George, how do you process the whole peppers before adding the salt?
I.e., seeding, cutting open, etc.
Checking the Google Group archives, it seem that you add about 1/3 to
1/2 cup of pickling salt per gallon of prepared peppers... is that
right? Do you mix the salt in, or layer it on top?
What's the poundage of a gallon of peppers, approximately?

Just picked up about a pound of mixed anaheim, serrano, jalepeno, and
yellow wax peppers, plus a lone habanero.

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I put them through the food processor and coarsely chop them. The salt
goes on top of the peppers, preferably in a crust. Don't have any idea
about what a lb of peppers weigh. The red sauce I just made had about 6
gallons of peppers, that's six gallon zipper bags of peppers, that
almost filled a 3 gallon crock to the top.

I don't worry about "how much" until I get to the point of processing
the stuff into a slurry and then run it through the food mill.

George

Scott wrote:
> George, how do you process the whole peppers before adding the salt?
> I.e., seeding, cutting open, etc.
> Checking the Google Group archives, it seem that you add about 1/3 to
> 1/2 cup of pickling salt per gallon of prepared peppers... is that
> right? Do you mix the salt in, or layer it on top?
> What's the poundage of a gallon of peppers, approximately?
>
> Just picked up about a pound of mixed anaheim, serrano, jalepeno, and
> yellow wax peppers, plus a lone habanero.
>

In article >,
George Shirley > wrote:

> I put them through the food processor and coarsely chop them. The salt
> goes on top of the peppers, preferably in a crust. Don't have any idea
> about what a lb of peppers weigh. The red sauce I just made had about 6
> gallons of peppers, that's six gallon zipper bags of peppers, that
> almost filled a 3 gallon crock to the top.
>
> I don't worry about "how much" until I get to the point of processing
> the stuff into a slurry and then run it through the food mill.


Just chopped up a pound of peppers, and it yielded even less than I
expected, about 2 pints. I put them into a mason jar, and plan to get a
couple more pounds tomorrow. Figured that 2 tablespoons of salt won't do
much of a job covering the mash.

They were mainly green peppers, with the sole red habanero mixed in.
I'll see what I dig up tomorrow.

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Scott wrote:
> In article >,
> George Shirley > wrote:
>
>
>>I put them through the food processor and coarsely chop them. The salt
>>goes on top of the peppers, preferably in a crust. Don't have any idea
>>about what a lb of peppers weigh. The red sauce I just made had about 6
>>gallons of peppers, that's six gallon zipper bags of peppers, that
>>almost filled a 3 gallon crock to the top.
>>
>>I don't worry about "how much" until I get to the point of processing
>>the stuff into a slurry and then run it through the food mill.
>
>
>
> Just chopped up a pound of peppers, and it yielded even less than I
> expected, about 2 pints. I put them into a mason jar, and plan to get a
> couple more pounds tomorrow. Figured that 2 tablespoons of salt won't do
> much of a job covering the mash.
>
> They were mainly green peppers, with the sole red habanero mixed in.
> I'll see what I dig up tomorrow.
>
Watched a John Ratzenberger "Made In America" episode the other day
about making Tabasco. John was "Cliffie the mailman" in Cheers.'

Once Tabasco has the crushed/chopped peppers in the wooden barrel, all
the way to the top, they put the lid on and put the last hoop on it. the
lid has holes drilled in it and the people then layer on about a 2 or 3
inch layer of salt. With them the idea is to exclude air so the peppers
will ferment naturally. At the end of about 3 years they break the salt
crust, dump it and then process the barrel contents. they also talked
about the discolored peppers at the top of the barrel where air got to
them as "oxidized", ie oxygen in the air turned them dark. those peppers
get dumped too. I do much the same thing but on a zillion times smaller
scale. To avoid getting over salty sauce I would throw away the salt at
the end of the fermentation period, that's what I'm doing nowadays and
it makes a better sauce. At least I think it's better. Barb, Bob, what
say ye?

George

George Shirley wrote:

> Scott wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> George Shirley > wrote:
>>
>>
>>> I put them through the food processor and coarsely chop them. The
>>> salt goes on top of the peppers, preferably in a crust. Don't have
>>> any idea about what a lb of peppers weigh. The red sauce I just made
>>> had about 6 gallons of peppers, that's six gallon zipper bags of
>>> peppers, that almost filled a 3 gallon crock to the top.
>>>
>>> I don't worry about "how much" until I get to the point of processing
>>> the stuff into a slurry and then run it through the food mill.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Just chopped up a pound of peppers, and it yielded even less than I
>> expected, about 2 pints. I put them into a mason jar, and plan to get
>> a couple more pounds tomorrow. Figured that 2 tablespoons of salt
>> won't do much of a job covering the mash.
>>
>> They were mainly green peppers, with the sole red habanero mixed in.
>> I'll see what I dig up tomorrow.
>>
> Watched a John Ratzenberger "Made In America" episode the other day
> about making Tabasco. John was "Cliffie the mailman" in Cheers.'
>
> Once Tabasco has the crushed/chopped peppers in the wooden barrel, all
> the way to the top, they put the lid on and put the last hoop on it. the
> lid has holes drilled in it and the people then layer on about a 2 or 3
> inch layer of salt. With them the idea is to exclude air so the peppers
> will ferment naturally. At the end of about 3 years they break the salt
> crust, dump it and then process the barrel contents. they also talked
> about the discolored peppers at the top of the barrel where air got to
> them as "oxidized", ie oxygen in the air turned them dark. those peppers
> get dumped too. I do much the same thing but on a zillion times smaller
> scale. To avoid getting over salty sauce I would throw away the salt at
> the end of the fermentation period, that's what I'm doing nowadays and
> it makes a better sauce. At least I think it's better. Barb, Bob, what
> say ye?
>
> George
>

I never tasted your earlier works to compare, but the sauces are very nice.
The red is a lot thicker than Tabasco, not nearly as hot, and a much
better flavor. It's similar to the best of the commercial "Louisiana
style" hot sauces. The salt content is just about right. Not too vinegary.

The yellow ("yeller") sauce is a lot closer to Tabasco. I don't know if
that's what you were shooting for.) It's thinner and a lot hotter than the
red. The heat lingers longer than the red. It tastes a lot better than
Tabasco.

Both sauces are keepers, and they are quite different -- not just different
colors.

BTW, I opened that jar of Kumquat Rosemary Marmalade this morning.
Wonderful stuff. It's not very bitter like that seville orange marmalade
that I made, but since I'm not British I don't like marmalade to be overly
bitter. I can taste the kumquat in it; not just a vague citrus taste. I
don't taste the rosemary, but I smell it and it goes very well with the
citrus flavor. The sprig of rosemary in the top of the jar was a nice touch.

I'm making whole wheat bread today; planning to eat a lot of toast next week.

Best regards,
Bob

zxcvbob wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
>
>> Scott wrote:
>>
>>> In article >,
>>> George Shirley > wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> I put them through the food processor and coarsely chop them. The
>>>> salt goes on top of the peppers, preferably in a crust. Don't have
>>>> any idea about what a lb of peppers weigh. The red sauce I just made
>>>> had about 6 gallons of peppers, that's six gallon zipper bags of
>>>> peppers, that almost filled a 3 gallon crock to the top.
>>>>
>>>> I don't worry about "how much" until I get to the point of
>>>> processing the stuff into a slurry and then run it through the food
>>>> mill.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Just chopped up a pound of peppers, and it yielded even less than I
>>> expected, about 2 pints. I put them into a mason jar, and plan to get
>>> a couple more pounds tomorrow. Figured that 2 tablespoons of salt
>>> won't do much of a job covering the mash.
>>>
>>> They were mainly green peppers, with the sole red habanero mixed in.
>>> I'll see what I dig up tomorrow.
>>>
>> Watched a John Ratzenberger "Made In America" episode the other day
>> about making Tabasco. John was "Cliffie the mailman" in Cheers.'
>>
>> Once Tabasco has the crushed/chopped peppers in the wooden barrel, all
>> the way to the top, they put the lid on and put the last hoop on it.
>> the lid has holes drilled in it and the people then layer on about a 2
>> or 3 inch layer of salt. With them the idea is to exclude air so the
>> peppers will ferment naturally. At the end of about 3 years they break
>> the salt crust, dump it and then process the barrel contents. they
>> also talked about the discolored peppers at the top of the barrel
>> where air got to them as "oxidized", ie oxygen in the air turned them
>> dark. those peppers get dumped too. I do much the same thing but on a
>> zillion times smaller scale. To avoid getting over salty sauce I would
>> throw away the salt at the end of the fermentation period, that's what
>> I'm doing nowadays and it makes a better sauce. At least I think it's
>> better. Barb, Bob, what say ye?
>>
>> George
>>
>
> I never tasted your earlier works to compare, but the sauces are very
> nice. The red is a lot thicker than Tabasco, not nearly as hot, and a
> much better flavor. It's similar to the best of the commercial
> "Louisiana style" hot sauces. The salt content is just about right.
> Not too vinegary.
>
> The yellow ("yeller") sauce is a lot closer to Tabasco. I don't know if
> that's what you were shooting for.) It's thinner and a lot hotter than
> the red. The heat lingers longer than the red. It tastes a lot better
> than Tabasco.
>
> Both sauces are keepers, and they are quite different -- not just
> different colors.
>
> BTW, I opened that jar of Kumquat Rosemary Marmalade this morning.
> Wonderful stuff. It's not very bitter like that seville orange
> marmalade that I made, but since I'm not British I don't like marmalade
> to be overly bitter. I can taste the kumquat in it; not just a vague
> citrus taste. I don't taste the rosemary, but I smell it and it goes
> very well with the citrus flavor. The sprig of rosemary in the top of
> the jar was a nice touch.
>
> I'm making whole wheat bread today; planning to eat a lot of toast next
> week.
>
> Best regards,
> Bob

The yellow was meant to be hotter than the red. Next time I may put a
few yellow bells in the mix to tone it down a bit. We like the rosemary
kumquat marmalade too, so far a pint of it has gone on toast and fresh
baked biscuits. Got it off this NG some time ago, would have to look to
see who from. It was originally rosemary orange marmalade but I don't
grow oranges, yet. I've been making kumquat marmalade for years and am
seriously thinking about a hot pepper kumquat marmalade next year. May
have to do very small batches until I get it right.

Those yellow peppers were also made into a hot pepper jelly that will
like your heart fires. I do like it on a rotisseried pork loin though,
both as a baste and as a condiment.

Eldest grandson, his wife and daughter are coming to visit today,
driving over from Houston area. We're having grilled ribeyes, GDIL's
favorite meat and one they can't often afford, baked potatoes,
vegetarian beans, ie pork and beans without the pork, freshly made
dinner rolls (rising first time as we speak), and cherry pie with Blue
Bell Homemade Vanilla on top.

Tomorrow breakfast will be taquitos: flour tortillas warmed and filled
with scrambled eggs, chorizo sausage, cheese, and salsa. Grandson can
eat about eight of them.

George

In article >,
George Shirley > wrote:

> Once Tabasco has the crushed/chopped peppers in the wooden barrel, all
> the way to the top, they put the lid on and put the last hoop on it. the
> lid has holes drilled in it and the people then layer on about a 2 or 3
> inch layer of salt. With them the idea is to exclude air so the peppers
> will ferment naturally. At the end of about 3 years they break the salt
> crust, dump it and then process the barrel contents. they also talked
> about the discolored peppers at the top of the barrel where air got to
> them as "oxidized", ie oxygen in the air turned them dark. those peppers
> get dumped too. I do much the same thing but on a zillion times smaller
> scale. To avoid getting over salty sauce I would throw away the salt at
> the end of the fermentation period, that's what I'm doing nowadays and
> it makes a better sauce. At least I think it's better. Barb, Bob, what
> say ye?
>

So (based on what you said about excluding air), you pack the peppers
down when you put them in the container? How thick is the salt layer?
I didn't have the optimal container; I used a... oh, I don't know, about
a three litre glass mason jar, and the chopped pepper comes up about
halfway. I added 1/4 cup salt, which covered all the peppers, but by no
more than 1/16" or so. I suppose that, if I'm tossing the salt anyway, I
could just add more on to make sure everything's adequately covered.

I suppose I won't have anything usable until this fall, or thereabouts.

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il Sat, 06 Mar 2004 07:52:35 -0600, George Shirley ha scritto:

> Watched a John Ratzenberger "Made In America" episode the other day
> about making Tabasco. John was "Cliffie the mailman" in Cheers.'
>
> Once Tabasco has the crushed/chopped peppers in the wooden barrel, all
> the way to the top, they put the lid on and put the last hoop on it. the
> lid has holes drilled in it and the people then layer on about a 2 or 3
> inch layer of salt. With them the idea is to exclude air so the peppers
> will ferment naturally. At the end of about 3 years they break the salt
> crust, dump it and then process the barrel contents. they also talked
> about the discolored peppers at the top of the barrel where air got to
> them as "oxidized", ie oxygen in the air turned them dark. those peppers
> get dumped too. I do much the same thing but on a zillion times smaller
> scale. To avoid getting over salty sauce I would throw away the salt at
> the end of the fermentation period, that's what I'm doing nowadays and
> it makes a better sauce. At least I think it's better. Barb, Bob, what
> say ye?
>
> George

There goes my idea of turning my tabascos into sauce, I'm not doing
anything that takes 3 years!
--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

Scott wrote:

> In article >,
> George Shirley > wrote:
>
>
>>Once Tabasco has the crushed/chopped peppers in the wooden barrel, all
>>the way to the top, they put the lid on and put the last hoop on it. the
>>lid has holes drilled in it and the people then layer on about a 2 or 3
>>inch layer of salt. With them the idea is to exclude air so the peppers
>>will ferment naturally. At the end of about 3 years they break the salt
>>crust, dump it and then process the barrel contents. they also talked
>>about the discolored peppers at the top of the barrel where air got to
>>them as "oxidized", ie oxygen in the air turned them dark. those peppers
>>get dumped too. I do much the same thing but on a zillion times smaller
>>scale. To avoid getting over salty sauce I would throw away the salt at
>>the end of the fermentation period, that's what I'm doing nowadays and
>>it makes a better sauce. At least I think it's better. Barb, Bob, what
>>say ye?
>>
>
>
> So (based on what you said about excluding air), you pack the peppers
> down when you put them in the container? How thick is the salt layer?
> I didn't have the optimal container; I used a... oh, I don't know, about
> a three litre glass mason jar, and the chopped pepper comes up about
> halfway. I added 1/4 cup salt, which covered all the peppers, but by no
> more than 1/16" or so. I suppose that, if I'm tossing the salt anyway, I
> could just add more on to make sure everything's adequately covered.
>
> I suppose I won't have anything usable until this fall, or thereabouts.
>

I have a three gallon crock and three one gallon crocks that I use. I
save the peppers in zip bags in the freezer until I get enough to fill a
crock to the top. I do pack them down but not greatly, just enough to
even out the peppers. I used to use just enough salt to sprinkle on the
peppers but have determine I will use the Tabasco method in the future
and try to exclude the air by packing pickling salt atop the crock full
of chopped peppers. I would think you could add salt to the pureed
peppers when you start processing them to give you the taste you want. I
figure enough gets in there from the top layer that I don't worry about it.

I'm not making sauce this year or even next as I have more than enough
to last two years on hand. The 2005 pepper crop will include peppers to
make the 2006 vintage sauce. How's that for planning?

George

Loki wrote:

> il Sat, 06 Mar 2004 07:52:35 -0600, George Shirley ha scritto:
>
>
>>Watched a John Ratzenberger "Made In America" episode the other day
>>about making Tabasco. John was "Cliffie the mailman" in Cheers.'
>>
>>Once Tabasco has the crushed/chopped peppers in the wooden barrel, all
>>the way to the top, they put the lid on and put the last hoop on it. the
>>lid has holes drilled in it and the people then layer on about a 2 or 3
>>inch layer of salt. With them the idea is to exclude air so the peppers
>>will ferment naturally. At the end of about 3 years they break the salt
>>crust, dump it and then process the barrel contents. they also talked
>>about the discolored peppers at the top of the barrel where air got to
>>them as "oxidized", ie oxygen in the air turned them dark. those peppers
>>get dumped too. I do much the same thing but on a zillion times smaller
>>scale. To avoid getting over salty sauce I would throw away the salt at
>>the end of the fermentation period, that's what I'm doing nowadays and
>>it makes a better sauce. At least I think it's better. Barb, Bob, what
>>say ye?
>>
>>George
>
>
> There goes my idea of turning my tabascos into sauce, I'm not doing
> anything that takes 3 years!

None of my sauces lasts in the crock that long either. Tabasco owns a
salt mine and the temperature stays at 52F year around. Longest I've
been able to get them to stay in the crock was a year once and mostly it
is two to three months. There are folks who make a fresh hot sauce and
like it quite well.

George

il Sat, 06 Mar 2004 15:25:10 -0600, George Shirley ha scritto:

> > There goes my idea of turning my tabascos into sauce, I'm not doing
> > anything that takes 3 years!
>
> None of my sauces lasts in the crock that long either. Tabasco owns a
> salt mine and the temperature stays at 52F year around. Longest I've
> been able to get them to stay in the crock was a year once and mostly it
> is two to three months. There are folks who make a fresh hot sauce and
> like it quite well.
>
> George

That sounds better. My idea of a 24 hour marinade is 3 minutes. :-)
--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

In article >,
George Shirley > wrote:

> I have a three gallon crock and three one gallon crocks that I use. I
> save the peppers in zip bags in the freezer until I get enough to fill a
> crock to the top. I do pack them down but not greatly, just enough to
> even out the peppers. I used to use just enough salt to sprinkle on the
> peppers but have determine I will use the Tabasco method in the future
> and try to exclude the air by packing pickling salt atop the crock full
> of chopped peppers. I would think you could add salt to the pureed
> peppers when you start processing them to give you the taste you want. I
> figure enough gets in there from the top layer that I don't worry about it.
>
> I'm not making sauce this year or even next as I have more than enough
> to last two years on hand. The 2005 pepper crop will include peppers to
> make the 2006 vintage sauce. How's that for planning?

hmm. You COULD use this as an opportunity to make a long-ferment
batch--if you have plenty for the next two years, you would be less
tempted to pull that batch out.

Just added another half-cup of salt to the top of the batch. I noticed
that more of the underlying peppers were exposed today--I suppose some
of the salt went into solution.

I wonder how McIlhenny avoids mold?

Hmmmm.... I've been debating a cross-country drive for five, six weeks
this summer. I wonder if should put a tour of McIlhenny on the way?
(Aack... who'll check my peppers for mold???)

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Scott wrote:
> In article >,
> George Shirley > wrote:
>
>
>>I have a three gallon crock and three one gallon crocks that I use. I
>>save the peppers in zip bags in the freezer until I get enough to fill a
>>crock to the top. I do pack them down but not greatly, just enough to
>>even out the peppers. I used to use just enough salt to sprinkle on the
>>peppers but have determine I will use the Tabasco method in the future
>>and try to exclude the air by packing pickling salt atop the crock full
>>of chopped peppers. I would think you could add salt to the pureed
>>peppers when you start processing them to give you the taste you want. I
>>figure enough gets in there from the top layer that I don't worry about it.
>>
>>I'm not making sauce this year or even next as I have more than enough
>>to last two years on hand. The 2005 pepper crop will include peppers to
>>make the 2006 vintage sauce. How's that for planning?
>
>
> hmm. You COULD use this as an opportunity to make a long-ferment
> batch--if you have plenty for the next two years, you would be less
> tempted to pull that batch out.
>
> Just added another half-cup of salt to the top of the batch. I noticed
> that more of the underlying peppers were exposed today--I suppose some
> of the salt went into solution.
>
> I wonder how McIlhenny avoids mold?
>
> Hmmmm.... I've been debating a cross-country drive for five, six weeks
> this summer. I wonder if should put a tour of McIlhenny on the way?
> (Aack... who'll check my peppers for mold???)
>

With McIlhenny the salt never touches the pepper mash, there's a wooden
lid in between the two.

George

In article >,
George Shirley > wrote:

> With McIlhenny the salt never touches the pepper mash, there's a wooden
> lid in between the two.

Really? Any idea what the salt does, then?

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Scott wrote:

> In article >,
> George Shirley > wrote:
>
>
>>With McIlhenny the salt never touches the pepper mash, there's a wooden
>>lid in between the two.
>
>
> Really? Any idea what the salt does, then?
>

They ferment their peppers in a salt mine they own so the salt is free.
The salt is used to keep stray yeasts and molds from getting into the
mash but allows the mash to breath so that the fermentation gases are
able to get out and not blow the barrel up. If I could find a 2 or 3
gallon oak keg I would do my sauce that way too.

George

George Shirley wrote:

> Scott wrote:
>
>> In article >,
>> George Shirley > wrote:
>>
>>
>>> With McIlhenny the salt never touches the pepper mash, there's a
>>> wooden lid in between the two.
>>
>>
>>
>> Really? Any idea what the salt does, then?
>>
>
> They ferment their peppers in a salt mine they own so the salt is free.
> The salt is used to keep stray yeasts and molds from getting into the
> mash but allows the mash to breath so that the fermentation gases are
> able to get out and not blow the barrel up. If I could find a 2 or 3
> gallon oak keg I would do my sauce that way too.
>
> George
>

Making a barrel would be an interesting shop project. (Use white oak,
not red oak. Red oak will leak)

-bob

FWIW, I emailed McIlhenny and asked about mold growth. The response is
basically one of those "duh" responses: i.e., while technically correct,
it's of little informational use. Interesting note about pH,
though--what in the pepper mash drops the pH? I thought that no vinegar
was added during fermentation.

"Thank you for your e-mail of recent date. The pH and salt content of
the pepper mash retard mold growth. Thank you for your interest in our
company and our products."

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Scott wrote:

> FWIW, I emailed McIlhenny and asked about mold growth. The response is
> basically one of those "duh" responses: i.e., while technically correct,
> it's of little informational use. Interesting note about pH,
> though--what in the pepper mash drops the pH? I thought that no vinegar
> was added during fermentation.
>
> "Thank you for your e-mail of recent date. The pH and salt content of
> the pepper mash retard mold growth. Thank you for your interest in our
> company and our products."
>
I would suspect that the fermention process alone would cause a drop in
pH. Think of it like sauerkraut or fermented pickles, the fermention
causes the "juice" to become acidic. The mashed peppers have salt added
to them when mashed and then the layer atop the barrel as I have
mentioned. I've not been to McIlhenny's place to observe and their web
page doesn't give you much information. I would presume they are
protecting their process although I think most hot sauce manufacturer's
use somewhat the same process.

Hadn't thought to check my sauce for pH before adding the vinegar but
will do so the next time I make some.

George

In article >,
George Shirley > wrote:

> I would suspect that the fermention process alone would cause a drop in
> pH. Think of it like sauerkraut or fermented pickles, the fermention
> causes the "juice" to become acidic. The mashed peppers have salt added
> to them when mashed and then the layer atop the barrel as I have
> mentioned. I've not been to McIlhenny's place to observe and their web
> page doesn't give you much information. I would presume they are
> protecting their process although I think most hot sauce manufacturer's
> use somewhat the same process.

So, then, there's a window of time until fermentation drops the pH.
Do you yourself salt the mash at all, or just add the salt layer on top?

Today, I skimmed off the salt as must as possible and added another two
pounds of mixed peppers (a local supermarket has them for $1.99/lb).
Amazing how little space 4 pounds (or is it 5 by now?) of chopped
peppers takes up.

I had the peppers in a mason jar, and it made an audible "pop" when
opened; I guess (or, rather, hope) the desired fermentation was taking
place. Upon resealing, I removed the rubber ring from the lid, so I
could close the lid without making an airtight seal.

I might as well stick the jar in the basement; it stays cool pretty much
year 'round.

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Scott wrote:

> In article >,
> George Shirley > wrote:
>
>
>>I would suspect that the fermention process alone would cause a drop in
>>pH. Think of it like sauerkraut or fermented pickles, the fermention
>>causes the "juice" to become acidic. The mashed peppers have salt added
>>to them when mashed and then the layer atop the barrel as I have
>>mentioned. I've not been to McIlhenny's place to observe and their web
>>page doesn't give you much information. I would presume they are
>>protecting their process although I think most hot sauce manufacturer's
>>use somewhat the same process.
>
>
> So, then, there's a window of time until fermentation drops the pH.
> Do you yourself salt the mash at all, or just add the salt layer on top?

I just add a salt layer on top.

> Today, I skimmed off the salt as must as possible and added another two
> pounds of mixed peppers (a local supermarket has them for $1.99/lb).
> Amazing how little space 4 pounds (or is it 5 by now?) of chopped
> peppers takes up.
>
> I had the peppers in a mason jar, and it made an audible "pop" when
> opened; I guess (or, rather, hope) the desired fermentation was taking
> place. Upon resealing, I removed the rubber ring from the lid, so I
> could close the lid without making an airtight seal.
>
> I might as well stick the jar in the basement; it stays cool pretty much
> year 'round.
>
You want a temperature about 52F and low humidity to duplicate the salt
mine environment. I'm thinking about getting a new fridge, if I do the
old one will go in the pantry for use in preserving foods in various
ways. Since it's frost free it will maintain a fairly dry environment if
not opened too often.

I would not seal the top on anything fermenting without giving it some
way for the gases to escape. You might end up with a lot of chopped
peppers topped with glass.

George

It's been several days now, and I have a LOT of liquid on top, enough
that about 20% of the salt has dissolved. Should the liquid be skimmed
off?

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No, No, NO. Leave the liquid that's good stuff. Just keep a watch for
mold for fuzz growing. If it does skim the mold or fuzz off and dump
that. At that time you might add 1/4 to 1/3 cup 5% white vinegar over
the top to retard mold growth, don't mix it in with the mash. Sounds
like your mash is doing what it should.

George

Scott wrote:
> It's been several days now, and I have a LOT of liquid on top, enough
> that about 20% of the salt has dissolved. Should the liquid be skimmed
> off?
>

In article >,
George Shirley > wrote:

> No, No, NO. Leave the liquid that's good stuff. Just keep a watch for
> mold for fuzz growing. If it does skim the mold or fuzz off and dump
> that. At that time you might add 1/4 to 1/3 cup 5% white vinegar over
> the top to retard mold growth, don't mix it in with the mash. Sounds
> like your mash is doing what it should.

Ah, good. My concern was that the liquid made the salt layer
ineffective, dissolving as it was. Thanks, George.

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"George Shirley" > wrote
> They ferment their peppers in a salt mine they own so the salt is free.
> The salt is used to keep stray yeasts and molds from getting into the
> mash but allows the mash to breath so that the fermentation gases are
> able to get out and not blow the barrel up. If I could find a 2 or 3
> gallon oak keg I would do my sauce that way too.
>
> George
>
>
The online wine and beer stores sell small oak barrels, but they're expensive.
http://www.thegrape.net/browse.cfm/4,8957.html
Ken

In article >,
"Ken Anderson" > wrote:

> The online wine and beer stores sell small oak barrels, but they're expensive.
> http://www.thegrape.net/browse.cfm/4,8957.html

Actually, from what I've seen, the link above has one of the better
prices.

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Ay, Chihuahua, I would rather ask my brother-in-law to make me one than
to pay $79 plus shipping. Just about the size I need though.

George

Ken Anderson wrote:

> "George Shirley" > wrote
>
>>They ferment their peppers in a salt mine they own so the salt is free.
>>The salt is used to keep stray yeasts and molds from getting into the
>>mash but allows the mash to breath so that the fermentation gases are
>>able to get out and not blow the barrel up. If I could find a 2 or 3
>>gallon oak keg I would do my sauce that way too.
>>
>>George
>>
>>
>
> The online wine and beer stores sell small oak barrels, but they're expensive.
> http://www.thegrape.net/browse.cfm/4,8957.html
> Ken
>
>

hmmm. The salt layer is completely gone: went into solution with all of
the liquid. Should that have happened? That's a HECK of a lot of salt. I
wonder if the sauce'll be inedible.

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"Scott" > wrote in message
...
> hmmm. The salt layer is completely gone: went into solution with all of
> the liquid. Should that have happened? That's a HECK of a lot of salt. I
> wonder if the sauce'll be inedible.
>
>
Thought I'd pass on one of my pepper links. Pretty pricey, but a nice
selection. Myself, I can't resist growing different varieties every year.
http://www.pepperjoe.com/
Ken (NAYY, and all that stuff)