Re-using chili mash brine for new batch?

[Kickass]

I just finished fermenting a hatch chili mash and have extra liquid. Do any of you re-use the liquid from your last batch to start the next one?

 

[mashpaddled]

I often carry over liquid from one fermentation to the next (often called backslopping). It's a good way to make sure fermentation kicks off quickly and in the right direction. Peppers can be prone to molding more than a lot of other vegetables so getting a quick start to fermentation can help act as a defense against mold.

 

[Kickass]

Thank you

 

[bernardsmith]

To kick start a new batch is one thing but if the brine did its job well then the % of salt to water that you added would be very different even a week later because that brine will have pulled a large amount of water from the vegetables and replaced that liquid with the slat solution so the brine may no longer be strong enough to inhibit bacteria you do not want in fresh vegetables and the like.

 

[S-Met]

I usually add some from a prior batch. Can't tell you the exact salt % of the brine, but I try to overshoot the minimum recommendation by at least 0.5% to account for the loss.