Pepper Paste

From Fermented Vegetables by Kristen & Christopher Shockey

• 1½ pounds chiles, stemmed
  
• 2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt (I used Himalayan pink because I prefer it)
  
  

1. Put chiles, seeds and all, in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Remove the food processor blade and stir in the salt.
   
2. Press the mixture into a crock or jar (I used these ones). Press the top surface with food-grade plastic to help keep the small bits submerged. Add weight (I used these ones).
   
3. Set aside on a bang sheet to ferment, somewhere nearby, out of direct sunlight, and cool, for 21 days or more. Check the chiles occasionally to make sure your weights are in place and the chiles are submerged. It is normal to encounter yeasts; you can leave them undisturbed. The chiles take at least 3 weeks to develop a flavorful acidity, the 3 to 6 months more for a delicious and complex flavor.
   
4. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator, where this paste will keep for 2 years or more.
   
   Variation! Splash a bit of raw apple cider vinegar into the brine to create a tangier flavor.
   
   

   Details of my attempt
   

   I had a total of 3 pounds and 11 ounces of peppers that all had to be picked today because the weather's turning. So I processed those in the food processor, added 31 grams of salt, which wasn't enough. In total I probably added 40 grams of salt, which tasted right to me. I also added 2 tablespoons of raw cider vinegar. Packed into jars, added plastic wrap and weights, and now we wait!
   
   edit: formatting

and here's a link

A couple of ball 2 quart or 1 quart wide mouth jars.

https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Wide-Mouth-Quart-Bands/dp/B00CNHCDR6

Some plastic rings (optionally). Cause the metal bands rust easily

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075KN8B2K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The easiest airlock system are the silicone lids. Some have nipples. Others are flatter like these:

https://www.amazon.com/Maintenance-silicone-waterless-fermentation-dishwasher/dp/B072N42T61/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Silicone+mason+jar+airlock&qid=1575128032&s=home-garden&sr=1-4

I would skip getting the separate plastic airlocks that brewers use because they take up space, are messy, and if the straw part extends into the liquid, it pushes mess up.
And then some glass weights, preferably with easy to grab parts

https://www.amazon.com/4-Pack-Fermentation-Glass-Weights-Handle/dp/B076V66FZ4/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Mason+jar+glass+weights&qid=1575128079&s=home-garden&sr=1-4

There are kits that have all of these which may or may not be cheaper. None of the brands I linked above are special other than I do like “Ball” brand mason jars. Everything else has lots of competitors selling more or less the same thing, so just pick what looks cheapest, has good reviews, etc.

Fermentation/Pickling Weights

I use the first linked lids and they do a great job. They very compact too so they fit well on my self. I would recommend you get weights. These are the ones I got for my wide mouth jars. If you are wondering (and just to show off a little bit) here are those lids and the weight in action on a recent hot sauce ferment I started

What you're doing is called a mash. Chillichump on YouTube has some videos on them; I think this is one of them, though for whatever reason I can't play YouTube videos right now to make sure.

Narrator: It wasn't. But this one is.

Chillichump uses 2-3% salt for this. 10% seems really high when you think about it, but it's a figure I've seen a lot... personally, I'll try 3-4% first.

I'm coming up dry on a good single source right now, but most recipes call for blending your peppers and then mixing in 10% salt by weight. It'll make its own brine as the salt pulls the moisture out of the pepper flesh; mixing a brine yourself is generally for peppers that are whole or have been halved/sliced rather than blended/processed.

Keeping things submerged is a good idea for a brine ferment, but your ferment will produce a layer of CO2 that will stop growth on the top, so you can just give it a shake/jostle/mix for the first few days and then check it occasionally for mold. As you've seen, though, submersion isn't something that'll happen with a mash, so it's just a matter of giving it a mix if necessary for a while and then monitoring it until you're confident it's given up on cultivating its own fungus.

I've only done three ferments so far, all of them using brine; I use really basic airlock lids and fermentation weights, which have been effective so far. Planning on a mash next, though it'll be just the airlock and a daily mix for a few days for that.

[edit: Updated with correct video.]

I bought these last year.. solid glass, good grip. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B076V66FZ4

The glass weights that I use came with a wide-mouth mason jar fermentation kit. They seem to be sold separately:

https://www.amazon.com/4-Pack-Fermentation-Glass-Weights-Handle/dp/B076V66FZ4/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=Glass+fermentation+weights&qid=1570978781&smid=A18D0VXFD94UHI&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyRE80UldaTjg4SDc5JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODMwMDE3M0gwWEtYWkwxUzQ4OCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTM0NDc1MkRWSFdYTFRJUlM5NyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

I’d weigh them down with [glass pickling weights](4-Pack of Fermentation Glass Weights with Easy Grip Handle for Wide Mouth Mason Jar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076V66FZ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_a1WLBbKYMVVBR) if I was planning to do this regularly and not just the one time. If it were just the one time and you don’t want to buy anything then I would try a plastic bag with brine or marbles in it.

These from Amazon:

4-Pack of Fermentation Glass Weights with Easy Grip Handle for Wide Mouth Mason Jar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076V66FZ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_VD.DDbQ9AGFZD

They work great so far. Here is the link do yourself and get some weights as well.

Easy Fermenter Wide Mouth Lid Kit: Simplified Fermenting In Jars Not Crock Pots! Make Sauerkraut, Kimchi, Pickles Or Any Fermented Probiotic Foods. 3 Lids(jars not incld), Extractor Pump & Recipes https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DJVVORE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_x4epDbEKK7H0Y

4-Pack of Fermentation Glass Weights with Easy Grip Handle for Wide Mouth Mason Jar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076V66FZ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_T6epDbKRM0CDH

Here's my tried-and-true recipe that I've been developing for years:

Supplies:

• 1 head Napa cabbage
  
• Pickling salt or non-iodized salt
  
• 1 head garlic, finely grated
  
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
  
• (optional) 1 tsp Sesame oil
  
• (optional) Green onions and/or fresh ginger to taste
  
• Kimchi container or very large glass jar (1 gal)
  
• Glass or ceramic weights
  
• Kitchen scale
  
  Weigh cabbage and measure out 2% of its weight in salt. Cut cabbage into bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Add salt and toss to mix. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.
  
  Meanwhile, combine garlic, red pepper, and remaining ingredients in a small bowl.
  
  After sitting with salt, the cabbage should be somewhat wilted and wet. Mix again, squeezing and kneading with hands to squeeze out liquid and soften the cabbage. Add garlic/chili/other seasonings and mix thoroughly with cabbage. Place in container or jar and set weights on top of cabbage (I usually can fit 2-3 weights.) The weights will help keep everything under the liquid.
  
  WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP!!
  
  Store container at room temperature away from sunlight for 1-4 weeks. If using a jar, "burp" the jar once a day by loosening the lid to release gas (you will hear a hissing sound.) There will be a lot of gas for the first week, and then it will slow down and you won't need to burp it as often. When kimchi reaches desired sourness, store in refrigerator.
  
  Edit: forgot the scale

I'd avoid aluminum just so there's no off flavors.

I just bought these glass weights... 4 for $17. Seem to work swimmingly so far.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B076V66FZ4?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image

You are welcome! I found quite a few others that will probably work just as well and shave off a few bucks too!

$12.99

6 pack $15.99

Wide mouth mason jars + fermentation weight + fermentation lid


I personally love these lids but they are pricey and the other ones work fine.

Np!

I was also gifted these weights for my mason jars and it makes things even easier throw in these airlock lids got these lids and now my ferments don't need any more day-to-day upkeep :)

Looks right. On the next batch, I would get something to weight it all down so it stays fully submerged, but at 9 days, you aren't going to have much to worry about and there would be a visible scum on the top.

I use pickle weights. Used small glass bowls before I got them:

https://www.amazon.com/4-Pack-Fermentation-Glass-Weights-Handle/dp/B076V66FZ4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1540230571&sr=8-3&keywords=pickle+weight&dpID=41VmlGo4ldL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch