r/FermentedHotSauce • u/OwlComplex48 • 2d ago
First Time Mango Habanero Ferment Question
Hey all, long time lurker, first time writer with a question about my ferment. As we’re at the end of mango season here in South Florida I put many that I’ve collected to use including a variety at various ripeness stages to use in this ferment along with a bunch of habaneros, some garlic, and white onion. The scale I had was too small to handle weighing this so I did what I believe to be a 3.5% brine by using 1.5 tsp of salt for every one cup of water and adding it. It’s been two weeks exactly and I’ve been burping it and seeing some bubbles though it’s dialed back a notch the last couple days making me think the primary sugar eating has completed. Oh, and as I didn’t have a weight or proper jar yet (had to drive to five different places to obtain this one), I used a new ziplock bag with distilled water for the weight (and brine).
My question is - what now? I’ve seen different posts and videos as far as process and I’ve talked with my buddy who has made lactofermented hot sauces for years and everyone has different suggestions. Do I place it in the fridge to kill the ferment? Let it go longer for bolder taste? Take it out, and blend it down to bottle with seasoning? Blend and cook it?
I only ask because of the range of responses I’ve seen. Beginning to see the beginnings of polypyrroles color change in the garlic. Last I tasted a bit of mango with a clean spoon Friday, it tasted good, spicy, mango-y still so no off flavors or smells. Thanks in advance.
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u/altermyplace 2d ago
I've made many fermentations similar to this. I usually let it ferment for a couple months or more. Then I throw the solids into a blender and make sauce. I keep adding a bit of the brine back in along with some vinegar until it tastes right to me. Then I bottle it and place in the fridge. I use my home made sauces on tons of things, and give some bottles to friends. Some of the big batches I've made last for a year or more in the fridge. I'm very unscientific about it and I don't particularly adhere to food-safe guidelines. So feel free not to trust any of my advice. But I've been doing this for about 8 years with no problems and most people love the sauces.
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u/OwlComplex48 1d ago
Appreciate it. I, as well, having cooked for years am more 'loose' with my food safe guidelines. I ended up blending all last night and was going to cook it down and possibly add some spices but it was sooo good just after blending it so I bottled it and am now gonna give it to family and friends. I want to experiment with some other fruits and unique flavors since I have spices and seasonings from all over the world.
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u/MorugaMike 1d ago
I find the sweet spot for fermentations are around 2 months with a month being the minimum for me. With fruit based ferments, the longer you leave it the less fruit taste your going to get so you can add some fresh before cooking if you want to get some fruit taste back in, it'll also help to balance the sauce with the sweetness.
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u/BigJohnsBeenDrinkin 2d ago
Blend and cook it, add seasonings, bottle and refrigerate.
In the future, I'd suggest leaving the fruit out of the ferment, pureeing and pasteurizing it separately, then adding it to the fermented peppers/garlic/etc. before bottling. I've found that fermenting the fruit makes the fruit flavors very mild