available and it doesn't seem to alter the flavor.
all the bacteria you need are already on your peppers and in the air. In fact is said that no starter gives you a better more complex flavour, just make sure your brine level is at least 2% but not much more than 3.5%
I only use salt and a little sugar. Like everyone has said, there are so many preferences and methods.
I recently had great success but starting a ferment normally, and then after a week, adding roughly the same amount peppers/water/sugar/salt, and the ferments blew up! Stirring them down everyday so they don't spew out all over the place.
I recently had great success but starting a ferment normally, and then after a week, adding roughly the same amount peppers/water/sugar/salt, and the ferments blew up! Stirring them down everyday so they don't spew out all over the place.