tutorial Fermenting Peppers 101

[SmokenFire]

if you use yogurt, how long does it typically take for the whey to settle?  is using greek yogurt any different or change the flavour?  or does it have to be a plain regular one?   and fridge or not?  

 
Search posts by Rocketman - he did a pretty thorough tutorial on how to harvest whey from yogurt.  

 

[gangaskan]

will do 

 

[hot stuff]

When I do whey, I set the container out over night. Then I put a coffee filter in a strainer, pour it it slowly (as a lot of the whey is already on top) and then let it sit on the counter for a few hours to get more of it.

 

[TRPV1]

I'm about to start my first ferment and I'm wondering how the cabbage is used to weigh down the mash. Do you keep the cabbage whole and cut a piece of the sphere off to jam into the jar or make a layer with individual leaves?

 

[Ozzy2001]

I'm about to start my first ferment and I'm wondering how the cabbage is used to weigh down the mash. Do you keep the cabbage whole and cut a piece of the sphere off to jam into the jar or make a layer with individual leaves?

I just pull 3-4 leaves off and fold them to get them in the jar and overlap them to get everything covered.

 

[kjwalker]

Yea keep them as whole as possible!  Use two or three and layer them up.  Take a chop stick and poke some holes where gas can get out.  Can also use an onion lid....put the rings so that the large diameters are toward the bottom of the jar.  Also a few holes might be a good idea if it's tight.

 

[oldsalty]

All sound advice cabbage leaf works fantastic. But no need to poke holes in it. gas will pass by without any problems. Remember to post pics of your process so if any problems arise the members will be better able to help. And no pics it never happened!! Lol Good luck on your first batch TRPV1
Cheers

I'm about to start my first ferment and I'm wondering how the cabbage is used to weigh down the mash. Do you keep the cabbage whole and cut a piece of the sphere off to jam into the jar or make a layer with individual leaves?

Welcome to the fermenter's club

 

[kjwalker]

Yea holes probably aren't normally necessary but in one batch of mine the cabbage was pretty solid and in the form of an umbrella...it pushed up with gas under it so I poked a few holes and everything settled back down.  

 

[oldsalty]

Yea holes probably aren't normally necessary but in one batch of mine the cabbage was pretty solid and in the form of an umbrella...it pushed up with gas under it so I poked a few holes and everything settled back down.  

Nice!! Haven't experienced that problem yet but always have chopsticks at the ready

 

[burning man]

help! is this yeast or mold? thanks in advance
 

 

[hot stuff]

probably one of the two.  The bad stuff you really can't see.

 

[RocketMan]

burning man that looks like a really big mess of kahm yeast. If it's bad you'd know it when the smell of it hit you like a brick to the face. 

 

[Bumper]

Just put another ferment on.  
 
This time 7 pot Jonah's from Aussie.
 

 
20 7 pot jonahs
2 red bell peppers
1 brown onion
4 medium carrots
4 large cloves of Argentinean garlic (big sweet cloves)
Wombok to cover and brined at 3.6%
5 caps of lactobacillus
 
Man these guys are another level to work with.  Fumes were hitting the back of my throat and my eyes towards the end. Thinking this will be the base of a sauce rather than the final, it's going to be 

So two and a half months later, this was cracked and made into a sauce today.  
 
This one was super air tight, that leaf on top showed no signs of mould.  Stoked!  
 
 I drained half the brine off, as the first couple I made were too salty with all the brine added.  
 
Additions to the ferment which was blended, cooked for 30 minutes and then stick blended was
 
1 medium pineapple, peeled and cored
7 limes plus 2 to finish
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup bourbon.
400ml coconut water
 
Once finished cooking, 2 more limes were juiced to add some fresh back in.  
 
And here's some pics! 
 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ozzy2001]

So two and a half months later, this was cracked and made into a sauce today.  
 
This one was super air tight, that leaf on top showed no signs of mould.  Stoked!  
 
 I drained half the brine off, as the first couple I made were too salty with all the brine added.  
 
Additions to the ferment which was blended, cooked for 30 minutes and then stick blended was
 
1 medium pineapple, peeled and cored
7 limes plus 2 to finish
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup bourbon.
400ml coconut water
 
Once finished cooking, 2 more limes were juiced to add some fresh back in.  
 
And here's some pics! 
 
IMG_0890.jpg
 
IMG_0891.jpg
 
IMG_0892.jpg
 
IMG_0894.JPG
 
IMG_0895.JPG

Nice work Bump! Are you happy with the taste?

 

[burning man]

Thanks Rocketman! Cheers!

 

[Bumper]

Nice work Bump! Are you happy with the taste?

Yep it is fantastic. The jonahs whack you then the pineapple and lime starts to come through, the coconut water is a bit lost in competing with the big flavours. It is inbetween savoury and sweet. I would use white rum next time and go a cup and a half, but the bourbon added some nice depth and was on hand. A week or two will let it settle and see how the flavours meld.

 

[Bumper]

So just tried a teaspoon of the sauce now it has cooled and melded a bit.  Oh my goodness it is good.  I cannot believe it but the coconut is coming through well now.  You get fresh pineapple and heat, then balanced heat, lime then coconut, with all the flavours hanging in nicely.  This has to be my best sauce yet.  So so happy with it.  
 
Grilled chicken prawns and fish are getting slathered in this. 
 
*going back for another bigger spoonful*

 

[grantmichaels]

That sounds good!

 

[ColdSmoke]

So two and a half months later, this was cracked and made into a sauce today.  
 
This one was super air tight, that leaf on top showed no signs of mould.  Stoked!  
 
 I drained half the brine off, as the first couple I made were too salty with all the brine added.  
 
Additions to the ferment which was blended, cooked for 30 minutes and then stick blended was
 
1 medium pineapple, peeled and cored
7 limes plus 2 to finish
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup bourbon.
400ml coconut water
 
Once finished cooking, 2 more limes were juiced to add some fresh back in.  
 
And here's some pics! 
 

IMG_0890.jpg
 

IMG_0891.jpg
 

IMG_0892.jpg
 

IMG_0894.JPG
 

IMG_0895.JPG

 
Made sometning very similar to this yesterday after I saw this recipe. I had an eight oz jar of fermented ghosts, reapers, habs and fatalii in my fridge for like seven months. The top half of the peppers were a little discolored from the lid not being air tight but I wanted them to keep fermenting to I didn't seal it all the way. The peppers smelled great. So basically this ferment was six weeks in the cupboard and seven months in the fridge. I then made it into a concentrate mixing it with four cloves garlic, half sweet onion, one lime squeezed, fresh garden tomatoes, I put all these in the smoker for an hour before they went on the stove top (no smoke flavor detected final product ). Then, mixed with 2/3 cups cider vinegar and and a cup and a half water, tsp kosher salt, tbs brown sugar. Peeled the tomatoes after 20 minutes of simmer (all members of household had runny nose at this point). Total cook time was 45 minutes. I added a teaspoon of pectic while cooled and then blended....That's the concentrate; it sat in the fridge for two days. I wanted to use this for my sauce but it was waaaay too hot. 
 
To finish the sauce I used:
1 medium pineapple
2 large red bell peppers
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup lime juice from concentrate for pH
17oz coconut water
 
I cooked all these ingredients for 25 minutes, cooled and blended. Mixed with concentrate and added 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar for pH, simmered for 20 minutes. 
 
This sauce is still wicked hot and very unique, but the pepper combo is just a little bit weird. I think the ghost peppers are throwing the flavor off a bit. 

 

[Bumper]

 
Made sometning very similar to this yesterday after I saw this recipe. I had an eight oz jar of fermented ghosts, reapers, habs and fatalii in my fridge for like seven months. The top half of the peppers were a little discolored from the lid not being air tight but I wanted them to keep fermenting to I didn't seal it all the way. The peppers smelled great. So basically this ferment was six weeks in the cupboard and seven months in the fridge. I then made it into a concentrate mixing it with four cloves garlic, half sweet onion, one lime squeezed, fresh garden tomatoes, I put all these in the smoker for an hour before they went on the stove top (no smoke flavor detected final product ). Then, mixed with 2/3 cups cider vinegar and and a cup and a half water, tsp kosher salt, tbs brown sugar. Peeled the tomatoes after 20 minutes of simmer (all members of household had runny nose at this point). Total cook time was 45 minutes. I added a teaspoon of pectic while cooled and then blended....That's the concentrate; it sat in the fridge for two days. I wanted to use this for my sauce but it was waaaay too hot. 
 
To finish the sauce I used:
1 medium pineapple
2 large red bell peppers
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup lime juice from concentrate for pH
17oz coconut water
 
I cooked all these ingredients for 25 minutes, cooled and blended. Mixed with concentrate and added 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar for pH, simmered for 20 minutes. 
 
This sauce is still wicked hot and very unique, but the pepper combo is just a little bit weird. I think the ghost peppers are throwing the flavor off a bit. 

It sounds like you blended two different sauces together.  Tomato and pineapple don't immediately go together in my mind, it may be this that is making it a bit odd? Cider vinegar also brings its own flavour which could be competing with the lime?