# how to ferment peppers (starter culture) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 23, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-ferment-peppers-starter-culture/597300 "2011-09-23T04:11:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-ferment-peppers-starter-culture/597300/1 "2011-09-23T04:11:50Z")
I’ve got some hot peppers I’d like to ferment into a hot sauce. I’ve found several sites that say essentially: 1. grind peppers, 2. add a bit of salt 3. let sit I’m not comfortable just letting natural air microbes at my pepper slurry, and am considering trying to add the correct bacteria/yeast, just so I can control it. I’m think of adding a bit of active culture yogurt. Is there something else I should do? Fermentation is an anaerobic activity, how can I be sure I’m not getting a nice healthy culture of botulism going? would yogurt culture be a good idea? How did my mom ferment pickles in a crock, dammit? ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-ferment-peppers-starter-culture/597300/2 "2011-09-23T11:38:56Z")
A friend of mine who prepares _surgurka_ (fermented cucumber) uses black currant leaves (or rather microorganisms on them) to start fermentation. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-ferment-peppers-starter-culture/597300/3 "2011-09-23T12:23:08Z")
Yoghurt seems like a bad choice of starter culture for something like this. Best would probably be an alequat from an existing batch being fermented successfully by someone else (in the manner of a sourdough starter, that is) ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-ferment-peppers-starter-culture/597300/4 "2011-09-23T12:28:18Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Yoghurt seems like a bad choice of starter culture for something like this. Best would probably be an alequat from an existing batch being fermented successfully by someone else (in the manner of a sourdough starter, that is) Can you tell me why you think yoghurt would be a bad choice? I thought fermentation relied on lacto bacteria. Are the lactobacillus bacteria in yoghurt the wrong kind or something? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-ferment-peppers-starter-culture/597300/5 "2011-09-23T13:29:28Z")
Maybe you could find some “live” sauerkraut? Seriously, though, air fermentation is the standard way to do things. It’s fine to be wary, but I don’t think you really have a good reason to be. ---
**Author:** ![randomface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@randomface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randomface)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-ferment-peppers-starter-culture/597300/6 "2011-09-23T13:56:55Z")
I would try this. Get an unpasteurized bottle of natural vinegar. A bottle of Fleischmann’s organic unpasteurized white vinegar costs something like 3 dollars and has a small cloudy mother culture at the bottom. Shake the bottle up and introduce it to the pepper slurry. I would also introduce a culture from live yogurt or live buttermilk or even from sourdough bread. These two processes can live together during the same ferment. I would leave the slurry in a wide mouthed jar and cover with two layers of cheesecloth and a rubber band. A sourdough culture contains bacteria cultures that produce lactic acid and yeasts which provide a means for the sugars to be fermented. A vinegar culture will produce acetic acid. All of these will protect your product from dangerous other microbes. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-ferment-peppers-starter-culture/597300/7 "2011-09-23T14:03:40Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > How did my mom ferment pickles in a crock, dammit? Exactly the way you state: just salt, water, and whatever herbs and spices you like. There’s really nothing to be afraid of; let nature take its course. It’ll come out fine. I ferment various vegetables (pickles, sauerkraut, beets, kimchi) occasionally, and I’ve never had to rely on a starter of any kind. Sourdough bread is another story; that I prefer to ferment with a known, healthy starter because you want a good balance of souring bacteria and dough-raising bacteria, and I find my own homemade sourdough starters tend to be good sourers, but not so good risers. Just follow the recipe as is. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-ferment-peppers-starter-culture/597300/8 "2011-09-23T14:11:24Z")
Moved from General Questions to Cafe Society. **samclme** , Moderator ---
**Author:** ![randomface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5fc32e/32.png) [@randomface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randomface)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-ferment-peppers-starter-culture/597300/9 "2011-09-27T16:41:57Z")
I’m hoping you come back and update us on how this turned out. ---
**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-ferment-peppers-starter-culture/597300/10 "2011-09-27T16:44:59Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > Can you tell me why you think yoghurt would be a bad choice? I thought fermentation relied on lacto bacteria. > > Are the lactobacillus bacteria in yoghurt the wrong kind or something? Yes. They ferment lactose, not all the plant-produced carbohydrates. I’d probably give it a slug from a good kimchee batch.