Am I the only one who fermented hot sauce for 3 years before realizing I needed to weigh down the peppers?

I've been making fermented hot sauce since 2020 and always ended up with mold on top. Last week I was scrubbing out my jar and it hit me like a brick - I never used a glass weight or anything to keep the peppers below the brine. I felt so dumb but now my latest batch of habanero sauce is mold-free and actually tastes clean. Has anyone else missed something that basic for way too long?

2 comments

2 Comments

marywells13d ago

Wait, are you saying I've been doing it wrong for three years too? I just figured mold was part of the process and scraped it off every time.

amyr5712d ago

My kombucha turned out so sour I used it as salad dressing.