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Pickling spices?

I have never done a lacto-ferment, so what does everyone add as pickling spice?
 
I was thinking some garlic cloves and peppercorns. What else?
 
I will be doing some superhots; Primos, Scorpion crosses. Also some regular hots; such as ScotchBonnet crosses.
 
So, once the ferment is done, do I drain off the salt water and replace with vinegar solution for long-term storage or not?
 
Lacto ferment is not pickling, most dont add pickling type spices, usually garlic, onion, things that would normally go into a fresh cooked hot sauce.

This question was just sort of answered in the Fermenting 101 thread.


Once the fermentation is complete and the pH is low, you do not have to add vinegar for pH reasons. Some choose to add it for flavor. It does have to be either refrigerated or cooked/bottled.
 
salsalady said:
Lacto ferment is not pickling, most dont add pickling type spices, usually garlic, onion, things that would normally go into a fresh cooked hot sauce.

This question was just sort of answered in the Fermenting 101 thread.


Once the fermentation is complete and the pH is low, you do not have to add vinegar for pH reasons. Some choose to add it for flavor. It does have to be either refrigerated or cooked/bottled.
Thanks, I will check it out.
 
 
'Pickling' was just what I had always heard was the term used for the process of preserving vegetables.
 
If I wanted to leave the pods whole, I guess it would add considerable time tio the ferment?
 
"Pickling" is simply putting veggies/chiles in a jar and covering with a vinegar/salt/water(and spices like dill) brine.  It's the Vinegar that does the preservation thing.  With Lacto, it's the fermentation that does the preservation thing.  There's also dehydrating for preservation, freezing for preservation, salting for preservation, smoking for preservation, freeze drying for preservation....(what else am I forgetting?  :lol:)
 
A lot of people misuse words, like calling fermentation pickling. Like confusing boiling water bath with pressure canning.  And (my personal pet peeve) like automatically assuming that anything called a 'mash' is fermented!  In brewing circles, mash is refers to the fermented stuff, but the word 'mash' really refers to a ground up consistency and does not automatically mean fermented.
 
The time involved kind of depends on everything.  The thickness of the chiles, are they cut into quarters, whole(not recommended), blitzed to small bits?  each batch will probably be a little different, but if you have the general understanding of the processes, it'll all be good. 
 
When PICKLING with vinegar, most extension service recipes say that when making whole cucumber pickles, the cukes must be in the vinegar brine for at least 2 weeks.  This allows the vinegar acidity to penetrate to the middle of the fresh cukes and to preserve the cuke, now making it a pickle.  The same principles go with fermenting.  If the chunks of fresh produce are large and thick, it will take longer to complete the fermentation process.  Smaller pieces, faster fermentation process.  
 
SL
 
It's an ongoing learning and educational process for everyone. 
 
Back to your question....
If using whole peppers, they should be pierced so the salt brine (no vinegar) can get inside if you want whole fermented peppers.  If at the end of the process, you're just going to blend it all up for a sauce, blender them all at the start.  It will speed up the process and reduce the risk of bad things happening on the inside of peppers (whole peppers) while the outside is fermenting.
 
 
Personally i feel whole and ground mashes have drawbacks. Course chopped or cut in half is the easiest to deal with. Its easier to keep the peppers submerged in the brine and you dont get CO2 trapped in a mash causing it to float or expand.
 
Coarse chop
Mix peppers with sea salt or canning salt (NO IODINE)
Pack peppers in a sterilized jar with just enough headspace to prevent overflow.
Add glass fermenter weight to hold down the peppers
Cover with a salt brine. Use the same percent you added to the peppers. 3-3.5% salt should be fine but some have luck with less. Dont go under 2%
Cover with an air lock filled with vinegar or even vodka
Leave it the hell alone in a dark place for a month or more.
Checking it for mold occasionally is fine if you can leave the lid on
 
 
After the ferment part is done you can mix in additions, puree and make any adjustments. Then toss it in the fridge for more aging if you wish. If you add sugar to the initial ferment the lacto bacteria will just eat it. No real problem with giving them a small snack to help them get started. You dont need much.
 
Once you have the flavor profile you are after its a good idea to pasteurize it before putting it in bottles. Bottle bombs suck.....trust me ive been there.
 
So, no spices during ferment? What about pearl onions?
 
Regarding cutting the pods up; I was really wanting whole pods, and I was also not planning on making sauce.
 
Based on this post^....

Go ahead and add whatever spices you want knowing it will not be ground up and will be like pickled peppers....just fermented.

Pearl onions, garlic cloves, carrot, whatever, all good.

Definitely put some slits in the peppers so the brine can get inside. Either cut in half or a slit at the top and one at the e bottom of the pod. Maybe even hand squish the pods to purge the air out and get brine on the inside of the pod.
 
When working with whole pods you have to take into account the brine level. It will lower as the pods fill with brine.
 
Make holes/slits whatever in them. Enough to ensure they will fill up with brine.
Weigh them down with fermenting weights after filling your jar
Add your brine and place a temporary lid on the jar.
Check them in a few hours and see if it needs more brine.
 
You might have to do this several times and it might take days so its best to keep it in a cold spot. Even in the fridge. Sure is a lot of effort when halves are so little effort. Maybe a brine injector is the best solution. Just inject each pod with brine first? Make 2 holes, fill until the brine comes out the other hole. Remember to wear gloves. :D
 
https://www.amazon.com/Ofargo-Plastic-Marinade-Injector-Download/dp/B078CQ3369
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Tybo said:
Bottle bombs! :point:
 

I made a fermented sauce once. Even boiled it and added vinegar. Gave a bottle to pops in a Heinz squeeze bottle. Told him to keep it in the fridge. Wellllllllll, he forgot and left it by his chair. Sucker blew the lid off one day. Made a hell of a mess and scared the crap out of him.
 
Now his sauces are straight 7% acidity vinegar added. Problem solved. :P
 
When making brine  for hot peppers; 3.5% is the 'sweet spot', so to speak?
 
How do I measure the salt? Tablespoons or by weight?
 
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