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fermenting Ferment Questions

parker49

parker49

Hello all, i will be starting my first ferment soon, assuming i have peppers that ripen like i hope  :P . Anyway i got a few half gallon jars and a few airlocks, but i am not sure if i will have enough patience to wait long enough to get enough peppers to fill up the jar.  if it is only say half full and i have some kind of weight to hold the mash down will this prevent the oxygen from getting to it or do i need to get a smaller jar and fill it to a couple of inches below the airlock? Thanks in advance.
 
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Just my two cents:

My first fermentation vessel cost me seven bucks. A one-quart bell jar with a hole drilled in the center, fitted with a rubber grommet and a plastic airlock. The most expensive component was the jar. I've since done it without airlocks, also with no problems. The thing is, if it costs me ~$2 for a grommet and airlock and I don't have to concern myself with manually venting the CO2 at any point in the process, much less the introduction of O2 and contaminants, that seems to me to be money well spent. Also, if you don't stay on top of burping your jars, they can explode. Hasn't happened to me, but I know others who've had unpleasant experiences.

You can get everything you need at your local homebrewing supply store. While you're there, (just my suggestion) pick up a bottle of Star San or some other sanitizer. It's cheap, the bottle will last forever unless you're doing commercial volume, and it eliminates having to go the boiling water route.

I usually look for about two inches of headspace at the top of my jar. Plenty of room for things to bubble around, but a small enough space for the ferment to fill quickly with CO2.

As starters go, I happen to prefer whey from yogurt, although I've also used the powdered starters. I also recycle my brine from past ferments, although I only use it to make the same sauce to prevent unwanted flavors. In this case, you don't need to use a starter. It also gets working WAY faster, because the brine is already loaded with lactobacillus.

Next year, I'm going to be fermenting mash on a much larger scale, so I'll be doing it using the same kind of gear I'm making passionfruit wine with this year: 6.5 gallon food-safe plastic buckets with tight-fitting lids and airlocks.

Also (again, just my two cents), I have yet to see CM say anything about fermenting that's proven to be incorrect when I applied it.
 
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A couple years ago I used a 3.5 gal food grade bucket and lid to make a mash. Same double airlock used for beer/wine ferments.
I also used a variable speed vibrator (designed to shake/mix paint) every few days to help the bubbles move upward.(that worked like a charm)
Then I worked my butt off (in the heat of the summer)blending the mash into several different flavors of sauce that I canned.
 
Worked out well, but I have a limited number of friends and relatives that appreciate true "heat", so that was the one and only time I did a pepper ferment on that scale. ( but I still do pickles and kimchi in 3.5 gal buckets , but don't use an airlock for those)
Good luck to you
Please keep me posted on your progress.
Thanks
CM
 
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Wicked Mike said:
Just my two cents:

My first fermentation vessel cost me seven bucks. A one-quart bell jar with a hole drilled in the center, fitted with a rubber grommet and a plastic airlock. The most expensive component was the jar. I've since done it without airlocks, also with no problems. The thing is, if it costs me ~$2 for a grommet and airlock and I don't have to concern myself with manually venting the CO2 at any point in the process, much less the introduction of O2 and contaminants, that seems to me to be money well spent. Also, if you don't stay on top of burping your jars, they can explode. Hasn't happened to me, but I know others who've had unpleasant experiences.

You can get everything you need at your local homebrewing supply store. While you're there, (just my suggestion) pick up a bottle of Star San or some other sanitizer. It's cheap, the bottle will last forever unless you're doing commercial volume, and it eliminates having to go the boiling water route.

I usually look for about two inches of headspace at the top of my jar. Plenty of room for things to bubble around, but a small enough space for the ferment to fill quickly with CO2.

As starters go, I happen to prefer whey from yogurt, although I've also used the powdered starters. I also recycle my brine from past ferments, although I only use it to make the same sauce to prevent unwanted flavors. In this case, you don't need to use a starter. It also gets working WAY faster, because the brine is already loaded with lactobacillus.

Next year, I'm going to be fermenting mash on a much larger scale, so I'll be doing it using the same kind of gear I'm making passionfruit wine with this year: 6.5 gallon food-safe plastic buckets with tight-fitting lids and airlocks.

Also (again, just my two cents), I have yet to see CM say anything about fermenting that's proven to be incorrect when I applied it.
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I appreciate all of the information  Wicked, seems pretty well in line with my plans.  Good luck on your quest to go pro
 
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