What to do with a box of cayenne peppers?

Nateo · 08-29-2011, 01:14 PM

My neighbor got a good deal on a bushel of peppers, and gave me half of it. I'm pretty sure they're cayenne, or something that looks like cayenne. I'm not really sure what to do with all of them. Any ideas?

**cheezydemon3** · 08-29-2011, 01:18 PM

Got a dehydrator?

Fresh cayenne powder or crushed red flakes are SO much better than storebought.

Sauce is another idea, puree with garlic and vinegar and salt. Can or refridgerate.

milldoggy · 08-29-2011, 01:23 PM

I like to pickle. I usually do 1 cup white vinager, 1 cup rice vinager, 1 cup apple vinager, 2 -4 cups water, some salt, not much, 1-2 cups sugar. boil and taste, add more sugar or salt if you want, maybe other spices. When sweet and vinagery, add peppers, turn off boil, then hot pack jars.

let sit for 4 weeks, more the better. Enojy

ultravista · 08-29-2011, 02:01 PM

Did you know Tabasco hot sauce is fermented?

The Original McIlhenny method

The McIlhenny Company, makers of the original Tabasco ® Sauce, still use the same methods perfected on Avery Island in Louisiana a hundred years ago.

They pick fresh, ripe Tabasco peppers grown on the island, grind them up and cover with salt to make a pepper mash. The salted mash goes directly into oak barrels. The mash is packed down and the top is sealed with oak planks into which holes have been drilled.

The barrels are topped with a thick layer of salt and allowed to ferment. The salt layer serves as a permeable barrier that allows gases to escape but allows no bacteria, fruit flies, etc. access to the mash. McIlhenny allows them to age three years in these oak barrels.

After aging, the mash is pulled, checked for quality and, if OK, it is blended with white wine vinegar (they don't say how much) and aged some weeks more ('nother secret!). Finally, the product is pulled, strained and the liquid bottled.

http://www.google.com/search?q=fermenting+hot+sauce

**cheezydemon3** · 08-29-2011, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ultravista

Did you know Tabasco hot sauce is fermented?

The Original McIlhenny method

The McIlhenny Company, makers of the original Tabasco ® Sauce, still use the same methods perfected on Avery Island in Louisiana a hundred years ago.

They pick fresh, ripe Tabasco peppers grown on the island, grind them up and cover with salt to make a pepper mash. The salted mash goes directly into oak barrels. The mash is packed down and the top is sealed with oak planks into which holes have been drilled.

The barrels are topped with a thick layer of salt and allowed to ferment. The salt layer serves as a permeable barrier that allows gases to escape but allows no bacteria, fruit flies, etc. access to the mash. McIlhenny allows them to age three years in these oak barrels.

After aging, the mash is pulled, checked for quality and, if OK, it is blended with white wine vinegar (they don't say how much) and aged some weeks more ('nother secret!). Finally, the product is pulled, strained and the liquid bottled.

http://www.google.com/search?q=fermenting+hot+sauce

Awesome post my friend!

**dataz722** · 08-29-2011, 03:41 PM

Check out www.thehotpepper.com for a lot of info about fermenting the mash.

frailn · 08-29-2011, 07:16 PM

+1 to fermenting peppers. I just started my first batch this past weekend! I added some whey from a batch of kefir to a mixture of cayenne, anaheim and jalapeno peppers with some garlic cloves and salt. Can't wait to see how this turns out.

So, home brewing is getting me into fermenting peppers, milk, tea (kombucha) and soon sauerkraut. Is there anything you can't ferment?

**cheezydemon3** · 08-29-2011, 07:25 PM

Why not beer yeast?

**dataz722** · 08-29-2011, 08:03 PM

It ins't yeast that ferments it but actually lacto and other bugs. You could probably use sour beer culture though.

**cheezydemon3** · 08-29-2011, 08:15 PM

How do you safely get lacto?