Update 12/15- My very first fermented pepper sauce: 1 question and pix

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JoePD

Newbie
Original poster
Nov 20, 2022
27
32
Hello all,

After reading lots of info here and watched many YouTube vids, I felt pretty confident and started my very first fermented hot pepper sauce on 11/27, with the following ingredients:
  • 3/4 lbs red and yellow habanero peppers
  • 6 green jalapeño peppers
  • Small onion
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 2 apples
  • 170 grams raspberries
  • 1 red bell peppers
  • Capped with 1 leaf of cabbage
  • Brined at 2.5% salinity kept at approx. 70F degrees
Followed the basics of sterilization and so far I see no signs of spoilage. The fermentation started well and since I didn’t have an airlock I was burping the jar every day, inevitability a small portion of the brine spilled over in the baggy so my jar is not fully topped off with brine.
Here’s the big question: Should I make a little more 2.5% brine and top off my jar or just let it ride till next Thursday when I plan to process it?
Best
Joe
 

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I'm new at this too. So, I'm waiting to see what Jeff or Joe has to say about this. You could just ride it out. And if any Kahm mold forms. Then just scoop it out. If the mold forms. And add brine then.
 
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Thanks, Steve!
I can’t wait to process it and taste it!
Best
Joe
 
If you have veggies above the brine, they don't taste very good to me after sone time. I'd either top up, or toss what sticks up if it smells/tastes yeasty.
Thanks Hdudde,
I’m opening the jar today and will decide on the above, based on smell/taste.
Will report back!
Thanks
 
So today I opened my fermentation jar and to my surprise, the Kahm accumulation wasn’t too bad, only the cabbage leaf and a tip of one pepper that were not submerged in brine had some, discarded those, scooped a little unwanted matter out of the brine and wiped off the inside of exposed glass, using vinegar. Boiled water and made a little more 2.5% brine to top off my jar.
This stuff smells great and it may have enough heat to satisfy my taste buds! Have on hand two each of dehydrated Carolina Reapers, Ghost, Chocolate Habanero and Trinidad Moruga Scorpion in case it needs extra heat! 😳😯
Plan to process it next Thursday!

Thanks for the advice folks

Joe
 

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Hey Joe, late to the party here but ideally you want all your ingredients to be below the surface of the brine. If something breaks the surface tension then it becomes a possible vector for mold to grow. Every time you open the jar, you introduce oxygen into the ferment. Since you opened the lid, I would scoop off what's on top and add more brine. Just watch it from there, and if it starts getting fuzzy/dark looking and/or it doesn't pass the smell test, I would toss it.

Kahm yeast is harmless but larger amounts of it will alter the taste. Do a search on Kahm yeast vs. mold and try to see what you got, it's hard to tell in your pictures. Ultimately it's up you to decide if it's safe or not.

If all is good, be sure to post up the finished sauce! Looking forward to it.
 
Thanks XRay,
The fermentation slowed down but still visible active which continued purging air out of the little air space, it looks clean as of now so I think it’ll be ok. Will follow your recommendations and make a call on Thursday when I plan to process it.
Here’s a pic as of this morning:
 

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Sorry I also missed this. First I’ve generally understood that 3.5% brine is best for peppers. Definitely want to keep running’s below water for that anaerobic environment. I have had to open mine for floaters or such too. Not optimal but happens. If the ferment is still active it should push O2 back out. I also like to ferment a minimum of 3 weeks but that is personal preference. Note in the future if you want a more fruity taste it can be added post ferment. Lastly there are a couple commercial products that help keep veggies down and week worth it. I have close to eliminated Kahm in my ferments by insuring I sterilize jars in my dishwasher on the sterilize cycle and also soak all jars, glass weights etc in Sterilite solution. I also wear gloves when packing etc. As Joe said Kahm is generally harmless but can cause mild gastric issues for folks with yeast or Candida overgrowth. One last thing for advice is be careful on the pepper colors you mix. Some can tend to come out a pretty brown color haha.
 
Thanks Jcam,
All good advice from you and all, I appreciate that!
I’m not overly concerned with the final color 🙂 I’ll just come up with an appropriate name for its color lol
I suppose this mix will result in a unique complexity of flavors which is appealing to me… if it doesn’t go south on me!
Have to travel Friday so Thursday when im available to process it, it’ll be close enough to 3 weeks.
 
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I'm no expert either, but I have fermented a few batches of peppers and had some good and not-so-good experiences. jcam222 jcam222 and xray xray have covered the key points around potential spoilage. I have a question about how you like the taste of the fruit after it's been fermented.

I put up a batch of peppers with onion, garlic, and a half of a peach back on October 1. I processed the resulting ferment in mid-November. I'm really enjoying the taste. I can taste the peach flavor up-front, but it's not sweet because the bacteria consumed almost all of the sugars in 6 weeks time -- the result is a very different flavor than what I was expecting. Generally, I think the resulting sauce is quite a bit more sour than previous batches I've made without fruit. It's still very tasty, but quite sour. I had a lot of guests on Thanksgiving and it was a big hit.

For my next batch, I will not use any fruit in the ferment to keep the sourness down and, if I want a touch of sweetness to the sauce, I'll add some fruit when I process the ferment.
 
Great question and good points!
I suppose I’ll find out Thursday. Lol
Kinda hard to show on a picture but the very top of the brine looks clear of Kahm and it smells fantastic so I’m pretty confident this batch it’s not ruined!
Will see about the taste so either keep it or toss it.
Thanks again
Joe
 
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Great question and good points!
I suppose I’ll find out Thursday. Lol
Kinda hard to show on a picture but the very top of the brine looks clear of Kahm and it smells fantastic so I’m pretty confident this batch it’s not ruined!
Will see about the taste so either keep it or toss it.
Thanks again
Joe
Looks and smell are your closest friend. Let us know.
 
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Here are my dehydrated cayennes for hot sauce. Into day 3. And the brine has deepened to a dark red. And bubbles are just starting to form.
IMG_20221212_171909299_HDR.jpg

Can't wait to finish this!
 
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As planned, today I processed my first batch of hot sauce. Sterilized all equipment, strained the mash and added the following (little at the time) for the final amounts:
  • 1/2 cup of white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup of bottled water.
  • 1/4 tsp of xantham gum
Once completed, strained it again for a clean, yet thick desired consistency. The final smell and taste exceeds my expectations and when comparing to a commercial sauce… well, there’s no comparison! let’s just say I’m not buying any hot sauce again, I’m hooked! 😋
Here’s some pics:
 

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As planned, today I processed my first batch of hot sauce. Sterilized all equipment, strained the mash and added the following (little at the time) for the final amounts:
  • 1/2 cup of white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup of bottled water.
  • 1/4 tsp of xantham gum
Once completed, strained it again for a clean, yet thick desired consistency. The final smell and taste exceeds my expectations and when comparing to a commercial sauce… well, there’s no comparison! let’s just say I’m not buying any hot sauce again, I’m hooked! 😋
Here’s some pics:
Looks great. Somehow I missed your finish pics. Addictive isn’t it!!
 
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Thanks,
Yes it is very addictive! I’ll set myself up with better equipment for the next batch. Thanks for the input!
 
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