I started to ferment some peppers with garlic about a week ago, following your instructions for fermented, aged hot pepper sauce. The container I bought was/is too large for the amount of peppers, and the top opening is smaller than the jar, so I am not able to use a jar as weight. I decided to use a layer of unbleached (brown) parchment paper, and then some pie weights (inside a nut milk bag) on top of the parchment. I place a tea towel on the opening of the jar, secured with an elastic band. I have photos but I don’t think I can post them here in the comment section. It appears to be fermenting nicely. Bubbles are forming, there is a bit of cloudiness. Nice smell. There is one concern – appears to be small black (mold?) dots on the parchment, at the top level of brine. Nothing on the actual peppers. Is my ferment ok? Should I just change out the parchment regularly? What about switching the container mid ferment – to a smaller container so I can use a glass jar to weigh the peppers down? This is my first time with fermentation (except for kombucha on the regular) so I am not able to troubleshoot yet. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
Sarah says
I started to ferment some peppers with garlic about a week ago, following your instructions for fermented, aged hot pepper sauce. The container I bought was/is too large for the amount of peppers, and the top opening is smaller than the jar, so I am not able to use a jar as weight. I decided to use a layer of unbleached (brown) parchment paper, and then some pie weights (inside a nut milk bag) on top of the parchment. I place a tea towel on the opening of the jar, secured with an elastic band. I have photos but I don’t think I can post them here in the comment section. It appears to be fermenting nicely. Bubbles are forming, there is a bit of cloudiness. Nice smell. There is one concern – appears to be small black (mold?) dots on the parchment, at the top level of brine. Nothing on the actual peppers. Is my ferment ok? Should I just change out the parchment regularly? What about switching the container mid ferment – to a smaller container so I can use a glass jar to weigh the peppers down? This is my first time with fermentation (except for kombucha on the regular) so I am not able to troubleshoot yet. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!