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fermenting First time fermenting please help

W

Wrex

Hi everyone, 

New to the forums and i need some help with my fermented hot sauce.

Started 3 separate ferments over the weekend (at the time of posting they have been fermenting for 4 days)

1) onion, carrot, garlic, ghost pepper, bell pepper 
2) onion, carrot, garlic, ghost pepper, habanero, bell pepper 
3) onion, carrot, garlic, habanero 

3.5% brine, with spring water and kosher salt. They are using a silicone airlock and glass weights to keep the veggies down. 

I tried to be super super clean when setting these ferments up but im experiencing some unexpected? growth. please help, id hate for my first try to be ruined. 
 
I noticed today after a weekend trip that all 3 jars are bubbling out CO2 quite a bit, so thats good. but in 2 of the jars there is this growth in the brine that is cloudy/fuzzy and white. theres lots of it, but its only in the brine, not above the surface. the other jar might have some but its very minimal. all 3 jars currently smell great, so they pass the smell test. 

From my research it does not appear to be kham yeast as theres nothing on the surface, but this stuff is floating in the brine. it acts also as a suspension or colloid. 

please help me ID this growth and know it my peppers are safe. i hoped they would ferment for the next 3 weeks or so. 

i have attached a picture link (igmur) that shows 1 jar with the cloudy growth and the other jar which has very little-none. 

Thanks in advance!!
Cheers, 
HH  



https://imgur.com/a/PFOOnJe
 
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I would suspect kham yeast, at least earlier stage kham yeast. Your brine was a little low on salt content for what you’re fermenting, but only just. Kham yeast smells sweet, almost sickly sweet/yeasty in large quantities, so it passes the smell test and isn’t harmful, but does warp and overpower the flavor. More salt would make the kham yeast more buoyant and prevent it, but it can still happen to the best of us.

What do you have covering the jars?


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Wrex said:
it will probably become the "white sediment" that many people experience in ferments if i had to hazard a guess. 

how much will this effect flavor in the final product?
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Not that I’ve noticed. Have had that exact thing happen and went with it. I’ve also let Kahm yeast go for a week before I finally got off my ass and did something about it. This is my first year doing it and I’ve let some batches go for two and a half months.

Fermenting is great. Really takes sauce to the next level.
 
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I guess you could rebrine it like some other dude did around here with sauerkraut maybe recently.

I’d just let it go. If nothing nasty up top, blend it and go. Don’t add much of the brine back into the sauce when you make it if it concerns you.
 
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Good idea. I would use vinegar anyways instead of brine. Thanks for the advice.

Yeah I dont see how re brining would be helpful itll just re grow.

So youve had this same growth? It seems rare. Not just cloudy but fuzzy and flaky.
 
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I have had, it sat on top of the glass weight eventually like a sediment. And using vinegar instead of brine is exactly what I did. I used Braggs organic a lot this year and I like it, I’ve heard there are others that will impact taste less though, like a good rice one or something.
 
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It's yeast, plus some floaties, don't sweat it too much. Fermenting requires patience, looking at your brew doesn't speed or slow the process. Shut the door, and look at it again in a week. Won't make a difference in the end. Either it's yeast and good, or it's moldy and will need to be tossed. Patience grasshopper.
 
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what if i notice floating veggies? should i remove or place back under weight?

I know ill introduce O2 but its bubbling so much that i figure the CO2 will displace it in a day or so
 
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