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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2022
- Real pepperoncini are fermented, not just pickled in vinegar. How I process peppers by lactofermentation, and store them through the year without refrigeration. Also which pepperoncini varieties I prefer after testing a bunch of them.
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i hope people realize this is long term food security information for homestead production.
Me too.
Brilliant. One of the easiest, simplest, and most accessible videos I've seen on picklin' and fermentin'. PLUS THERE WAS A KITTY.
Ah, you spotted the kitty...
One of the best channels on TH-cam.
Thank you for another video! Very informative. Makes me want to expand the pepper varieties that I grow next year.
Beautifully shot! I love these but have never tried to grow them. Something to try next year.
You know hard times are coming eventually Kevin. You don't want to be caught wtih no pepperoncini when SHTF :)
Ha, I really do half-believe we are headed towards weird-times. What exactly that’ll look like, I don’t know. But I would hope pepperoncini is part of that.
Thanks for the wisdom
Very informative TFS
really great, you gave me insight into when and why my mother in law's kimchi goes south!
I flip the lids upside down then tighten down the band maybe a half turn. I haven't really had much of an issue with mold or scum on the top and like you say, for the first couple of days you're opening it up and taping it down anyway. When it's done I just throw it in the fridge but I am interested in trying your approach with the CO2 seal. Makes a lot of sense. I'd be inclined to wait for the ferment to finish and throw in a bit of sugar for the yeast to chew on. As a home brewer, I've had my fair share of exploding bottles. Definitely don't trust myself to time it correctly!
If you don't tighten it very much, like just a litle past where it starts to catch, they can off gas very easily without building up much pressure. Way within the safe zone. Then just leave them longer before cranking down for storage. I just got impatient and snugged that 1/2 gallon down hard too soon. So, you can do most of the ferment to where it barely starts to catch, then I wee bit tighter to finish off for a couple weeks, then tighten down harder to store. The weird thing is the pressure goes away after a while in storage. All the bubbles and pressure disappear magically. I think there may be a second process that uses up the CO2. I think bottles used in homebrewing are just much tighter and don't off gas at all. But mason lids off gas pretty easily, even when fairly tight. One time I cranked one down super hard just to see what happened. The lid buckled and bubbled out, but the jar didn't break. I had to punch a hole in the lid to open it. But that was crancked down super hard.
I think you are exactly right. That has been my experience as well. The CO2 protects the pickles until you start messing with them and eating them. Only then does the layer of mold start to grow.
Enjoyed the video..I’m on a mission to grow and can peppers like used in Olive Garden salad. I’m growing Greek and Italian pepperoncini. Processing is not a problem just trying to figure out spices..if any.
Great video. Thank you. Instead of the metal ring what if you used the silicone rings then you wouldn't have to worry about rust??? Would that work????
TATTLER and VICEROY RELIABLE have rubber rings for old canning jars, and wire bale and glass lids ... and they also have small- and wide-mouthed ring seals. One could fit those inside such plastic caps (maybe with a little outside shaving the perimeter with a scissors or a scalpel ... and you could get a very safe and secure (and reusable !) seal. The same retailer might also have other glass lids that would fit those designations.
I never went with Tattler, just because of the plastic. Same with just sticking a seal in the plastic screw lids. I do have silicone seals for those though. They are easy to get and made just for those lids. I got some of Tattler's rubber rings this year though to use with those glass lids for canning, just to try them out. I've had mixed results with silicone rings with the glass lids for some reason. As far as I know, glass lids for widemouths are not made and possibly never were.
@@SkillCult You amaze me with going with silicone rings - like silicone baking cupcake molds - and the whole silicone issue just as much or more than micro-plastics. Lost my cousin to silicone implants so I am quite deliberate in my comments about silicon products.
Rubber was used by the ancients (and they had more commonsense and knowledge) than what we have today ... and their use of zinc glass lids (with zinc fruit jar caps) or metal screw bands, ... using rubber rings made more sense back then in the 1900s-1960s with rubber ring seals - until the rubber insert into tin lids and caps made for the modern seals 1960s-present.
Nice!! Haven't ever tried to ferment pepperoncini. I will take your recommendation for varieties into consideration for next years garden. Are you using regular salt or the canning/pickling salt?
I use refined sea salt usually. It's cheap and it works
How long does this process usually take from start to finish? Finish as in when you tighten the lid down for long-term storage.
use a pint of those with the brine, a roast or half a backstrap of venison, a can of beer and an au jue pack in a slow cooker over night and you got my favorite dish
Very interesting. I'd never have thought about that. I'll try it!
I tried a commercially available pepperocini seeds this year and the plants grew small red hot chili peppers. I may try to make hot sauce instead of pickled peppers
I hate it when that happens. I need to do another trial someday. When I tried a bunch before, the internet was young and there were only so many options. I'm sure I could get a bunch of new ones now. I have a video on hot sauce too. The only real difference is I chop the peppers, or at least cut the stems off. When the peppers are finished, I blend them with 50% mother brine and 50% vinegar. It will not keep well on the counter without the vinegar.
I'm going to try this.
As reference 1 tablespoon of fine salt in 2 cups water is 1/32 or about 3.1%, could be a bit more I haven't checked the density of table salt in ages.
I have had very good results with saurkraut at 1.8% salt by weight of cabbage(final after trimming and stem removal), that is equal to a 2.0% top up brine. (cabbage is 92% water, 1.8/.92= 2.0) about a month at ~60f
For a quart jar of peppers which is mostly brine, 2.0% is 0.64oz or 18.1g salt per jar.
Iodized is fine, I've found no evidence or science to support the old myths of ruined preserves. However table salt in general has anti-caking and some types may make brine slighty cloudy in theory. For me not enough haze to care about, with Morton's iodized.
This is just slightly lower salt than the average saurkraut recipes, but In the fridge it kept a solid 6 months, even being opened on occasion for use(2 gallon jar) being sure not to stir it and to keep it pressed down under a brine layer. I think the higher salt recipies are either for uncertainty in measuring(better high than low) or for better storage stability. However I don't like to rinse my kraut so I favor a lower salt ferment.
Kimchee does a dry salt wilt for an hour, then wash out all the excess salt, drain, add spices pack and ferment with just the salt that permeated during the wilt.(Some spice mixes have a minor salty ingredient, especially wetter sauce style spice mixes.) I've noticed minimum exposed surface area is important for kimchee, get that brine layer coverage to prevent mold.
Here's an idea for a plastic free, corrosion resistant lid. Get some quarter-sawn white oak and cut into mason jar lid sized circles 1/4 in thick. Quarter sawn makes sure there are no pores (due to xylem or cambial rays) perpendicular to the faces of the lid. Next, brush on a layer of beeswax. Finally, get some stainless steel Mason jar bands. More expensive than the regular ones, but should last forever.
Quarter sawing has nothing to do with the xylem pores. The only way the pores could be perpendicular to the face is with end grain, slicing pucks off of a beam.
@@mytech6779 Cambial rays are also pores and basically radiate out from the center of the tree. Quartersawing cuts in the same plane as those pores. Wooden barrel makers have been using quartersawn wood for centuries for this reason.
@@mdl17576 I think you may be confused on just what quarter sawing is. Quarter sawing is not in the plane of radial pores. (Or cracks from circumferential shrinkage. Certainly nothing to do with the phloem or xylem anyway.) You may be describing describing radial sawn lumber?
Quarter sawn may be used for cooperage but coopers also have other concerns with steam bending and edge to edge sealing.
In any case, how it was milled, dried, and seasoned makes the biggest difference in stability and porosity.
Mishandling and storage time and conditions before milling. The temp and humidity profile on the kiln for the specie and correct loading are all important. Very easy to cut the value of the finished lumber in half. (Talking obout clear specialty lumber here, not common house framing.)
@@mytech6779 Test
For some reason YT won't let me post links. I'd encourage anyone doubting me to look up "quartersawn diagram" and "medullary ray diagram" and compare what they see.
Man, it looks great. I'll give it a try though I usualy ferment ripe chilly peppers and make sauce. I think a lot about plastic free systems... there are those water sealed fermenting crocks, but they are better for the actual fermenting than for keeping afterwards... it's too easy to skip filling in water when it evaporates and ruin it all. how about bark tanned leather rings, not oiled, instead of silicon? not sure it's practical to even try, really... thanks for the excellent content!
Personally, I don't like to make more work for myself. I just grab a clean mason jar and lid then jam whatever is I want to pickle in there. When it's tamped down, top off with brine then put the lid & band on. It's really easy and low-effort because I don't have to remember where I put those special lids.
I used to keep myself up at night thinking about stuff like that. I think the leather might be worth a try, might as well. It might tend to mold I guess. Silicone, at it's best, is probably the safest, most durable "plastic" option. It also tends to absorb odors less I think. But I don't think any of that stuff is pure silicone. There are additives that increase heat resistance, make it harder, more flexible etc. With some research though, we could probably come up with the safest option. and just use it for the sealing ring.
Was just thinking that a glass lid which goes over the top and around the edges of the jar might work well for the fermentation part of the process as air can get in and not out, and for the storage duration applying a simple plumbing tape around the circumference and on the meeting between the lid and jar would suffice.
A possible fault of it could be that the fermentation process could still be underway when applying the tape leading to air escaping out, but that might turn out to be a benefit.
A possible alternative for a rare item such as a glass lid would be a simple wood one. You create it and treat it, you know what's in it.
..Oak aged pepperoncini?
I don't see what would prevent air ingress if there is no seal. There is an alternative to the carbon dioxide, which is filling the container completely up so it overflows when the lid is put on.
Another vote for Tattler lids. Very reusable and no rust issues
Only reason I haven't gone there is plastic. I did pick up a set of the seals to try for canning with the glass lids this year. Hopefully canning some tomatoes with them today.
Hi there, I have 6 pepperoncini plants growing right now and the harvests are starting to roll in. With the first batch, I did a fridge pickle recipe. We tasted it yesterday and the peppers are really bitter. It’s not the brine. The brine tastes really good. But the peppers are really bitter. Google says they weren’t ready yet but pepperoncini’s are supposed to be picked young and green, not when they’re red, correct? Maybe it’s just the variety? Or is it too much water/not enough water? Improper nutrients? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Green peppers are bitter. peppers intended to be picked green tend to be less bitter when they are very young but they can still be bitter. Picking time is tricky. Try picking them a little further along but certainly before they are starting to turn color. You can sometimes judge by how thin the walls are and how the wrinkles looked. when very young, the wrinkles tend to be sharper and as they mature, the wrinkles plump up.
Well I guess homesteaders are really going to have to look into making their own onggi jars.
I'm pretty new to this-- would you pickle the pepperoncini in vinegar after the fermentation process?
that would only be necessary if you let air in, like if you store them in the fridge for a month or more.
Maybe I missed it but where did you get your pepperoncini seeds? The peppers I grow are not pointy like yours and they're not quite like the store bought ones.
I'm not sure where to get that seed now. It's called sigaretta di bergamo. I have seen it on ebay before. The last time I bought it, I had to import from europe.
@SkillCult awesome thank you. The variety I grow are the Golden Greek or in the usa we call them pepperoncini which actually has one too many ps in Italy it's peperoncini or peperoncino . Friggitello is the actual variety . I bought mine from Italy. I'll have to try the ones you grow.
Just ferment like you want to and then vacuum seal the canning lid on. Everything you said eliminated. Also doesn't require the sacrifice of a glass weight indefinitely.
yeah, that could probably work with the right apparatus, but wouldn't it require special lids?. One thing though is that you still have air exposure during fermentation, unless fermenting in batches with an airlock. When this works right, it is pretty simple and easy. But then it can go awry and cause spill over. One thing Iv'e done a lot in the past is to ferment, then top the jar all the way up and reseal, so there is only a speck of air in there. I also want to try fermenting, then topping up and adding a tiny bit of sugar to do a second ferment that drives any air out.
@@SkillCult If you own a vacuum sealer, some come with the attachment and some you may need to buy it for around $20. It's a cap that fits over the Mason lid and sucks all the air out, sealing the lid on. It's not sealed on like you canned it, you can pry it off with your fingernail if you pull hard enough, but I believe it's enough for fermented food. It's also great for dehydrated goods so they don't rehydrate in my 90% humidity.
How close to the store bought peppers do these taste?
I tasted a star pepperoncini yesterday and I thought it was terrible. They are close, depending on the brand, but they replace the mother brine with a high acid brine, usually lactic or citric, so that affects the flavor somewhat. To me they are better across the board as long as they turn out how they should. Tastes may vary.
@@SkillCult i bought some pickled peppers called Sierra Nevada in a Store in Bishop California that were awsome. Can be bought online but shipping is almost more then the price of a jar. Thats what started my interest in trying to grow my own but the seeds aren't available so I went with pepperoncini. Also trying to grow a Hungarian wax and Italian wax pepper. Im sure they'll taste nothing like the peppers I bought in Bishop but its been fun germinating the seeds and getting them ready for my raised beds. I love that salty/vinegar taste of the store bought brands
Can they be cut in half?
for sure. It's nice to have the whole pepper on the stem though
Use Tatler lids, no rust and stronger than the metal.
I may. I prefer not to use any plastic. I do have some stainless lids now, but not sure how they will hold up to the salt. I use the tattler rubber seals with glass lids and they work great. I only have regular mouth glass lids though and they require special bands that are rare.
Awesome video Steve, I was wondering, roughly how long do you let them ferment before they’re ready to eat? I’m excited to try this, ive pickled them in vinegar but I want to try fermenting them
it totally depends on the weather and other variables. Not less than 10 days I don't think, up to weeks.
@@SkillCult that makes sense, I’ll watch them and probably do a minimum of 2 weeks. Thank you so much
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? 😮
If they are as good as mine, he probably ate them.
@@SkillCult I feel like Peter would have a lot of brand recognition at a farmers market. Maybe he sold them ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Why not cork?
It breathes. I mean it might be worth trying, but it does breath over time. Pretty expensive probably too for real quality cork. who knows what composite cork is put tgoether with.
@@SkillCult Cork + wax coating (ie, old-school port/whiskey-style) might be an option.
oh man it would be better to just buy it from the store and safe
dude sticking his fingers in and out of the jar is gross. Use a fork at least. dirty fingers = contamination. def not a perfect sanity system.