fermenting Ferment help - how's it coming along?

[Coup]

Hey guys, new fermenter here - I made a pepper mash about six months ago and let it sit in my pantry. The process is done, as far as I can tell, but there's a colony forming on the tippy-top about a quarter in diameter. What do you think?
 

 

 

[SmokenFire]

Hey Coup!  I've looked at the pics a few times now and I just can't be sure what's going on.  The small patch at the top certainly looks like kham yeast, but I can't see clearly enough to say one way or the other.  
 
The mash is 6 months old, but I don't know what all went into it.  Looks like chocolate peppers and idk what all else.  There's more headspace in that jar than I prefer when fermenting, but I don't have the faintest idea how the mash was handled throughout the process (was the jar opened at all? etc).
 
It's been long enough that all the available sugars should have been consumed.  My suggestion is to open the jar, give it a good smell and see what's up.  If you get bad odors off it then it's probably toast.  If it doesn't smell bad then you could spoon out the kham and check the pH - if the pH is low enough then I'd feel better about processing the ferment further.  Hope this helps Coup.  
 
 

 

[Coup]

Hey Coup!  I've looked at the pics a few times now and I just can't be sure what's going on.  The small patch at the top certainly looks like kham yeast, but I can't see clearly enough to say one way or the other.  
 
The mash is 6 months old, but I don't know what all went into it.  Looks like chocolate peppers and idk what all else.  There's more headspace in that jar than I prefer when fermenting, but I don't have the faintest idea how the mash was handled throughout the process (was the jar opened at all? etc).
 
It's been long enough that all the available sugars should have been consumed.  My suggestion is to open the jar, give it a good smell and see what's up.  If you get bad odors off it then it's probably toast.  If it doesn't smell bad then you could spoon out the kham and check the pH - if the pH is low enough then I'd feel better about processing the ferment further.  Hope this helps Coup.  
 
 

 
Thanks for the info brother! Let me give you more info.
 
This mash was chocolate brain strain peppers blended with some garlic and some spices (I believe cumin is one of them). The jar wasn't opened at all, and I sterilized it before putting the mash in. I suppose the ol' sniff test is really what it needs.
 
What should the pH be if I check it? And how would I process it?

 

[SmokenFire]

 
Thanks for the info brother! Let me give you more info.
 
This mash was chocolate brain strain peppers blended with some garlic and some spices (I believe cumin is one of them). The jar wasn't opened at all, and I sterilized it before putting the mash in. I suppose the ol' sniff test is really what it needs.
 
What should the pH be if I check it? And how would I process it?

 
 
Chocolate brain strains with garlic and spices?  Sounds tasty.    The rest of your prep is spot on.  
 
For pH you want to be under 3.7 for shelf stability.  As far as processing goes it's basically just cooking/food mill/bottling or canning.  The cooking will stop the fermentation completely so your bottles (or cans) don't explode during storage.  I know salsalady put up more than a few worthy posts in the Making Hot Sauce 101 thread.  It's a long but excellent read.  
 
Another great thread:  Fermenting peppers 101.
 
Here's a link to a tutorial I did about fermenting and processing mash. 
 
Hope this helps!  

 

[Coup]

 
 
Chocolate brain strains with garlic and spices?  Sounds tasty.    The rest of your prep is spot on.  
 
For pH you want to be under 3.7 for shelf stability.  As far as processing goes it's basically just cooking/food mill/bottling or canning.  The cooking will stop the fermentation completely so your bottles (or cans) don't explode during storage.  I know salsalady put up more than a few worthy posts in the Making Hot Sauce 101 thread.  It's a long but excellent read.  
 
Another great thread:  Fermenting peppers 101.
 
Here's a link to a tutorial I did about fermenting and processing mash. 
 
Hope this helps!  

 
Thanks for the wealth of info, SmokenFire!
 
I cracked her open and she didn't smell bad at all - quite the opposite, smelled great and robust. I got my pH test strips out but couldn't get an accurate reading of the pH, so I boiled the sauce and then threw it in the oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes just to kill anything that might be suspicious.
 
I think I need to give it another go-round, honestly.