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Mold

K

kcdcbc

Hi every one!!

Im new here, I have been trying to figure out what happen with my pepper mash. Using cayenne peppers I followed one sites directions to the letter and now I have a layer of mold on top of my jars. I left the lids loose. they have been sitting for a month. Any suggestions would be helpful. Is this batch now garbage or can I save it!

Thank you
 
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:welcome: From Orlando, FL

Your fermentation may not be lost. What does it look like and can you post a picture of it. You don't need to open the jar a shot through the side where we can see it would be helpful though. Also what were the direction you followed and what was the ratio of salt to ingredients you used? It may be that it happened because you didn't have enough salt to keep it safe till fermentation could start.

Often times when you don't weigh down the ingredients in a fermentation a layer of white will develop on the top. I have had this happen in several of my fermentations and none of them failed. When I have had it happen I've both opened the jar and cleaned it out and left it alone and done nothing till my palnned time was up. Weighing the ingredients down can be done easily with a bag of glass marbles or even a ziplock bag of water. The idea is just to keep the ingredients below the water line.

Cheers,
RM
 
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RocketMan said:
:welcome: From Orlando, FL

Your fermentation may not be lost. What does it look like and can you post a picture of it. You don't need to open the jar a shot through the side where we can see it would be helpful though. Also what were the direction you followed and what was the ratio of salt to ingredients you used? It may be that it happened because you didn't have enough salt to keep it safe till fermentation could start.

Often times when you don't weigh down the ingredients in a fermentation a layer of white will develop on the top. I have had this happen in several of my fermentations and none of them failed. When I have had it happen I've both opened the jar and cleaned it out and left it alone and done nothing till my palnned time was up. Weighing the ingredients down can be done easily with a bag of glass marbles or even a ziplock bag of water. The idea is just to keep the ingredients below the water line.

Cheers,
RM
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here is the process I followed. Using 12% salt. I never got to the canning stage. I will try to post pics if I can figure out how to do it. I thank you for your help!!

Kenny

Peppers with soft spots, rot, or mold should be thrown away. If you are growing your own peppers in a garden and you don't have enough fresh peppers for a batch of mash you can freeze the fresh ripe peppers until you have enough.

Wash the peppers with cold water and remove the stems. Next chop or grind the peppers using a food processor or meat grinder. Process to a medium grind and not a puree. The seeds should still be mostly whole.

Adding the Salt

Salt is added by weight. Peppers with a lower Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) rating need more salt than those with a higher SHU rating. Hot peppers like Habaneros use a minimum of 12% salt. Milder peppers like Jalapenos use 15% salt in the mash.

Weigh your ground peppers using a good scale and then weigh out enough salt for your peppers. Stir canning salt into the ground peppers and then put them in a non-reactive container (plastic, stainless steel or glass). Results will be better if you use a container that is taller than it is wide. Canning jars are ideal for smaller batches.

Aging Pepper Mash

Put the salted mash in a tall container and pack it down. Then cover with a loose fitting lid. If using a canning jar lid, screw it on only half way. Allow the mash to sit for one hour. Stir and then pack again. Stir it again in another hour and then again after 24 hours. Pack the mash down after each stirring.

After 24 hours the salt should have drawn out enough liquid from the peppers to cover them when they are packed down. If not a small amount of water can be added to cover the peppers.

Place the mash in a cool location for fermenting. After a few days you should see bubbles forming in the mash. These bubbles are by-products of the fermentation process. If the mash gets too bubbly and rises to the top of the lid it should be packed down again. Otherwise liquid will be forced out of the lid and make a mess. Most of the fermentation happens in the first week or so with almost all fermentation complete in a month.

So now you are finished and know how to make pepper mash. Wasn't that easy?

Storing Pepper Mash

When fermentation is complete you can use it in your favorite hot sauce recipe or if you wish it can be preserved for a long period by canning as you would tomatoes.
 
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In open fermentation that is something you have to skim off. That is why closed fermentation is the way to go. Closed fermentation is with an air lock. If it goes bad when you smell it, it'll smell uneatable.
 
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Ok your mash has gone for a month. As I see it you have 2 choices. 1. Its fermented long enough that you could scrape it off and go ahead and make your sauce. 2 . Give it another 2 weeks and then process it. I personally would go with number 2. Either wAy your going to be enjoying some good sauce by Thanksgiving.

RM
 
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