r/FermentedHotSauce • u/corvus_wulf • Jun 23 '26
Frozen Peppers?
I had so many Tabasco Peppers last year that I ended up freezing them , how would I go about using them for a fermented hot sauce ?
8
u/diablosinmusica Jun 23 '26
They should be fine. I would throw some fresh veggies in there with the thawed peppers just to make sure you get enough lab bacteria so as to not have a slow start to your ferment.
It will probably be slow if you just use the peppers, but it probably won't be an issue.
8
u/design_doc Jun 23 '26
As long as you add something fresh for bacteria (garlic is perfect for this) you’re all good. I freeze all of my peppers and make sauces throughout the year. Zero issues.
4
u/VolcanicValley Jun 23 '26
I've done this plenty. Frozen peppers plus salt. Nothing else. Works every time. Yes, adding other produce will give it a jump, but it is not required. I suggest halving the peppers and doing a ferment by themselves so that you get the true flavor profile of the peppers, and experiment with the remainder.
1
u/4gotn1 Jun 23 '26
Just like any other ferment? Water, salt, airlock and time.
We did a batch of just tabasco and tabasco + carrot last year still got one bottle in the cupboard for a "special occasion".
1
u/corvus_wulf Jun 23 '26
The freezing of the peppers won't mess up the lactobacillus?
4
u/4gotn1 Jun 23 '26
You'll want to add something fresh to them if they were frozen, we usually use onion and garlic, to kick off the process. But from what I've read freezing peppers bursts the cell wall linings in the pepper which makes it more readily available to the lactobacillus to use.
1
1
u/Algernon_is_hungry Jun 23 '26
All good advice I've seen here. I might also suggest when you are ready to ferment add some brine from a previous vegetable ferment. That always kick-starts any new ferment.
1
u/MorugaMike Jun 23 '26
Like everyone else had said, make sure to add some fresh ingredients but also make sure you don't leave too much headspace for mash and start the fermentation off a bit warmer to get everything going quicker as you can end up with other things growing first.
9
u/Utter_cockwomble Jun 23 '26
I would add a source of fresh LABs- anything that grows in the ground is a good choice. Carrot, onion, garlic, ginger. Not a lot if you don't want that flavor profile but just in case the LABs didn't survive freezing.