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[gentle music]

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- Ed Buc: Good morning,
everyone.

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This is probably
a good presentation

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to do right before lunch,
seeing how it's condiment based.

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I'm gonna be talking today
about making hot pepper sauce,

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all the way
from the seed-starting process

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through fermenting
and bottling your pepper sauce.

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And before I get started,

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there may be a question
you are asking yourselves,

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and why on earth would you
wanna make your own hot sauce?

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I see that there's
a vendor out here in the expo

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selling hot sauce.

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You go to Pick 'n Save, and
there are shelves of hot sauce.

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So, why make your own?

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And on the garden side,

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because this is
the Garden & Green Living Expo,

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there's a couple of reasons
to do it.

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Pun intended,

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it's a good way to spice up
your gardening skills.

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So, if you're relatively new
to gardening

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and you've never grown
plants from seed before,

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peppers are
a great starting point.

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They take a little longer
to germinate and grow,

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but they don't get all spindly
like tomato plants do,

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so they're a great entry point
for starting plants from seed.

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And if you're
an experienced gardener,

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usually you probably have,
like, culled down the varieties

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you're growing
from year to year,

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but maybe you're
looking for an excuse

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to grow something different.

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And maybe you've wanted to try
growing hot peppers,

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but you don't know
what you're gonna do with,

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like, two plants' worth
of habanero peppers.

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And so, making a hot sauce
is a great way to--

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for an experienced gardener to
maybe try something different.

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And then, on the
food preservation side,

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or I guess the green living side
of things,

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the same thing applies.

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If you're
a relatively new to canning

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and maybe you've done
jams and jellies,

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hot sauce is a great next step

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because you can make
vinegar-based pepper sauces

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and you can can them

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with traditional
water bath canning methods.

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And likewise,

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if you are relatively
experienced at canning,

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but maybe you've never done
fermentation before,

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peppers are a great place
to start

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because you can do them
relatively small batches.

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What I'm gonna show today
uses a couple of quart jars

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or a half-gallon jar,

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and so it's much
more approachable than making

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a giant batch of sauerkraut,

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and it only takes a week
or two to ferment.

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So, and then
the last reason is,

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maybe you'll end up
being the person at the expo

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and you'll stumble
across the next sriracha,

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and you'll be
the next sriracha king.

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So, why wouldn't you make
your own hot pepper sauce?

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So, I'm gonna talk today--

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I'll start off by telling
you a little bit about myself

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and my background,

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and then I'll talk about
how you can find recipes

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and how to design
your hot sauce.

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And then, we'll talk about
the planting side of things.

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And then, the fermentation

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and food preservation part
of it.

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And then, I'll close
with some resources,

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and it was mentioned earlier,
hold your questions to the end.

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There should be time
for questions.

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So, who am I?

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So, my wife, Maggie,
and I have a hobby farm,

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or we call ourselves
homesteaders,

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out in the Driftless Area
in Richland County.

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And I'm not a big fan
of the word "homesteader,"

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but I'm not a big fan
of "hobby farm" either,

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because to me, that sounds like,
you know, very relaxing,

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and I feel pretty exhausted
at the end of every day.

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So, it doesn't really feel
like much of a hobby to me.

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But regardless
of what you call it,

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we try to be as sustainable and
as self-sufficient as possible.

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And so, to that end, we do,
we have a big garden.

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We have an orchard,
we have a woodlot.

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We're getting ready
for maple syrup season.

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That's coming up soon.

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We have chickens and bees
and all those sorts of things.

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And so, because we grow
a lot of our own food,

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we do a lot of preservation.

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And Maggie is really big
into fermenting.

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I also do fermenting.

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I make mead,
I make hard cider.

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And we stumbled into hot sauce
several years ago

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because we had a bumper crop
of peppers.

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We had five-gallon pails
of peppers,

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and we had made cowboy candy,

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and we dehydrated them
and we made salsa,

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and we were running out
of things to do.

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And so, we decided to try
to make hot sauce.

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And unbelievably, it worked.

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And not only did we end up
using a lot of peppers,

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but it also produced something

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that we could use
in the winter months

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when we were eating a lot
of stews and casseroles.

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It was something
to jazz up our meals.

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And so, since that point,

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we've been making
hot sauce every year,

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every other year or so.

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And so, what
I'm gonna talk about today

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is really making small batches
for personal use,

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but it can be scaled up
to market gardeners.

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But it's very,
very approachable.

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And so, the first step
you need to really do

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is come up with a recipe,

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because what you'll then do is
you'll buy pepper seeds

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to then grow out
and make your hot sauce with.

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And you know, if there was
only a place to go today

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where you could buy
pepper seeds, right?

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So, the first step is
really to figure out

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what you wanna grow.

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And you can approach this from
a number of different angles.

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So, you could grow the Scotch
bonnet, ghost, scorpion pepper,

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the hottest pepper you can find

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and just make your hot sauce
out of that.

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Do your own home version
of <i>Hot Ones.</i>

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This is your hot sauce journey,
so do whatever you want.

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If you wanna make a one-note
pepper with the hottest pepper

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you can find, go for it.

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On the other end
of the spectrum,

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you could find a recipe.

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And those recipes will usually
provide you with the quantities

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and then the types of peppers
to grow.

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And so, once you know
the types of peppers to grow,

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you can find those seeds
or plants

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and then you can proceed
from there.

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And I'll share some resources
at the end

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where you can find recipes.

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You can also do
what Maggie and I do,

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and that is that you
can just use your excess peppers

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from year to year
and make hot sauce out of it.

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And as long as you have
a good mix of peppers,

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you'll get
a really good hot sauce.

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And ours will vary
from year to year

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because we grow
different peppers from every--

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from year to year.

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And so--
But that's fine.

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We're certainly happy
with that.

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Plus, once your sauce gets
hot enough,

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does the flavor really matter
all that much?

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And then, the last thing
you can do

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is you can try
to design your own sauce.

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So, you can vary the hotness.

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So, if you have maybe a palate
that doesn't like really spicy,

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you could maybe use, you know,

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jalapeños or poblano peppers
instead

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to get the spice level down.

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Because a lot of the
spicier peppers are thin-walled,

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you really want to add peppers

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that are gonna bulk up
your ferment.

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And so, you'll add
filler peppers,

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and you can vary those,
and that adds additional flavor.

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So, you could use bell peppers.

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You could use cherry bells.

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You could use
Italian frying peppers.

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It's really what you wanna grow
in terms of your flavor.

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And then lastly,
you can add other things

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to maybe make it sweeter.

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You could smoke some peppers
and then ferment that

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to give your sauce
a little bit of a smoky note.

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And so, really,
the sky's the limit.

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Just if you're
gonna make your own hot sauce

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and you're trying
to come up with that recipe,

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make sure you write it down
so it's reproducible.

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But the goal
really in this process

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is to figure out
what peppers you wanna grow.

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And so, on the growing side
of things,

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you can go
in two different directions.

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You could simply
go to the nursery,

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buy pepper plants, put them in
the ground, and grow those.

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Again,
this is your pepper journey.

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And so, if that's easier for you

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or you don't have time
to start seeds, totally fine.

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But one of the problems

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is that you may
not find the variety of pepper

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you're looking for
at your local nursery.

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And so, growing plants from seed

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gives you a bigger variety
of what you can grow.

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And so, I'm gonna
be talking largely

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about growing your plants
from seed.

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And so,
once you've got your seeds,

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the first thing you wanna do

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is figure out what time
of the year do you plant them.

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And pepper plants
are started indoors from seed.

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And I don't know what
the right term is anymore.

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I'm either an inactive

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or retired
Wisconsin master gardener.

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And one of the best things I got
from the Extension program

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was this little two-page sheet
on seed starting in Wisconsin.

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And so,
this is the spring sheet.

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There's a sheet in the fall
for succession planting.

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You can see at the top,

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one of the first things
you start are pepper plants.

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And I believe it says
late March to early April.

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And so, there's a little bit
of a window

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based on
when your last frost date is.

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We used to live
in southeastern Wisconsin.

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We live
in southwestern Wisconsin,

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which is as far south as you can
get without being in Illinois.

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And so, we feel like
we're in the area

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where frost is gonna be done
soonest,

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but despite that, we plant our
plants on Memorial Day weekend.

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We've been burned too many times
by frost the second week in May,

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third week in May.

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So, we just hold off
on putting in basil and tomatoes

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and peppers
until Memorial Day weekend.

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And usually, those plants will
go all the way into October.

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So, you're really not gonna
miss out on anything

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unless you're trying to grow
plants to sell at the market

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and you wanna try
to get into the market

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with produce
as quickly as possible.

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And so, we always shoot for
getting our plants in the ground

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on Memorial Day weekend.

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And so, through that logic,

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you could then
plant your seeds in early April.

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We actually end up
planting ours indoors

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around the third week in March.

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And that gives us
a little bit more flexibility.

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Like, it ends up being
a nicer spring,

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we then just put them out and
we let them harden off longer,

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and they just get more sunlight
and they'll get stronger

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before we end up putting 'em
in the ground

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on Memorial Day.

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And so, we end up starting
them really more in late March

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than in early April.

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And so, to get your seeds going,

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once you've got your seeds
and you've got your date,

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you wanna gather
your supplies.

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And there's a whole list
of things up here.

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I'm not gonna run through it,

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but I'll just point out
a couple things.

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One is pots.

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We use 72-count cell packs
that'll fit in what's called,

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I think, a 1020 tray.

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And I know I mentioned
sustainability earlier,

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and you probably have seen
articles about starting seeds

245
00:09:59,833 --> 00:10:02,269
in eggshells
and in toilet paper rolls

246
00:10:02,336 --> 00:10:04,538
and making your own pots
from paper.

247
00:10:04,605 --> 00:10:07,674
But I feel like
we have, like, one shot

248
00:10:07,741 --> 00:10:10,344
to get these seeds going
and get into the garden.

249
00:10:10,410 --> 00:10:13,380
And so, I wanna take
every opportunity to make sure

250
00:10:13,447 --> 00:10:16,183
that my seeds germinate
and start to grow.

251
00:10:16,250 --> 00:10:20,220
And so, we just use cell packs,
and the sustainable,

252
00:10:20,287 --> 00:10:23,624
the sustainable part for us
is reusing them every year.

253
00:10:23,690 --> 00:10:26,860
So, I collect them after
we get everything in the ground.

254
00:10:26,927 --> 00:10:28,862
I spend a half a day
washing 'em all out,

255
00:10:28,929 --> 00:10:31,465
and then we dry them
and they go in our garden shed.

256
00:10:31,532 --> 00:10:33,901
I will say that I did go
to a demonstration yesterday

257
00:10:33,967 --> 00:10:36,503
on soil blocking, and I was
really intrigued by that.

258
00:10:36,570 --> 00:10:39,139
And so, I think I'm
gonna try some soil blocking,

259
00:10:39,206 --> 00:10:43,644
maybe starting with brassicas,
but that's an option as well.

260
00:10:43,710 --> 00:10:44,978
The other thing you'll need
with--

261
00:10:45,045 --> 00:10:48,982
in addition to the cell tray
or the cell pots,

262
00:10:49,049 --> 00:10:50,417
you'll need
the watering tray

263
00:10:50,484 --> 00:10:51,585
because you'll water
these plants

264
00:10:51,652 --> 00:10:53,754
from the bottom rather
than the top.

265
00:10:53,820 --> 00:10:57,724
And so, that tray then holds the
water that-- and your plants.

266
00:10:57,791 --> 00:10:59,860
And then, the last thing
you'll want is a dome,

267
00:10:59,927 --> 00:11:02,829
because seeds will germinate
more quickly

268
00:11:02,896 --> 00:11:05,465
if they have a little bit more
heat and a little bit humidity.

269
00:11:05,532 --> 00:11:11,471
And so, you put the dome on, and
once the plants start to sprout,

270
00:11:11,538 --> 00:11:12,739
you take the dome off.

271
00:11:12,806 --> 00:11:15,175
So, you only really need it
for a couple of weeks,

272
00:11:15,242 --> 00:11:16,343
but it is handy.

273
00:11:16,410 --> 00:11:18,345
If you don't have one,
it's fine,

274
00:11:18,412 --> 00:11:20,547
but usually you can buy
these things all as a kit.

275
00:11:20,614 --> 00:11:22,816
I think Jiffy sells them
like all together,

276
00:11:22,883 --> 00:11:24,785
so you can buy them
all together.

277
00:11:24,852 --> 00:11:27,221
The other thing I'll mention
is seed-starting mix.

278
00:11:27,287 --> 00:11:31,325
So, we use a special
sterilized seed-starting mix.

279
00:11:31,391 --> 00:11:33,360
You don't wanna use
potting soil or topsoil

280
00:11:33,427 --> 00:11:35,462
because it's a little heavier.

281
00:11:35,529 --> 00:11:38,265
Your rootlets in your
little seedlings will struggle.

282
00:11:38,332 --> 00:11:40,801
And this media is sterile.

283
00:11:41,502 --> 00:11:43,971
And so, it's not gonna have

284
00:11:44,505 --> 00:11:46,039
fungi and all those
other things.

285
00:11:46,106 --> 00:11:47,241
So, you're gonna give
your seeds

286
00:11:47,307 --> 00:11:50,377
the best opportunity
to start up.

287
00:11:50,444 --> 00:11:51,545
The other thing
that's important--

288
00:11:51,612 --> 00:11:52,946
oh, labels.

289
00:11:53,013 --> 00:11:55,148
So, I will say that you wanna
label your plants "peppers."

290
00:11:55,215 --> 00:11:56,750
Unless you've been growing
them for a while,

291
00:11:56,817 --> 00:11:57,918
they all look the same.

292
00:11:57,985 --> 00:11:59,386
So, label your plants.

293
00:11:59,453 --> 00:12:02,456
And I will say, use the shorter
labels rather than the tall ones

294
00:12:02,523 --> 00:12:04,458
because you won't be
able to get your dome on.

295
00:12:04,525 --> 00:12:05,859
So, the small ones are good.

296
00:12:05,926 --> 00:12:08,595
If you use the tall ones, you'll
end up cutting 'em in half.

297
00:12:08,662 --> 00:12:10,797
And then, a heating mat is
also useful too

298
00:12:10,864 --> 00:12:12,499
because peppers like heat.

299
00:12:12,566 --> 00:12:14,902
Most plants will germinate
and grow better initially

300
00:12:14,968 --> 00:12:16,870
with a little heat
applied to them.

301
00:12:16,937 --> 00:12:19,940
And so, a heat mat
is very useful.

302
00:12:20,674 --> 00:12:23,343
The last thing you really need
that's important is light.

303
00:12:23,410 --> 00:12:25,812
And so, this is our setup.

304
00:12:25,879 --> 00:12:28,282
So, we have a south-facing
walkout basement.

305
00:12:28,348 --> 00:12:31,051
This is a nursery shelf
that I found, unbelievably,

306
00:12:31,118 --> 00:12:34,521
at an estate sale on half day
off day, with the lights.

307
00:12:34,588 --> 00:12:36,590
So, it was really handy.

308
00:12:36,657 --> 00:12:41,094
So, this is what we grow on, and
we grow everything from seed.

309
00:12:41,161 --> 00:12:42,863
We don't buy anything
at a nursery.

310
00:12:42,930 --> 00:12:45,566
It's either direct sowed
or we grow it indoors.

311
00:12:45,632 --> 00:12:48,035
And so, this setup works for us.

312
00:12:48,101 --> 00:12:50,437
But you don't have to get
as fancy as this.

313
00:12:50,504 --> 00:12:51,839
We've grown for many years

314
00:12:51,905 --> 00:12:54,975
by just growing
in a south-facing window.

315
00:12:55,042 --> 00:12:57,010
This is a little
greenhouse setup.

316
00:12:57,077 --> 00:12:59,346
We don't use the actual
greenhouse part itself,

317
00:12:59,413 --> 00:13:02,850
but this lives in our living
room from March until May.

318
00:13:02,916 --> 00:13:04,451
So, we throw all our plants
up there,

319
00:13:04,518 --> 00:13:05,853
particularly when they get
a little bigger.

320
00:13:05,919 --> 00:13:08,455
And if you're just relying
on window light,

321
00:13:08,522 --> 00:13:10,357
you'll wanna rotate
your trays every few days

322
00:13:10,424 --> 00:13:12,025
'cause the plants will start
to lean.

323
00:13:12,092 --> 00:13:14,361
They really do like more light,
but you can get by,

324
00:13:14,428 --> 00:13:16,597
especially
if you're only growing a flat,

325
00:13:16,663 --> 00:13:19,666
you can get by
with window light.

326
00:13:20,667 --> 00:13:22,002
On the other side
of the picture,

327
00:13:22,069 --> 00:13:24,838
you'll see a little bit
of a setup.

328
00:13:24,905 --> 00:13:26,340
If you've got basement shelves

329
00:13:26,406 --> 00:13:28,375
that you can empty
for a couple of months,

330
00:13:28,442 --> 00:13:30,077
you can pull everything
off those shelves

331
00:13:30,143 --> 00:13:31,612
and set up just shop lights

332
00:13:31,678 --> 00:13:33,981
and then put your flat or two
underneath that.

333
00:13:34,047 --> 00:13:35,716
Plants will grow just fine

334
00:13:35,782 --> 00:13:39,486
under 48-inch fluorescent bulbs
or LED bulbs.

335
00:13:39,553 --> 00:13:42,789
You don't have to buy
special expensive lights.

336
00:13:42,856 --> 00:13:45,158
The goal is just
to get these plants started,

337
00:13:45,225 --> 00:13:48,228
and a broad spectrum of light
is really all they need.

338
00:13:48,295 --> 00:13:50,264
So, you have a lot
of different options

339
00:13:50,330 --> 00:13:52,132
you can use for light.

340
00:13:52,199 --> 00:13:54,935
But that tends to be
the biggest limiting factor

341
00:13:55,002 --> 00:13:58,038
for starting plants indoors.

342
00:13:58,105 --> 00:13:59,540
And the process is
really straightforward.

343
00:13:59,606 --> 00:14:01,808
You just fill your pots up

344
00:14:01,875 --> 00:14:04,811
with seed-starting mix and you
moisten it with a mister.

345
00:14:04,878 --> 00:14:07,881
I will put two seeds
in each cell just in case

346
00:14:07,948 --> 00:14:09,049
one doesn't germinate.

347
00:14:09,116 --> 00:14:10,384
You cover them.

348
00:14:10,450 --> 00:14:13,153
The rule of thumb
is you cover the seed

349
00:14:13,220 --> 00:14:14,955
to the thickness
of the seed itself.

350
00:14:15,022 --> 00:14:16,123
So, for pepper plants,

351
00:14:16,190 --> 00:14:18,659
that's about 1/8 of an inch
to 1/4 of an inch.

352
00:14:18,725 --> 00:14:20,794
Then you moisten that
with a mister.

353
00:14:20,861 --> 00:14:23,197
You take your tray of seeds,
you put it in the light,

354
00:14:23,263 --> 00:14:24,498
you fill it with water.

355
00:14:24,565 --> 00:14:26,166
It's easier to fill with water

356
00:14:26,233 --> 00:14:29,303
after you move it rather
than before you move it.

357
00:14:29,369 --> 00:14:31,238
Put your dome on,
plug in your heat lamp,

358
00:14:31,305 --> 00:14:32,973
and you're good to go.

359
00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:35,909
And within seven
to fourteen days,

360
00:14:35,976 --> 00:14:38,145
you'll get
little seedlings forming.

361
00:14:38,212 --> 00:14:40,681
Once they start to sprout,
you'll wanna take the dome off

362
00:14:40,747 --> 00:14:43,283
to let them have
good air circulation,

363
00:14:43,350 --> 00:14:47,287
and you'll want to start giving
them a very weak fertilizer.

364
00:14:47,354 --> 00:14:49,623
We just use
watered-down Miracle-Gro,

365
00:14:49,690 --> 00:14:52,226
and you want to fertilize 'em
about once a week,

366
00:14:52,292 --> 00:14:54,094
because seed-starting mix
doesn't really have a lot

367
00:14:54,161 --> 00:14:55,362
of nutrients in it,

368
00:14:55,429 --> 00:14:58,332
so you wanna apply
some fertilizer.

369
00:14:58,398 --> 00:15:00,334
And then, you really
just keep an eye on 'em,

370
00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:01,535
make sure you keep 'em watered,

371
00:15:01,602 --> 00:15:05,839
until you get to about
the third week in April.

372
00:15:06,607 --> 00:15:08,442
And then, you have a decision
to make.

373
00:15:08,509 --> 00:15:12,079
You can let your plants go
and just let them grow

374
00:15:12,145 --> 00:15:13,614
and keep fertilizing them

375
00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:16,116
and increase the concentration
of fertilizer.

376
00:15:16,183 --> 00:15:19,620
And that works if you're using,
like, 48-count cell trays

377
00:15:19,686 --> 00:15:22,289
because the plants
will be a little farther apart.

378
00:15:22,356 --> 00:15:24,525
But if you're using 72 cells,

379
00:15:24,591 --> 00:15:26,226
what we do is we up-pot
our plants

380
00:15:26,293 --> 00:15:28,095
around the third week in April.

381
00:15:28,161 --> 00:15:29,696
And so, we'll get
three-inch pots.

382
00:15:29,763 --> 00:15:32,366
And I mix up a mix of topsoil
and potting soil

383
00:15:32,432 --> 00:15:33,834
and a little bit of perlite,

384
00:15:33,901 --> 00:15:36,103
and that gives some nutrients
to the plants.

385
00:15:36,170 --> 00:15:37,871
It also gives
a little firmer soil

386
00:15:37,938 --> 00:15:39,973
to make the roots work
a little bit.

387
00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:42,643
And pot them up,
put tags in 'em,

388
00:15:42,709 --> 00:15:44,611
and then put them
back in the trays.

389
00:15:44,678 --> 00:15:46,613
And then you just, again,
keep an eye on 'em,

390
00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:47,848
keep 'em watered.

391
00:15:47,915 --> 00:15:51,218
And eventually,
you'll get to early May.

392
00:15:51,285 --> 00:15:53,287
So, that's the point where
you're getting really excited.

393
00:15:53,353 --> 00:15:56,156
You know, you're getting
ready to get your garden going.

394
00:15:56,223 --> 00:15:57,324
And this is the point

395
00:15:57,391 --> 00:15:58,926
where you start to harden off
your plants.

396
00:15:58,992 --> 00:16:01,862
And so, that's the process
of getting your little babies

397
00:16:01,929 --> 00:16:03,931
that you've been caring for
for the past,

398
00:16:03,997 --> 00:16:05,265
you know,
five or six weeks

399
00:16:05,332 --> 00:16:07,234
and you're getting them
used to being outside.

400
00:16:07,301 --> 00:16:10,304
And so, for us,
we have a north-facing patio.

401
00:16:10,370 --> 00:16:11,505
And so, we set up tables

402
00:16:11,572 --> 00:16:14,708
and we put our trays
out on those tables

403
00:16:14,775 --> 00:16:16,343
starting in early May,

404
00:16:16,410 --> 00:16:18,378
where they're shady
and protected

405
00:16:18,445 --> 00:16:20,247
and start hardening them off.

406
00:16:20,314 --> 00:16:22,249
But you also wanna keep
an eye on the weather,

407
00:16:22,316 --> 00:16:25,586
because as I mentioned earlier,
frost can happen at any time

408
00:16:25,652 --> 00:16:26,787
and you wanna make sure

409
00:16:26,854 --> 00:16:28,388
that you're bringing
your trays in the house

410
00:16:28,455 --> 00:16:31,925
when it looks like it's gonna
get, you know, 40, 45 degrees

411
00:16:31,992 --> 00:16:34,094
so you don't get them killed
by frost.

412
00:16:34,161 --> 00:16:36,763
And so, we harden them off
on the north side of the porch

413
00:16:36,830 --> 00:16:39,433
for about a week,
week and a half,

414
00:16:39,499 --> 00:16:44,371
and then we move them
to our walkout basement slab,

415
00:16:44,438 --> 00:16:46,173
which is on the south side
of the house,

416
00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:47,508
that second week in May.

417
00:16:47,574 --> 00:16:49,476
And that gives them
full, direct light.

418
00:16:49,543 --> 00:16:51,912
And that really helps
get them going

419
00:16:51,979 --> 00:16:54,414
and get them used to being
in full light.

420
00:16:54,481 --> 00:16:56,650
And just keep 'em watered.

421
00:16:56,717 --> 00:16:58,452
The other thing
you wanna keep an eye out,

422
00:16:58,519 --> 00:17:00,354
in addition to frost, is rain.

423
00:17:00,420 --> 00:17:02,256
Because if you get a lot
of rain,

424
00:17:02,322 --> 00:17:06,527
these trays don't have drainage,
and so they'll fill with water.

425
00:17:06,593 --> 00:17:08,328
And so, you'll wanna dump
the water out

426
00:17:08,395 --> 00:17:09,963
so you don't drown your plants,

427
00:17:10,030 --> 00:17:11,832
and then it'll also
leach out nutrients,

428
00:17:11,899 --> 00:17:16,036
and so you wanna also keep up
with some fertilization.

429
00:17:16,103 --> 00:17:19,139
And then eventually,
you get to the point

430
00:17:19,206 --> 00:17:21,275
where you're gonna wanna
stick 'em in the ground.

431
00:17:21,341 --> 00:17:24,711
And so, we just bring out
a folding table to the garden.

432
00:17:24,778 --> 00:17:28,015
And I like to lay out
how I'm gonna plant things

433
00:17:28,081 --> 00:17:29,616
before I plant them.

434
00:17:29,683 --> 00:17:31,618
This is something
I learned a couple of years ago,

435
00:17:31,685 --> 00:17:32,819
rather than having to bend down

436
00:17:32,886 --> 00:17:34,755
and the pots fall over
in the grass.

437
00:17:34,821 --> 00:17:36,156
So, I just drag a table out

438
00:17:36,223 --> 00:17:37,925
'cause we have
these folding tables.

439
00:17:37,991 --> 00:17:39,993
And so, I figure out
where everything's gonna go

440
00:17:40,060 --> 00:17:42,095
and then
get 'em in the ground.

441
00:17:42,162 --> 00:17:44,765
And as you can see,
we use landscape fabric.

442
00:17:44,831 --> 00:17:48,135
We plant in woven landscape
fabric in our beds.

443
00:17:48,202 --> 00:17:50,337
And you just simply plant 'em
like you would

444
00:17:50,404 --> 00:17:52,206
any other plant
from the nursery.

445
00:17:52,272 --> 00:17:55,008
And then, we use three-inch--
or three-foot bamboo stakes,

446
00:17:55,075 --> 00:17:56,343
and we stake 'em right away

447
00:17:56,410 --> 00:17:57,945
so that you're not trying
to stake 'em

448
00:17:58,011 --> 00:17:59,112
when the plant gets bigger.

449
00:17:59,179 --> 00:18:01,348
And if you've done
any gardening at all,

450
00:18:01,415 --> 00:18:02,749
you're probably familiar
with this scene.

451
00:18:02,816 --> 00:18:04,818
The plants look a little sad
at this point.

452
00:18:04,885 --> 00:18:06,220
You know,
you've got this giant garden,

453
00:18:06,286 --> 00:18:07,955
you've got these
little tiny plants.

454
00:18:08,021 --> 00:18:11,658
But as you know, if you keep
the faith, in a month or two,

455
00:18:11,725 --> 00:18:14,461
they're gonna look like--
so they're gonna look like that.

456
00:18:14,528 --> 00:18:16,196
So, big and bushy.

457
00:18:16,263 --> 00:18:18,131
They're gonna
be producing fruit.

458
00:18:18,198 --> 00:18:20,234
You'll end up with baskets
of fruit

459
00:18:20,300 --> 00:18:22,569
if you've done everything well.

460
00:18:22,636 --> 00:18:24,905
Peppers are pretty hardy.

461
00:18:24,972 --> 00:18:27,274
They will tolerate
dry conditions.

462
00:18:27,341 --> 00:18:28,442
They'll tolerate heat.

463
00:18:28,509 --> 00:18:30,978
They're not a big fan of it
being really cold.

464
00:18:31,044 --> 00:18:34,515
But usually by the time
June rolls around--

465
00:18:34,581 --> 00:18:37,351
although it's Wisconsin,
you never know--

466
00:18:37,417 --> 00:18:38,519
it'll warm up

467
00:18:38,585 --> 00:18:41,522
and your pepper plant
should do just fine.

468
00:18:41,588 --> 00:18:43,156
We don't water ours too much,

469
00:18:43,223 --> 00:18:45,158
but if it gets dry
for a couple of weeks,

470
00:18:45,225 --> 00:18:47,094
we've had some dry years,
some drought years,

471
00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:49,062
so we will water them
occasionally,

472
00:18:49,129 --> 00:18:51,498
but they are pretty hardy.

473
00:18:51,565 --> 00:18:54,601
So, once you get to the point
of putting 'em in the ground,

474
00:18:54,668 --> 00:18:57,337
as long
as animals don't dig 'em up.

475
00:18:57,404 --> 00:18:59,506
We had one year,
our neighbor's cows got out

476
00:18:59,573 --> 00:19:00,974
and they trampled our garden.

477
00:19:01,041 --> 00:19:02,576
So, if you don't have
anything like that,

478
00:19:02,643 --> 00:19:04,111
then they should be pretty good,

479
00:19:04,178 --> 00:19:07,948
and you'll start to get
baskets of peppers.

480
00:19:08,015 --> 00:19:10,184
Which then brings us
to the second part,

481
00:19:10,250 --> 00:19:12,519
which is making your sauce.

482
00:19:12,586 --> 00:19:14,621
And so, just a few disclaimers,

483
00:19:14,688 --> 00:19:16,757
and that is you're making
a food product,

484
00:19:16,823 --> 00:19:19,826
so your ultimate goal is
to make something like this.

485
00:19:19,893 --> 00:19:22,062
This is
a 45-minute presentation,

486
00:19:22,129 --> 00:19:25,999
so I can't tell you all the ins
and outs of food preservation.

487
00:19:26,066 --> 00:19:27,568
So, this is meant
as an introduction.

488
00:19:27,634 --> 00:19:28,735
Do your homework.

489
00:19:28,802 --> 00:19:30,137
The biggest thing I can say is,

490
00:19:30,204 --> 00:19:32,339
food sanitation
is very important,

491
00:19:32,406 --> 00:19:34,508
just like it is
with any other sort of cooking.

492
00:19:34,575 --> 00:19:36,743
So, you wanna use produce
that's not bruised,

493
00:19:36,810 --> 00:19:38,545
that's not damaged.

494
00:19:38,612 --> 00:19:40,214
Make sure you're keeping
a clean kitchen,

495
00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:42,716
all those sorts of things.

496
00:19:42,783 --> 00:19:45,485
And the biggest thing
with making hot sauce

497
00:19:45,552 --> 00:19:48,155
is the preservation method
is really pH.

498
00:19:48,222 --> 00:19:51,158
So, if you're doing
water bath canning,

499
00:19:51,225 --> 00:19:53,827
the pH lowering is done
by vinegar,

500
00:19:53,894 --> 00:19:57,397
and fermentation, it's done
through bacterial action.

501
00:19:57,464 --> 00:19:58,799
So, that's what
you're trying to do

502
00:19:58,866 --> 00:20:00,634
is you're trying
to lower the pH.

503
00:20:00,701 --> 00:20:02,836
And then, the last thing
I'll just say is, you know,

504
00:20:02,903 --> 00:20:04,004
consider the volume of sauce

505
00:20:04,071 --> 00:20:06,607
you're gonna use
in a typical year.

506
00:20:06,673 --> 00:20:09,877
You don't wanna end--
one of these jars is 5.5 ounces.

507
00:20:09,943 --> 00:20:14,414
And so, for making
a half-gallon jar of ferment,

508
00:20:15,382 --> 00:20:17,317
that'll produce
about four of these

509
00:20:17,384 --> 00:20:20,153
because we strain off
our solids.

510
00:20:20,220 --> 00:20:22,756
And so, if you do the math,
you can figure out, you know,

511
00:20:22,823 --> 00:20:24,157
how much you use in a year.

512
00:20:24,224 --> 00:20:26,360
You don't wanna make, you
know, 20 gallons of hot sauce

513
00:20:26,426 --> 00:20:28,762
if you're not gonna eat it
in the course of a year.

514
00:20:28,829 --> 00:20:30,531
So, just keep that in mind.

515
00:20:30,597 --> 00:20:33,433
And then, like I said
with the growing part,

516
00:20:33,500 --> 00:20:35,936
you can certainly go out
and buy pepper plants.

517
00:20:36,003 --> 00:20:38,105
If you, if your plants
don't make it

518
00:20:38,172 --> 00:20:40,774
or you run out of time
in the spring,

519
00:20:40,841 --> 00:20:42,843
you're not able
to get seed started.

520
00:20:42,910 --> 00:20:45,345
You could certainly take
what I'm gonna tell you

521
00:20:45,412 --> 00:20:48,815
and just go to the farmer's
market and buy peppers.

522
00:20:48,882 --> 00:20:50,050
Nothing wrong with that too.

523
00:20:50,117 --> 00:20:54,421
That's actually how Maggie and I
really got started

524
00:20:54,488 --> 00:20:55,589
with homesteading.

525
00:20:55,656 --> 00:20:56,790
We used to live in Wauwatosa.

526
00:20:56,857 --> 00:20:57,958
We had a young son,

527
00:20:58,025 --> 00:21:00,394
and we would take him
and his cousins

528
00:21:00,460 --> 00:21:02,563
to u-pick strawberry places,

529
00:21:02,629 --> 00:21:04,765
and we'd end up
with these flats of strawberries

530
00:21:04,831 --> 00:21:06,366
and we had to do something
with them,

531
00:21:06,433 --> 00:21:08,035
and so we started making
strawberry jelly.

532
00:21:08,101 --> 00:21:11,104
And so, going
to the farmer's market

533
00:21:11,171 --> 00:21:14,074
and buying peppers
is perfectly fine.

534
00:21:14,141 --> 00:21:17,945
It gives you a chance
to learn a new skill.

535
00:21:19,179 --> 00:21:23,350
And so, for preserving food,
particularly liquid foods,

536
00:21:23,417 --> 00:21:25,285
there's really three methods
that you can use.

537
00:21:25,352 --> 00:21:26,787
One is water bath canning.

538
00:21:26,854 --> 00:21:29,356
And that is what probably
everyone in the room

539
00:21:29,423 --> 00:21:31,692
is familiar with,
where you take your Ball jar,

540
00:21:31,758 --> 00:21:32,960
you put on
your two-piece lid,

541
00:21:33,026 --> 00:21:35,429
you process it in a pot
of boiling water,

542
00:21:35,495 --> 00:21:39,166
or if you're using
an atmospheric steam canner.

543
00:21:39,233 --> 00:21:41,001
And then, you're relying
on vinegar

544
00:21:41,068 --> 00:21:43,470
to be really
the preservative.

545
00:21:43,537 --> 00:21:46,206
And I'm not gonna really
talk about water bath canning

546
00:21:46,273 --> 00:21:49,443
because there's a ton
of resources out there.

547
00:21:49,510 --> 00:21:51,278
And so, I would direct you
to those.

548
00:21:51,345 --> 00:21:52,746
But I will say

549
00:21:52,813 --> 00:21:56,016
that I did find
a really good taco sauce recipe

550
00:21:56,083 --> 00:21:58,552
in a <i>Better Homes and Garden</i>
canning book.

551
00:21:58,619 --> 00:22:00,320
And I'll talk about that
a little later.

552
00:22:00,387 --> 00:22:02,723
But if you wanna do hot sauce

553
00:22:02,789 --> 00:22:04,658
strictly
with water bath canning,

554
00:22:04,725 --> 00:22:07,628
that's a great starting point.

555
00:22:08,061 --> 00:22:10,330
The second way
that you can preserve food

556
00:22:10,397 --> 00:22:12,533
is through pressure canning,

557
00:22:12,599 --> 00:22:15,235
and that's done
with pH-neutral foods.

558
00:22:15,302 --> 00:22:19,706
So, green beans, chicken stock,
those sorts of things.

559
00:22:19,773 --> 00:22:21,508
And I'm not gonna talk
about that as well

560
00:22:21,575 --> 00:22:23,544
because you don't need
to use that for hot sauce.

561
00:22:23,610 --> 00:22:25,913
So, if you're hoping that
hot sauce would be an entrée

562
00:22:25,979 --> 00:22:27,648
to learn
how to do pressure canning,

563
00:22:27,714 --> 00:22:30,651
you're gonna have to can
something else.

564
00:22:30,717 --> 00:22:34,087
Maybe go get some rotisserie
chicken and make chicken stock.

565
00:22:34,154 --> 00:22:35,255
So, the third way,

566
00:22:35,322 --> 00:22:37,925
which I am gonna talk about,
is fermentation.

567
00:22:37,991 --> 00:22:39,927
And this is
how sriracha is made.

568
00:22:39,993 --> 00:22:42,029
I think it's how
Frank's hot sauce is made.

569
00:22:42,095 --> 00:22:45,632
A lot of the commercial sauces
are made through fermentation,

570
00:22:45,699 --> 00:22:47,634
and it's simply
a biological process

571
00:22:47,701 --> 00:22:50,804
where you're using
microorganisms to turn your food

572
00:22:50,871 --> 00:22:52,506
into other kinds of food.

573
00:22:52,573 --> 00:22:55,475
And it's used
for all sorts of things:

574
00:22:55,542 --> 00:22:57,711
making cheese,
the yeast in bread,

575
00:22:57,778 --> 00:23:00,514
making beer, making kimchi,
sauerkraut,

576
00:23:00,581 --> 00:23:02,015
all those sorts of things.

577
00:23:02,082 --> 00:23:03,550
And it's an anaerobic process,

578
00:23:03,617 --> 00:23:05,686
so it's done in the absence
of oxygen

579
00:23:05,752 --> 00:23:08,088
and it produces carbon dioxide.

580
00:23:08,155 --> 00:23:11,558
And one of the other products
it produces is lactic acid.

581
00:23:11,625 --> 00:23:14,061
And that acid is
what lowers the pH

582
00:23:14,127 --> 00:23:15,929
in addition to the salt brine

583
00:23:15,996 --> 00:23:18,398
that you're using
in your ferment.

584
00:23:18,465 --> 00:23:23,937
Those together are what provides
the preservation part of it.

585
00:23:24,004 --> 00:23:27,174
And so, to do your fermentation,
you need a few tools,

586
00:23:27,241 --> 00:23:28,942
most of which
you have around your kitchen.

587
00:23:29,009 --> 00:23:30,544
But there are a couple
of specialty things

588
00:23:30,611 --> 00:23:32,045
that I'll point out.

589
00:23:32,112 --> 00:23:33,647
So, one of the things
that's really helpful--

590
00:23:33,714 --> 00:23:35,115
And we use canning jars

591
00:23:35,182 --> 00:23:37,451
because we have
a gazillion canning jars.

592
00:23:37,518 --> 00:23:39,253
And so,
we use quart canning jars

593
00:23:39,319 --> 00:23:41,021
and half-gallon canning jars.

594
00:23:41,088 --> 00:23:42,189
And that works fine.

595
00:23:42,256 --> 00:23:44,258
As I mentioned,
it'll make, you know,

596
00:23:44,324 --> 00:23:46,793
a few bottles of hot sauce.

597
00:23:46,860 --> 00:23:50,063
And one of the specialized
fermentation tools

598
00:23:50,130 --> 00:23:54,401
that's really handy is this
pickle packer, which is this--

599
00:23:54,468 --> 00:23:57,604
It's the hourglass-shaped
piece of wood there.

600
00:23:57,671 --> 00:24:01,141
And that helps to pack
the peppers into the jar firmly.

601
00:24:01,208 --> 00:24:03,577
And that's really useful
because the peppers are really

602
00:24:03,644 --> 00:24:04,978
where the flavor are.

603
00:24:05,045 --> 00:24:07,915
And so, the more peppers you
can cram into a jar, the better.

604
00:24:07,981 --> 00:24:10,918
And so, that packer really helps
you get a lot of peppers in.

605
00:24:10,984 --> 00:24:13,487
It also helps to reduce
the amount of potential

606
00:24:13,554 --> 00:24:17,524
for air pockets,
which you wanna try to avoid.

607
00:24:17,591 --> 00:24:19,493
You'll also be making
a brine solution,

608
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:21,728
which is just a mixture
of salt and water.

609
00:24:21,795 --> 00:24:23,230
And that seems easy enough,

610
00:24:23,297 --> 00:24:27,401
but on the water side, you wanna
use nonchlorinated water.

611
00:24:27,467 --> 00:24:29,736
Municipalities add chlorination
to water

612
00:24:29,803 --> 00:24:31,772
to prohibit microbial growth,

613
00:24:31,839 --> 00:24:33,974
and we're shooting
for the opposite here.

614
00:24:34,041 --> 00:24:36,410
So, you wanna use
nonchlorinated water.

615
00:24:36,476 --> 00:24:38,412
And you don't have to buy
fancy bottled water.

616
00:24:38,478 --> 00:24:40,714
You could just go buy
a gallon jug of distilled water

617
00:24:40,781 --> 00:24:42,015
from the grocery store.

618
00:24:42,082 --> 00:24:43,417
That'll work just fine.

619
00:24:43,483 --> 00:24:44,618
And then, on the salt side,

620
00:24:44,685 --> 00:24:46,620
you wanna use a sea salt
or a kosher salt.

621
00:24:46,687 --> 00:24:48,755
You don't wanna use
something that's iodine.

622
00:24:48,822 --> 00:24:49,923
You don't wanna have anything

623
00:24:49,990 --> 00:24:52,860
that's got anti-caking agents
in it.

624
00:24:52,926 --> 00:24:56,396
So, a kosher salt is
really what you wanna do.

625
00:24:56,463 --> 00:25:00,033
So, that's the kind of
the second specialty thing.

626
00:25:00,100 --> 00:25:01,802
The third is you wanna have--

627
00:25:01,869 --> 00:25:04,104
As I mentioned,
this is an anaerobic process,

628
00:25:04,171 --> 00:25:08,208
and so you wanna keep
the solids away from oxygen.

629
00:25:08,275 --> 00:25:10,811
And so, one way you can do
that is to keep the solids

630
00:25:10,878 --> 00:25:13,213
below the level
of your brine liquid.

631
00:25:13,280 --> 00:25:16,049
And to do that,
you can use these glass weights.

632
00:25:16,116 --> 00:25:17,217
I call 'em pickle pebbles.

633
00:25:17,284 --> 00:25:19,486
That might be a marketable term.

634
00:25:19,553 --> 00:25:20,988
That might be on the box.

635
00:25:21,054 --> 00:25:22,589
And they're
just little glass weights

636
00:25:22,656 --> 00:25:25,292
that are the size
of the opening of your jar.

637
00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:26,894
And so, you just fill your jar
up

638
00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:28,362
and you put the weight on,

639
00:25:28,428 --> 00:25:31,498
and that helps keeps the solids
below the level of the liquid.

640
00:25:31,565 --> 00:25:34,134
And then the last specialty
thing you need is an airlock

641
00:25:34,201 --> 00:25:36,036
to keep that oxygen out.

642
00:25:36,103 --> 00:25:39,139
And so, they sell a lot of
different varieties of these.

643
00:25:39,206 --> 00:25:41,308
There's this pink one on here.

644
00:25:41,375 --> 00:25:42,609
I call it a pickle nipple.

645
00:25:42,676 --> 00:25:45,112
And the little nipple part's
got a little slit in it,

646
00:25:45,179 --> 00:25:47,948
and it allows
carbon dioxide to come out

647
00:25:48,015 --> 00:25:50,150
but doesn't let air to come in.

648
00:25:50,217 --> 00:25:52,219
You could also use
these other airlocks.

649
00:25:52,286 --> 00:25:54,221
Because I do home brewing,

650
00:25:54,288 --> 00:25:56,223
I have a lot
of this style airlock,

651
00:25:56,290 --> 00:25:59,626
and it's just a little container
that you put with water

652
00:25:59,693 --> 00:26:01,328
and you put a cap on it,

653
00:26:01,395 --> 00:26:03,497
and it lets
carbon dioxide bubble out

654
00:26:03,564 --> 00:26:06,466
and keeps oxygen from going in.

655
00:26:07,568 --> 00:26:09,970
One other thing
I'll mention that is important

656
00:26:10,037 --> 00:26:11,572
are latex gloves.

657
00:26:11,638 --> 00:26:13,874
So, if you've ever cut up
hot peppers

658
00:26:13,941 --> 00:26:17,845
and you've touched parts
of your body and regretted it,

659
00:26:17,911 --> 00:26:21,515
don't skimp
on the disposable gloves,

660
00:26:21,582 --> 00:26:23,183
because you will,

661
00:26:23,250 --> 00:26:25,252
you will regret it,
especially with the hot peppers.

662
00:26:25,319 --> 00:26:29,156
But by and large, you just use
what you have in your kitchen.

663
00:26:29,223 --> 00:26:30,657
And it's a relatively--

664
00:26:30,724 --> 00:26:32,492
oh, before I get
into the actual process,

665
00:26:32,559 --> 00:26:35,629
I'll talk about two numbers
to know.

666
00:26:35,696 --> 00:26:37,497
First is the brine.

667
00:26:38,131 --> 00:26:39,399
The number
you're shooting for

668
00:26:39,466 --> 00:26:41,301
for your concentration
of salt in your brine

669
00:26:41,368 --> 00:26:42,769
is about 2% to 5%.

670
00:26:42,836 --> 00:26:44,905
And usually,
we go for about 3%.

671
00:26:44,972 --> 00:26:46,773
So, if you're--

672
00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:47,975
And we do things by weight

673
00:26:48,041 --> 00:26:49,943
because salts
will weigh differently.

674
00:26:50,010 --> 00:26:51,345
So, if you use about 30 grams--

675
00:26:51,411 --> 00:26:54,681
it says 28 grams
of salt per quart of water--

676
00:26:54,748 --> 00:26:56,483
that will get you
in the range of brine

677
00:26:56,550 --> 00:26:59,786
that you need
for this particular project.

678
00:26:59,853 --> 00:27:00,988
The other thing you wanna

679
00:27:01,054 --> 00:27:02,322
keep in mind
numberwise is pH,

680
00:27:02,389 --> 00:27:06,527
and you're looking
to get your pH below q 4.6.

681
00:27:07,494 --> 00:27:09,396
And so, to do your ferment,

682
00:27:09,463 --> 00:27:11,398
the-- It's really
relatively straightforward.

683
00:27:11,465 --> 00:27:13,233
You just take your peppers
and chop 'em up.

684
00:27:13,300 --> 00:27:17,638
And I like to make them
a coarse to a medium dice.

685
00:27:18,772 --> 00:27:20,474
You can run 'em
through your food processor,

686
00:27:20,541 --> 00:27:23,710
but I find
that you get a lot of pulp

687
00:27:23,777 --> 00:27:26,713
and it's a little too fine, and
you end up with a lot of solids

688
00:27:26,780 --> 00:27:29,917
that could potentially float
to the top of your ferment.

689
00:27:29,983 --> 00:27:32,119
And if you start
to get solids at the top,

690
00:27:32,186 --> 00:27:34,421
there's a potential
to start mold to grow.

691
00:27:34,488 --> 00:27:35,589
And that's fine.

692
00:27:35,656 --> 00:27:37,791
You can just scoop it off
and throw the mold away.

693
00:27:37,858 --> 00:27:38,992
But if you're new
to fermenting,

694
00:27:39,059 --> 00:27:40,661
that might freak you out
a little bit,

695
00:27:40,727 --> 00:27:43,597
so it's best just
to probably avoid that.

696
00:27:43,664 --> 00:27:46,600
And one of the ways to do it
is to really minimize the solids

697
00:27:46,667 --> 00:27:48,602
that are floating on top
of your brine.

698
00:27:48,669 --> 00:27:51,438
So, I usually just dice up
my peppers.

699
00:27:51,505 --> 00:27:55,042
And you only really are dicing
up, you know, maybe 20 peppers,

700
00:27:55,108 --> 00:27:57,244
so it's really not a lot
of work.

701
00:27:57,311 --> 00:28:00,314
And then you slowly start
adding them to your jar.

702
00:28:00,380 --> 00:28:02,549
And if you're uncertain about

703
00:28:02,616 --> 00:28:05,485
how much hot pepper
to put in your hot sauce

704
00:28:05,552 --> 00:28:07,588
because maybe you're
freestyling,

705
00:28:07,654 --> 00:28:09,423
you're making
your own recipe up,

706
00:28:09,489 --> 00:28:11,325
you can use,
rather than a half-gallon jar,

707
00:28:11,391 --> 00:28:12,926
you could use two quart jars,

708
00:28:12,993 --> 00:28:14,528
and then dice up all
your hot peppers

709
00:28:14,595 --> 00:28:16,196
and put 'em in one container.

710
00:28:16,263 --> 00:28:18,398
And then, maybe put
a third to a quarter of them

711
00:28:18,465 --> 00:28:20,701
in one jar
and the rest into the other jar.

712
00:28:20,767 --> 00:28:22,302
And when you get to the end,

713
00:28:22,369 --> 00:28:27,040
you'll have two different bowls
of blended ferment,

714
00:28:27,107 --> 00:28:28,442
and you can taste them.

715
00:28:28,509 --> 00:28:30,744
And if the one is, like,
unbelievably hot,

716
00:28:30,811 --> 00:28:32,946
you can then add some
of your mild in

717
00:28:33,013 --> 00:28:36,149
and help to mild it up
a little bit.

718
00:28:36,550 --> 00:28:38,185
And if you find
that they're both edible,

719
00:28:38,252 --> 00:28:39,887
then you just mix them
both together.

720
00:28:39,953 --> 00:28:41,955
But it's a way
to keep things separate

721
00:28:42,022 --> 00:28:45,626
in case you're quite not sure
how it's gonna come out.

722
00:28:45,692 --> 00:28:48,896
But you just pack
your peppers into the jars,

723
00:28:48,962 --> 00:28:52,165
and you wanna stay about two
inches from the top of the jar.

724
00:28:52,232 --> 00:28:54,234
This is a mistake
I make all the time.

725
00:28:54,301 --> 00:28:56,236
I always put too much in my jar.

726
00:28:56,303 --> 00:28:58,805
The problem is that,
once it starts fermenting,

727
00:28:58,872 --> 00:29:01,308
it starts generating
these gases,

728
00:29:01,375 --> 00:29:02,476
and there's a potential

729
00:29:02,543 --> 00:29:05,112
that it could come out
your airlock.

730
00:29:05,179 --> 00:29:06,813
And I have this happen
all the time.

731
00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:09,516
So, don't do what I do,
do what I say,

732
00:29:09,583 --> 00:29:11,919
and that is to keep
your ferments, you know,

733
00:29:11,985 --> 00:29:13,187
probably two inches--

734
00:29:13,253 --> 00:29:15,722
or your solids two inches
below the top of your jar.

735
00:29:15,789 --> 00:29:18,792
Then you'll fill it up to--
with your brine--

736
00:29:18,859 --> 00:29:21,428
to about an inch below
the top of the jar.

737
00:29:21,495 --> 00:29:23,764
And then you put
your pickle pebble on

738
00:29:23,830 --> 00:29:26,567
and get everything weighed down,
then you put your airlock on.

739
00:29:26,633 --> 00:29:28,569
And then, I put it
on a small plate

740
00:29:28,635 --> 00:29:31,805
because, again,
I usually over-bubble mine

741
00:29:31,872 --> 00:29:33,807
and it doesn't make a mess
on the counter then

742
00:29:33,874 --> 00:29:35,309
if I put it on a plate.

743
00:29:35,375 --> 00:29:37,344
And then, you keep it
out of direct sunlight.

744
00:29:37,411 --> 00:29:38,946
And that's really all
there is to it.

745
00:29:39,012 --> 00:29:41,014
And again, the nice thing
about making hot sauce

746
00:29:41,081 --> 00:29:43,116
is you're making
very small batches.

747
00:29:43,183 --> 00:29:46,386
So, you're doing this in quart
jars, half-gallon jars.

748
00:29:46,453 --> 00:29:48,689
Very, very accessible.

749
00:29:49,022 --> 00:29:51,925
Much easier than making jelly.

750
00:29:52,426 --> 00:29:55,596
And so, the next question is,
you know, when's it done?

751
00:29:55,662 --> 00:29:57,998
And so, you can determine
when it's done in two ways.

752
00:29:58,065 --> 00:29:59,600
You can simply follow a recipe,

753
00:29:59,666 --> 00:30:02,736
and usually it'll tell you
it's like one to three weeks.

754
00:30:02,803 --> 00:30:05,172
Peppers don't take
a lot of time to ferment.

755
00:30:05,239 --> 00:30:07,641
Or you can take the pH
and check that.

756
00:30:07,708 --> 00:30:09,643
And that's really
the best method

757
00:30:09,710 --> 00:30:10,978
because then you know

758
00:30:11,044 --> 00:30:13,981
that you're
below the target pH of 4.6.

759
00:30:14,047 --> 00:30:15,249
Just as a tip,

760
00:30:15,315 --> 00:30:17,251
you don't wanna dip
the pH paper into your ferment.

761
00:30:17,317 --> 00:30:19,453
You wanna take some brine out
and dip it into there.

762
00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:21,922
You don't wanna cross
contaminate your ferment

763
00:30:21,989 --> 00:30:23,957
with whatever's
on that pH paper.

764
00:30:24,024 --> 00:30:25,559
So, dip a little bit of brine
out

765
00:30:25,626 --> 00:30:28,529
and dip your pH paper into that.

766
00:30:29,363 --> 00:30:31,164
But usually, in a--

767
00:30:31,532 --> 00:30:34,535
You're probably doing this
in late summer, early fall.

768
00:30:34,601 --> 00:30:38,272
Our houses are probably in
the upper 70s, maybe low 70s.

769
00:30:38,338 --> 00:30:40,007
That's perfect for fermentation,

770
00:30:40,073 --> 00:30:44,278
and your ferments will be done
in just a couple weeks.

771
00:30:44,344 --> 00:30:47,714
And then, it's a matter
of then making your sauce.

772
00:30:47,781 --> 00:30:51,718
And I take--
What I'll do is I take my jar,

773
00:30:51,785 --> 00:30:56,023
take the pickle pebble out,
and pour the brine off

774
00:30:56,089 --> 00:30:58,225
into a measuring cup--
most of the brine.

775
00:30:58,292 --> 00:31:00,093
And then, I'll pour the rest
of the solids

776
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:02,829
and whatever brine is left
into a blender.

777
00:31:02,896 --> 00:31:05,032
And if I feel
like I need to add more liquid,

778
00:31:05,098 --> 00:31:06,633
then I'll use a little bit
of brine.

779
00:31:06,700 --> 00:31:08,402
Most of the flavor's
in the actual peppers

780
00:31:08,468 --> 00:31:10,003
rather than the brine.

781
00:31:10,070 --> 00:31:12,072
And so, I'll then blend it up.

782
00:31:12,139 --> 00:31:14,274
If I feel like I need
a little bit more liquid,

783
00:31:14,341 --> 00:31:15,876
then I'll add a little bit more.

784
00:31:15,943 --> 00:31:18,345
And then, at this point,

785
00:31:18,412 --> 00:31:21,281
you could use it as basically
like a chutney at this point.

786
00:31:21,348 --> 00:31:22,683
So, if that's what
you're shooting for,

787
00:31:22,749 --> 00:31:24,651
you could stop here
and bottle it,

788
00:31:24,718 --> 00:31:27,521
and you'll end up
with a lot more than four jars.

789
00:31:27,588 --> 00:31:29,923
But because I like
to use the little sauce jars

790
00:31:29,990 --> 00:31:33,093
that looks like
I actually made hot sauce,

791
00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:34,394
I like to strain it off.

792
00:31:34,461 --> 00:31:36,597
And so, I just pass it
through a fine mesh strainer,

793
00:31:36,663 --> 00:31:40,000
press out the solids,
and then I've got liquid.

794
00:31:40,067 --> 00:31:42,870
That's then time
to take to the next step,

795
00:31:42,936 --> 00:31:44,838
which is putting up.

796
00:31:46,173 --> 00:31:48,542
And you really have
three options for this

797
00:31:48,609 --> 00:31:50,978
with fermented pepper sauce.

798
00:31:51,044 --> 00:31:52,980
The first is you
could simply put it into jars

799
00:31:53,046 --> 00:31:54,715
and throw it
in your refrigerator.

800
00:31:54,781 --> 00:31:57,284
And for all those people
who are fermenters,

801
00:31:57,351 --> 00:32:00,020
probably this is
what you do.

802
00:32:00,420 --> 00:32:04,057
Ferments supposedly have
a lot of beneficial qualities

803
00:32:04,124 --> 00:32:07,461
because they have beneficial
microorganisms, probiotics,

804
00:32:07,528 --> 00:32:08,862
and so there's a lot of people

805
00:32:08,929 --> 00:32:13,800
that like to eat fermented foods
that are actively fermenting,

806
00:32:13,867 --> 00:32:17,704
but the refrigeration part
inhibits that process,

807
00:32:17,771 --> 00:32:21,375
so you can store it
for longer periods of time

808
00:32:21,441 --> 00:32:22,543
in your refrigerator.

809
00:32:22,609 --> 00:32:25,479
It'll slowly get, develop
more and more taste.

810
00:32:25,546 --> 00:32:28,415
The problem we have is that,
as I mentioned before,

811
00:32:28,482 --> 00:32:30,017
my wife likes to ferment a lot.

812
00:32:30,083 --> 00:32:32,486
We have a refrigerator
full of jars,

813
00:32:32,553 --> 00:32:36,023
and so we really don't have room
for yet more jars of things.

814
00:32:36,089 --> 00:32:37,991
And so, I like
to make it shelf-stable,

815
00:32:38,058 --> 00:32:40,527
which will probably freak out
people that like to ferment.

816
00:32:40,594 --> 00:32:42,863
But again,
this is your pepper journey,

817
00:32:42,930 --> 00:32:44,998
so do whatever you're
comfortable with.

818
00:32:45,065 --> 00:32:47,534
And so, if you want to
make it shelf-stable,

819
00:32:47,601 --> 00:32:49,036
you can then water bath can it.

820
00:32:49,102 --> 00:32:51,071
So, you've dropped the pH down.

821
00:32:51,138 --> 00:32:53,841
So, basically you've done the
equivalent of adding vinegar.

822
00:32:53,907 --> 00:32:56,543
And so, you can go ahead
and use two-part lids

823
00:32:56,610 --> 00:32:58,078
and you can water bath can it,

824
00:32:58,145 --> 00:33:01,181
or you can can it
in an atmospheric steam canner.

825
00:33:01,248 --> 00:33:03,650
And leave about a quarter-inch
of headspace.

826
00:33:03,717 --> 00:33:06,019
I think you can process it
for, like, 30 minutes.

827
00:33:06,086 --> 00:33:07,754
And you're set.

828
00:33:09,690 --> 00:33:11,058
The third option,

829
00:33:11,124 --> 00:33:13,460
because if you're doing
something like this--

830
00:33:13,527 --> 00:33:16,897
this is a red one I made--
It doesn't have two-part lids,

831
00:33:16,964 --> 00:33:20,501
and so you've got to go a
different route for bottling it.

832
00:33:20,567 --> 00:33:23,737
And so, what we do
is pasteurization.

833
00:33:23,804 --> 00:33:26,206
And so, that's also
another common practice

834
00:33:26,273 --> 00:33:27,374
with water bath canning.

835
00:33:27,441 --> 00:33:31,945
This is a picture
from the USDA guide for pickles.

836
00:33:32,012 --> 00:33:33,981
Some people will pasteurize
their pickles

837
00:33:34,047 --> 00:33:37,117
because it will help them
be a little crispier.

838
00:33:37,184 --> 00:33:39,052
Rather than boiling them
in boiling water,

839
00:33:39,119 --> 00:33:41,054
you have a reduced temperature.

840
00:33:41,121 --> 00:33:43,457
And so, it's also
a similar process.

841
00:33:43,524 --> 00:33:46,226
Has anyone made
maple syrup in here before?

842
00:33:46,293 --> 00:33:48,328
Okay, so it's very similar
to maple syrup,

843
00:33:48,395 --> 00:33:50,964
where you heat the syrup
and you put it in hot jars

844
00:33:51,031 --> 00:33:52,833
and then you lay it on its side.

845
00:33:52,900 --> 00:33:54,034
It's the same exact process.

846
00:33:54,101 --> 00:33:57,337
So, you take
your liquid hot sauce,

847
00:33:57,771 --> 00:33:58,906
you put it in a pot,

848
00:33:58,972 --> 00:34:02,009
and you bring it up
to about 190 for 30 minutes.

849
00:34:02,075 --> 00:34:06,313
And at the same time, you
heat up your jars and your lids.

850
00:34:06,380 --> 00:34:08,882
And we do a lot of--
Rather than water bath canning,

851
00:34:08,949 --> 00:34:11,385
we've switched
to atmospheric steam canning.

852
00:34:11,451 --> 00:34:13,420
And so, we have this setup

853
00:34:13,487 --> 00:34:15,489
and we just put
our jars and lids in there.

854
00:34:15,556 --> 00:34:19,193
We throw the lid on and we
steam the jars for 30 minutes.

855
00:34:19,259 --> 00:34:22,696
And when the jars are hot
and when the hot sauce is hot,

856
00:34:22,763 --> 00:34:25,265
we then put everything together.

857
00:34:25,332 --> 00:34:28,735
And you fill up your jars
up to the top with hot sauce

858
00:34:28,802 --> 00:34:33,173
and put the lid on, and then lay
it on its side for a little bit,

859
00:34:33,240 --> 00:34:36,210
for like a minute, and then just
put it on a wire rack.

860
00:34:36,276 --> 00:34:40,414
And as the sauce cools,
it'll condense in volume

861
00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:42,416
and you'll get a little bit
of a head space

862
00:34:42,482 --> 00:34:43,817
and a little bit of a vacuum.

863
00:34:43,884 --> 00:34:45,419
Exact same process
you use for maple syrup,

864
00:34:45,485 --> 00:34:47,387
if you've done that.

865
00:34:47,888 --> 00:34:50,858
And then, finally,
at the very end,

866
00:34:50,924 --> 00:34:53,493
you get to label it
and enjoy it.

867
00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:58,432
And take it from me that has
a basement full of jars,

868
00:34:58,498 --> 00:34:59,600
label your products.

869
00:34:59,666 --> 00:35:01,802
Label them with a year.

870
00:35:02,202 --> 00:35:03,303
Very important.

871
00:35:03,370 --> 00:35:04,505
You may think
that you'll remember

872
00:35:04,571 --> 00:35:05,906
that you made something
last year,

873
00:35:05,973 --> 00:35:08,742
but as time goes by
and you get more and more things

874
00:35:08,809 --> 00:35:10,611
and you don't eat
what you made previously,

875
00:35:10,677 --> 00:35:13,981
it's good to have
a date on it especially.

876
00:35:14,047 --> 00:35:16,950
And you can do--
This one is just

877
00:35:17,918 --> 00:35:20,587
a little label maker
that we use.

878
00:35:20,654 --> 00:35:23,657
We also have made
little labels.

879
00:35:24,091 --> 00:35:26,627
This is just a little watercolor
of our barn.

880
00:35:26,693 --> 00:35:28,295
These were originally--
We made these

881
00:35:28,362 --> 00:35:30,564
for putting on canned goods

882
00:35:30,631 --> 00:35:33,500
because we do a lot
of Christmas presents

883
00:35:33,567 --> 00:35:34,801
with our canning

884
00:35:34,868 --> 00:35:37,070
or we'll trade it with neighbors
and things like that.

885
00:35:37,137 --> 00:35:40,073
And so, I think we got
ours made through Evermine,

886
00:35:40,140 --> 00:35:42,442
but there's a number
of on-site places you can go

887
00:35:42,509 --> 00:35:44,645
where you can get
these labels made.

888
00:35:44,711 --> 00:35:46,980
And it gives you a space
to put, again,

889
00:35:47,047 --> 00:35:50,384
what's in the jar
and what year it is.

890
00:35:51,885 --> 00:35:55,689
And for resources
on the gardening side,

891
00:35:58,325 --> 00:36:01,094
there's a-- I think it's called
the <i>New Seed Saver Guide.</i>

892
00:36:01,161 --> 00:36:03,096
This is a picture--
I found a couple of copies

893
00:36:03,163 --> 00:36:04,698
at Half Price Books.

894
00:36:04,765 --> 00:36:06,900
We use the
<i>The Vegetable Gardener's Bible</i>

895
00:36:06,967 --> 00:36:08,235
for just general gardening.

896
00:36:08,302 --> 00:36:09,937
We've used that
for many, many years.

897
00:36:10,003 --> 00:36:12,606
You can also find
that in used bookstores.

898
00:36:12,673 --> 00:36:14,708
UW-Extension
has guidance

899
00:36:14,775 --> 00:36:17,845
on growing peppers
and tomatoes

900
00:36:17,911 --> 00:36:20,414
and eggplant
on a larger market scale.

901
00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:22,216
So, if that's
a direction you want to go,

902
00:36:22,282 --> 00:36:23,917
you could
go to UW-Extension.

903
00:36:23,984 --> 00:36:25,319
On the canning side,

904
00:36:25,385 --> 00:36:26,920
if you've done
any canning whatsoever,

905
00:36:26,987 --> 00:36:28,355
you know
that Ball makes

906
00:36:28,422 --> 00:36:30,657
a book or two
on canning.

907
00:36:31,291 --> 00:36:32,726
Oddly enough,
I've never really found

908
00:36:32,793 --> 00:36:34,761
a good
taco sauce recipe

909
00:36:34,828 --> 00:36:35,929
that doesn't
call for, like,

910
00:36:35,996 --> 00:36:37,998
using tomato paste
or something

911
00:36:38,065 --> 00:36:39,800
I have to
go to the store and buy.

912
00:36:39,867 --> 00:36:42,636
But this U.S.--
or, I'm sorry,

913
00:36:42,703 --> 00:36:44,538
the <i>Better Homes</i>
<i>and Garden</i> guide

914
00:36:44,605 --> 00:36:45,806
called <i>Can It!,</i>

915
00:36:45,873 --> 00:36:50,043
that's where the
taco sauce recipe that I found

916
00:36:50,110 --> 00:36:51,712
that I like is from.

917
00:36:51,778 --> 00:36:53,480
And it's things
right out of your garden.

918
00:36:53,547 --> 00:36:55,849
So, you don't
have to buy anything

919
00:36:55,916 --> 00:36:58,619
other than what
you're producing.

920
00:36:58,685 --> 00:37:01,388
And I've, we,
as I'll mention at the end,

921
00:37:01,455 --> 00:37:04,391
we have a blog,
and I posted the recipe there.

922
00:37:04,458 --> 00:37:06,226
And then,
on the fermentation side,

923
00:37:06,293 --> 00:37:07,394
there's a whole book

924
00:37:07,461 --> 00:37:10,297
on making
fermented sauces and chutneys

925
00:37:10,364 --> 00:37:11,965
called <i>Fiery Ferments.</i>

926
00:37:12,032 --> 00:37:14,268
And so, if you're really,
really interested in that,

927
00:37:14,334 --> 00:37:16,003
I would
recommend that book.

928
00:37:16,069 --> 00:37:17,571
One of the
nice features of it

929
00:37:17,638 --> 00:37:19,306
is that
it has a chapter

930
00:37:19,373 --> 00:37:20,707
on different types
of peppers,

931
00:37:20,774 --> 00:37:22,376
and it'll give
a profile

932
00:37:22,442 --> 00:37:24,711
on their degree
of hotness and their flavor.

933
00:37:24,778 --> 00:37:26,747
So, if you're looking
for something that's fruity

934
00:37:26,813 --> 00:37:30,551
or a specific flavor,
that's a great resource.

935
00:37:30,617 --> 00:37:32,586
Sandor Katz
has a ton of books

936
00:37:32,653 --> 00:37:34,188
out there
on fermentation.

937
00:37:34,254 --> 00:37:36,256
This one we bought
probably 15 years ago

938
00:37:36,323 --> 00:37:37,858
at Fermentation Fest,

939
00:37:37,925 --> 00:37:40,460
but I know he's got a number
of 'em out there right now.

940
00:37:40,527 --> 00:37:42,362
And then,
oddly enough,

941
00:37:42,429 --> 00:37:44,598
as I was wrapping
this presentation up,

942
00:37:44,665 --> 00:37:45,966
at the end of last year,

943
00:37:46,033 --> 00:37:48,635
<i>Hobby Farm</i> magazine,
their last issue of the year,

944
00:37:48,702 --> 00:37:51,839
published an article
on making pepper sauce.

945
00:37:51,905 --> 00:37:53,974
And so,
if you have a library pass

946
00:37:54,041 --> 00:37:56,577
and you have Libby
on your tablet,

947
00:37:56,643 --> 00:37:59,379
then you could go
and find the back issue of this

948
00:37:59,446 --> 00:38:01,715
and look at that article.

949
00:38:01,782 --> 00:38:04,952
It doesn't really talk much
about the canning part of it,

950
00:38:05,018 --> 00:38:06,453
but it gives a good overview.

951
00:38:06,520 --> 00:38:09,623
And again,
if you have a Libby account,

952
00:38:09,690 --> 00:38:11,358
you can find that.

953
00:38:12,226 --> 00:38:14,294
And so, that's really it.

954
00:38:14,361 --> 00:38:16,630
As I mentioned,
we have a website.

955
00:38:16,697 --> 00:38:19,066
We don't sell anything,
we don't have ads.

956
00:38:19,132 --> 00:38:20,834
This is really a blog
that we post

957
00:38:20,901 --> 00:38:22,436
so our family knows
what we're up to

958
00:38:22,503 --> 00:38:23,604
and that we're still alive,

959
00:38:23,670 --> 00:38:25,606
'cause they think
it's a little odd what we do.

960
00:38:25,672 --> 00:38:28,842
So, we post things on,
like, rehabbing our house

961
00:38:28,909 --> 00:38:30,444
and our chickens.

962
00:38:30,511 --> 00:38:33,013
This is my wife
with our assistants.

963
00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:35,215
So, we'll have articles
about that.

964
00:38:35,282 --> 00:38:38,418
And it's blackhammeracres.com.

965
00:38:39,853 --> 00:38:42,656
I know that sounds
really ominous,

966
00:38:42,723 --> 00:38:44,591
but it's based on
a USDA soil type

967
00:38:44,658 --> 00:38:45,826
that's on our property.

968
00:38:45,893 --> 00:38:46,994
So, it's not based on

969
00:38:47,060 --> 00:38:48,395
a <i>Magic: The Gathering</i>
sort of thing.

970
00:38:48,462 --> 00:38:49,563
[audience laughs]

971
00:38:49,630 --> 00:38:53,400
So, a pretty boring origin
to the name.

972
00:38:53,467 --> 00:38:54,568
But that's really it.

973
00:38:54,635 --> 00:38:56,670
So, again, thank you all
for coming out today

974
00:38:56,737 --> 00:38:59,039
and I'll open it up
for questions.

975
00:38:59,106 --> 00:39:02,609
- Attendee 1: What's the
shelf life of the hot sauces?

976
00:39:02,676 --> 00:39:05,479
- So, if you're doing like this

977
00:39:06,980 --> 00:39:09,216
where you're pasteurizing it
or water bath canning it,

978
00:39:09,283 --> 00:39:11,552
it's probably about a year.

979
00:39:11,618 --> 00:39:13,554
I think we've eaten things
that are three years old

980
00:39:13,620 --> 00:39:14,721
and we've never died.

981
00:39:14,788 --> 00:39:17,057
[audience laughs]
So, that's the whole, like,

982
00:39:17,124 --> 00:39:18,325
"do your homework"
sort of thing.

983
00:39:18,392 --> 00:39:21,895
So, anything
probably past a year,

984
00:39:21,962 --> 00:39:24,164
you wanna
just be careful about.

985
00:39:24,231 --> 00:39:25,365
It all comes down to taste,

986
00:39:25,432 --> 00:39:27,234
and that's something
I should have pointed out,

987
00:39:27,301 --> 00:39:30,337
is that regardless
of what you're making,

988
00:39:30,404 --> 00:39:31,505
taste it.

989
00:39:31,572 --> 00:39:33,473
And if it tastes off,

990
00:39:33,774 --> 00:39:36,577
if you pull
something off the shelf

991
00:39:36,643 --> 00:39:39,146
and the lid
has popped off the jar

992
00:39:39,213 --> 00:39:42,816
or it's not, like,
sealed anymore, throw it out.

993
00:39:42,883 --> 00:39:44,985
You're better off
throwing it out.

994
00:39:45,052 --> 00:39:48,355
If it's got an off taste
or an off flavor, throw it out.

995
00:39:48,422 --> 00:39:49,523
But by and large,

996
00:39:49,590 --> 00:39:51,391
if everything's sealed,
it'll last a long time.

997
00:39:51,458 --> 00:39:52,993
Yes, ma'am.

998
00:39:53,060 --> 00:39:55,696
- Attendee 2: Do you leave
the seeds in or seeds out?

999
00:39:55,762 --> 00:39:57,431
- Ed: Oh...

1000
00:39:58,232 --> 00:39:59,833
We-- I will shake them out,

1001
00:39:59,900 --> 00:40:02,369
but I'm not gonna, I don't,
I'm not super diligent

1002
00:40:02,436 --> 00:40:03,537
about getting everything out.

1003
00:40:03,604 --> 00:40:06,440
So, you could--
I will take the stems off.

1004
00:40:06,507 --> 00:40:09,743
And I will maybe take some
of the...

1005
00:40:11,445 --> 00:40:14,214
I'm trying-- the ribs out, and
that'll take some of the seeds,

1006
00:40:14,281 --> 00:40:16,783
but I don't really worry
about getting all the seeds out.

1007
00:40:16,850 --> 00:40:20,220
So, you can ferment it
with the seeds in, so.

1008
00:40:20,287 --> 00:40:21,588
Yes.

1009
00:40:21,655 --> 00:40:23,790
- Attendee 3: What are you
staking the pepper plants for?

1010
00:40:23,857 --> 00:40:26,026
Why the stakes?
- Ed: Oh, why am I staking it?

1011
00:40:26,093 --> 00:40:27,628
I'm sorry, I'm supposed
to repeat the question.

1012
00:40:27,694 --> 00:40:29,229
So, why am I staking
the pepper plants?

1013
00:40:29,296 --> 00:40:32,399
So, as you saw from the
picture, they'll get pretty big.

1014
00:40:32,466 --> 00:40:35,435
And if you're growing peppers
that have any sort of size

1015
00:40:35,502 --> 00:40:37,371
to them, the stems will split.

1016
00:40:37,437 --> 00:40:40,007
And so, if you stake them
and tie them off,

1017
00:40:40,073 --> 00:40:42,643
it's to help mitigate that.

1018
00:40:43,076 --> 00:40:44,244
Yes.

1019
00:40:44,311 --> 00:40:46,046
- Attendee 4: Do you think
a jalapeño-based sauce

1020
00:40:46,113 --> 00:40:48,448
would be about as spicy
as a jalapeño?

1021
00:40:48,515 --> 00:40:51,018
- So, the question is,
does your sauce get less

1022
00:40:51,084 --> 00:40:52,719
or more spicy as it ferments?

1023
00:40:52,786 --> 00:40:54,721
And it'll keep about
the same flavor.

1024
00:40:54,788 --> 00:40:56,690
So, what you throw in

1025
00:40:56,957 --> 00:40:58,592
is basically what
you're gonna get out.

1026
00:40:58,659 --> 00:41:02,062
So, it's not gonna get
spicier over time, so.

1027
00:41:02,129 --> 00:41:03,363
Yes.

1028
00:41:03,430 --> 00:41:05,566
- Attendee 5: Have you ever put
fruit in hot sauces?

1029
00:41:05,632 --> 00:41:07,167
- So, the question is,
have I ever,

1030
00:41:07,234 --> 00:41:08,902
have I ever blended fruit
with hot sauces?

1031
00:41:08,969 --> 00:41:10,771
And you can do that,
but you have to--

1032
00:41:10,838 --> 00:41:13,373
We've never really done that,
but what I've read,

1033
00:41:13,440 --> 00:41:15,242
and this is from that
<i>Fiery Ferment</i> book,

1034
00:41:15,309 --> 00:41:18,779
is that
fruits ferment differently.

1035
00:41:20,681 --> 00:41:23,383
And so, they will generate
different flavors.

1036
00:41:23,450 --> 00:41:26,520
And so, I think you have to be
a little careful about fruit.

1037
00:41:26,587 --> 00:41:29,056
And that applies
to, like, tomatoes as well.

1038
00:41:29,122 --> 00:41:32,292
So, you can--
I've, we've never done it,

1039
00:41:32,359 --> 00:41:34,895
but you can try,
but I will give you that caveat

1040
00:41:34,962 --> 00:41:37,497
that fruit will ferment
a little differently

1041
00:41:37,564 --> 00:41:39,700
because of the sugar content.

1042
00:41:39,766 --> 00:41:40,868
Yes.

1043
00:41:40,934 --> 00:41:43,804
- Attendee 6:
[speaks indistinctly]

1044
00:41:43,871 --> 00:41:45,005
- Ed: So, the question was,

1045
00:41:45,072 --> 00:41:46,840
when do we pinch
our pepper plants,

1046
00:41:46,907 --> 00:41:49,910
and do we remove
the first fruit?

1047
00:41:51,845 --> 00:41:52,946
That's a really good question.

1048
00:41:53,013 --> 00:41:54,548
And I've read a lot
of different things

1049
00:41:54,615 --> 00:41:58,285
about people will prune
their plants

1050
00:41:58,352 --> 00:42:01,522
to reduce the foliage,
to encourage fruit growth.

1051
00:42:01,588 --> 00:42:03,123
And I've tried that,

1052
00:42:03,190 --> 00:42:05,626
but I've kind of done it
in a lazy sort of way,

1053
00:42:05,692 --> 00:42:08,061
so I don't really have
any research on that.

1054
00:42:08,128 --> 00:42:10,631
We usually
just let things grow.

1055
00:42:10,697 --> 00:42:14,835
But I usually will try
to prune some leaves out.

1056
00:42:14,902 --> 00:42:17,171
One of the reasons why,
as you saw in the picture,

1057
00:42:17,237 --> 00:42:20,040
we rotate our pepper plants
from year to year,

1058
00:42:20,107 --> 00:42:21,241
where they're at in our garden.

1059
00:42:21,308 --> 00:42:23,443
And so, when we grow them
in blocks like that,

1060
00:42:23,510 --> 00:42:25,112
I feel like
if they get really bushy,

1061
00:42:25,179 --> 00:42:28,215
then pollinators have
a hard time finding the flowers.

1062
00:42:28,282 --> 00:42:29,716
And so,
that's one of the reasons

1063
00:42:29,783 --> 00:42:32,786
why my theory
is about pruning it

1064
00:42:33,187 --> 00:42:37,024
is just to basically provide
more access to the flowers.

1065
00:42:37,090 --> 00:42:41,862
- Attendee 7: Do you ever
overwinter peppers, or?

1066
00:42:41,929 --> 00:42:43,964
- So, the question is,
do I ever overwinter peppers?

1067
00:42:44,031 --> 00:42:45,132
And we don't.

1068
00:42:45,199 --> 00:42:47,634
We, I don't--
I think you can.

1069
00:42:47,701 --> 00:42:49,203
They are--
I think they'll be perennials

1070
00:42:49,269 --> 00:42:50,737
in other parts of the world,

1071
00:42:50,804 --> 00:42:53,340
but we don't have
greenhouse space,

1072
00:42:53,407 --> 00:42:55,742
and we don't really have
a lot of space in our house.

1073
00:42:55,809 --> 00:42:57,878
So, we don't overwinter,
so.

1074
00:42:57,945 --> 00:42:59,146
Yes.

1075
00:42:59,213 --> 00:43:01,381
- Attendee 8: What are your
favorite spicy peppers?

1076
00:43:01,448 --> 00:43:03,383
- Ed: What are our
favorite pepper varieties?

1077
00:43:03,450 --> 00:43:05,118
And so, we grow--

1078
00:43:05,552 --> 00:43:07,688
we don't grow peppers
just for making hot sauce.

1079
00:43:07,754 --> 00:43:09,690
So, we grow 'em
from a lot of other things.

1080
00:43:09,756 --> 00:43:11,091
And it really depends on
the year.

1081
00:43:11,158 --> 00:43:13,093
I personally like
serrano peppers

1082
00:43:13,160 --> 00:43:14,494
because they're
really versatile.

1083
00:43:14,561 --> 00:43:15,762
They're small.

1084
00:43:15,829 --> 00:43:17,764
We make a lot of stir fries
in the summer

1085
00:43:17,831 --> 00:43:19,166
because we have a lot
of vegetables.

1086
00:43:19,233 --> 00:43:20,701
And so, I really like serranos,

1087
00:43:20,767 --> 00:43:21,969
and they have
really good flavor.

1088
00:43:22,035 --> 00:43:24,972
They're about the same spiciness
as a jalapeño.

1089
00:43:25,038 --> 00:43:26,840
We grow habaneros.

1090
00:43:27,908 --> 00:43:30,978
We've grown cayenne peppers,
but that's really about it.

1091
00:43:31,044 --> 00:43:34,014
So, we've never grown ghost
or Scotch bonnets

1092
00:43:34,081 --> 00:43:35,349
or anything like that.

1093
00:43:35,415 --> 00:43:38,585
But those are-- the habaneros,
the serranos, jalapeños

1094
00:43:38,652 --> 00:43:41,788
are the ones that we typically
use for getting that capsaicin

1095
00:43:41,855 --> 00:43:44,424
that we're looking for, so.

1096
00:43:44,892 --> 00:43:48,262
- Attendee 9: Do you gradually
take them off of there?

1097
00:43:48,328 --> 00:43:49,863
- Ed: So, the question is,
do I--

1098
00:43:49,930 --> 00:43:52,065
do we just take the dome off
and leave it off?

1099
00:43:52,132 --> 00:43:53,233
And the answer is yes.

1100
00:43:53,300 --> 00:43:55,035
And so, that brings up
a good point, though,

1101
00:43:55,102 --> 00:43:59,273
because I find
with the seed-starting mix,

1102
00:43:59,339 --> 00:44:03,277
it can be hard to break
that capillary action

1103
00:44:03,343 --> 00:44:06,046
or get that capillary action
to get your soil moist.

1104
00:44:06,113 --> 00:44:10,651
And so, otherwise, if you ever
tried to water,

1105
00:44:10,717 --> 00:44:13,020
bulk water seed-starting mix,

1106
00:44:13,086 --> 00:44:16,223
it will bead on the top
until it gets moist.

1107
00:44:16,290 --> 00:44:18,058
And so,
but we find that once

1108
00:44:18,125 --> 00:44:20,027
we get that soil medium moist,

1109
00:44:20,093 --> 00:44:22,262
and we usually do it
through misting to start with.

1110
00:44:22,329 --> 00:44:24,698
And then, once
that capillary action goes,

1111
00:44:24,765 --> 00:44:27,467
there's enough of that
to draw moisture in.

1112
00:44:27,534 --> 00:44:29,403
And so, we just leave
the dome off.

1113
00:44:29,469 --> 00:44:32,005
And we find that if as long
as we keep about,

1114
00:44:32,072 --> 00:44:34,675
you know, a quarter of the
watering tray with water in it,

1115
00:44:34,741 --> 00:44:36,343
that's sufficient.

1116
00:44:36,410 --> 00:44:38,545
But you do wanna keep an eye
on it, especially initially,

1117
00:44:38,612 --> 00:44:42,749
because when we first
get our seeds going,

1118
00:44:42,816 --> 00:44:44,718
we'll fill that tray up halfway
with water.

1119
00:44:44,785 --> 00:44:46,587
And within a day,
that water is gone.

1120
00:44:46,653 --> 00:44:48,589
And so, you really wanna keep
on top of it

1121
00:44:48,655 --> 00:44:50,090
the first week or two

1122
00:44:50,157 --> 00:44:51,491
to make sure
everything's good and saturated

1123
00:44:51,558 --> 00:44:56,763
and you've got, like, this
steady state of moisture, so.

1124
00:44:56,830 --> 00:44:58,832
Any other questions?

1125
00:44:59,166 --> 00:45:00,767
Great,
well, thank you very much.

1126
00:45:00,834 --> 00:45:02,836
[audience applauds]