fermenting Fermentation Experiment Progress

[aram]

So I said I'd conduct a comparative experiment to see which method of fermentation works best for me. I used 3 different starters: 2 powdered yogurt cultures (A & B) and whey.

The first four contain no other vegetables and the jars + the mash were boiled for around twenty minutes. I added the cultures after the mash cooled down to room temperature.
The last two were not boiled and contain other vegetables.


This is the progress 10 days into the fermentation. Of the ones started on the same day (the first 4), the two with powdered cultures and no salt (first two) seem to be outperforming the two with whey and salt. My conclusion is that either the whey did not contain enough active bacteria or I added too much salt (2 tbsp in about half a quart of mash and topped off with filtered water).

The 1 gallon batch was fermenting and bubbling but there seems to be a very small decrease in pH and for some odd reason the last one has increased in pH. My pH meter might need some calibration lol

Anyway, I really hope I'm not the only one who finds this as fascinating as I do haha

 

[Hammerfall]

nice!
keep seeds

 

[RocketMan]

<Raises left eyebrow> Fascinating!

You are not the only one. I have never bothered to track the ph data but it would be interesting to see what the ph does over the course of a fermentation. Then we'd know the least amount of time that you want a mash to run and beyond which your actually what I would call aging the mash. The one gallon doesn't surprise me as you have alot more sugars in there and a larger volumn for the bacteria to deal with so it will take longer. I'd be interested to know what you put in with the Yellow 7/Fatali mash. Knowing the other ingredients might give us a clue to what caused it to go up. How long are you planning on letting them go? Great work. +1

Cheers,
RM

 

[Chili Monsta]

Thanks aram,for taking the time to document and for sharing the info on your experiment...+1 to you.

And just as RocketMan mentioned previously...there are others of us equally interested in fermentation processes...(I for one), and are appreciative of the time and effort on your part.

After reading your post,here's some of my thoughts/observations:
Salt definitely affects/inhibits the fermentation process....from the beginning and throughout the entire fermentation.

Boiling the mash kills the live "good" bacteria naturally found on produce.By doing so, the ferment is totally dependent upon the type,quality and amount of bacteria added.
The addition of any type of starter(whey,kefir,etc) is to "jump start" those "good" bacteria in the early stages of the ferment to ensure they have a "head start" on the unwanted bacteria that cause spoilage.

Without knowing any of the other ingredients you've included,its hard to offer anything other than educated guesswork.(which follows)
Remember that the lacto bacteria(s) (LAB) feed on the carbohydrates(sugars) found in the fresh produce, and each type of produce has different amounts. Adding high carb produce or sugar will make sure there is ample nourishment for the LAB is flourish so they can produce their acidic byproduct which impacts the pH.

Also, the viability levels of the commercial yogurt whey I've harvested and used for ferments in the past tends to vary greatly. Sometimes it will start working withing hours, and other times it has taken several days to begin... and still others show little visible evidence (lots of bubbling), but still result in a good ferment and acceptable pH levels.

IMO...I've found a few things can not be overstated when fermenting:
Fermentation is an artisan endeavor, a kind of balancing act of variables.
Each batch is a unique, and may or may not respond the same as in the past.
Each time a sealed ferment is exposed to oxygen, new "bad" bacteria in introduced and chances of spoilage increases proportionally.
The importance of patience.

I hope this is helpful...really looking forward to your upcoming updates.
Good luck to you!
CM

 

[aram]

Thanks for the replies, and Hammerfall I've already started saving some seeds, no worries

Rocketman, the Yellow 7 Pod/Fatali and the 1 gallon batches contain garlic, onions, and carrots which from what I read in many of your posts are typical ingredients. Like I said, my pH meter might need to be re-calibrated. I'll wait a week or so before I check and I'll definitely post the results. I'm planning on letting them ferment/age for at least another month or two

Chili Monsta, my reasoning behind boiling the mash was to kill ALL bacteria that might have been on the peppers. I realized I was killing the good stuff too but I figured if I start with a sterile mash I can inoculate it with known strains of bacteria. If you're interested in knowing what those strains might be, I can look on the package and let you know. I was not too concerned with the amount of bacteria added seeing how the medium is sterile and the fact that bacteria multiply exponentially. Rather I was more concerned with the strains which is the reason for the boil. I avoided the boil in the 5th and 6th batches.

The first 4 mashes contain no other vegetables, only peppers (2 with salt, 2 without). The last two are a combination of peppers (mostly super-hots), carrots, onions, garlic and salt. I have some brewing sugar (dextrose) that is more readily fermented than regular sugar: would you recommend adding some given the ingredients that I'm using?

Thanks to both of your for the advice! I avoid opening the jars, only to check for pH and I make sure to sanitize my pH meter before.

Here's some pictures:

Peppers soon to be fermented

First four batches

1 gallon mash and yellow 7 pod/Fatali

Another kind of fermentation that is just as fascinating! haha

 

[Chili Monsta]

That's some sweet looking mashes you've got going there....and once they all start working (and burping)I'll bet the combined fragrances will be getting some air time throughout the house.

...(I'd probably hold off on any additional sugar if it were me...carrots and onions should be just fine)
Now it all about the waiting game...that's the tough part.

 

[Hammerfall]

beer or wine?

you seems to bit a bit freak like me

next thing will be kefir and pickle and sauerkrout
after that you will want to make your own sausage

anyway keep up the results i love that kind of info!


What is your PH meter? strips or something more electronic and expensive?

 

[aram]

Here's a little update:

By aram_s at 2011-09-10

Everything seems to be working perfectly! The ones I was having trouble with started bubbling and there was a noticeable drop in pH in all of them.

Batches 1 & 2: I thought were sufficiently low to turn into beautiful hot sauce. I didn't add any water to maintain the proper pH, I boiled, blended, boiled, blended, and finally boiled until I reduced it to a thick but smooth consistency.

Batches 3 & 4: they weren't fermenting at first (little to no bubbling, slow decrease in pH) have been going at it much faster! I'll either add them to my main batch or cook them up soon.

Batch 5: formerly known as Mash (1 gal.) is now somewhere around 4 gallons and is the star of the show! I figured opening it to add more peppers is not harmful. Any air that gets in there will be displaced by the new CO2 bubbles and any nasties that get in the actual mash will have a hard time surviving given the already low pH. It was at 3.8 before I added the new peppers, it's currently at 4.0. I'm gonna let it age at least 3 months after my last pepper addition.

Batch 6: I haven't opened it to check the pH but it's been bubbling! I'm a little more reluctant to add peppers to this as the jug is already 3/4 full.


Conclusion: Fermentation rules.

Pictures of the fermentation jars and the actual cooking to come soon! Suggestions on what to do with all this hot sauce are highly encouraged.

 

[aram]

Hammerfall, beer, always beer! Haha, from what I've heard, home made wine doesn't really taste that good lol

I have a Parmesan sitting in the fridge right now, should be ready to eat in about 10 months haha Sausage, bread, prosciutto, pasta, beer: anything that can be made at home I want to give it a shot! haha

And the pH meter I'm using is the electronic type. It's easier to use than the strips and I got it for free actually haha my sister worked at a laboratory supply company and she ordered me one and didn't take any money from me

 

[Hammerfall]

bah Aram, for wine i use kits (high end one) they give a very good result for 3$ per bottle
and most of my surrounding prefer my wine over a lot of 15$ bottle at SAQ so for me it's enough and it's good to add polyphenol in my life hahahaa

cant wait what you will make with this fermented stuff? do you plan to turn that into sauce with other ingredient or sauce with only peppers?

how much approx for an electric PH meter of quality?

 

[RocketMan]

aram I think alot of us on this site would agree. If Incan get a homemade version I'd rather have that than store bought. In fact I just made sourdough bread last night, enjoyed my last bottle of home-brewed Porter and the first test bottles of home-brewed hard cider with my son too. I love it!