With the extremely acidic content of Jalopeno's, you might want to consider a 'kick starter' for the lactobacilli ... like straining a cupful of whey out of some active culture supermarket yogurt via cheesecloth, and adding the whey to your brine. Don't add the whey until after your boiled water and salt brine has cooled down to room temperature, though, or it will defeat the purpose.

Fully fermented vegetables will keep, tightly covered, in the fridge for several months. The issue most have is determining when they are fully fermented as partially fermented foods will not store nearly so long.

In some cases 7 days may be sufficient, in other cases it may take 3-4 weeks to reach full fermentation. That is one reason why using only approved and tested recipes is recommended until one gains enough experience to know the difference.

Serval factors determine how long it takes a particular food to reach full fermentation. Room air temperature is a big one, ratio of salt to food is another, exposure to light and air another, and food particle size is also important. Approved and tested recipes take all those factors into consideration.

At temperatures between 70 and 75 F many foods will be fully fermented in about 3 to 4 weeks. Lower air temps take longer and warmer air temps often result in spoilage and poor results. Small food particles will ferment faster than chunks so sliced jalapenos would be faster than whole.

Your recipe sounds like enough salt, indeed it may be a bit too much but too much is safer then too little. Personally I don't like the results from using sea salt since it contains stabilizers and often turns cloudy. Canning salt gives much better results IMO but it also measures differently from sea salt.

Otherwise my only issue with your recipe is the 5-7 days. I seriously doubt that will be sufficient for full fermentation so I wouldn't expect them to store well in the fridge for more than 3 weeks or so before listeria would begin to grow in them.

I'd check them at 7 days but if you do them whole as the recipe says I would expect to see continued fermentation and bubbles until day 14 or so. But given all the variables only you will be able to actually determine when they are done. That's why NCHFP recommends processing them for storage rather than just fridge storage. That way you don't have to worry about whether they are fully fermented or not.

Dave

Sorry but jalapenos are a very low-acid vegetable.

Dave

Dave, would I ferment them, then process them for storage? I'm not sure where to find that on the NCHFP website.

After fermenting. NCHFP has a whole section on fermentation. The processing would be the same for any of the other fermented foods there - 10 mins. pints 15 mins quarts depending on altitude.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Fermentation

thanks Dave. I did read over the fermentation section, but the only part of the fermentation section that discussed canning after fermenting, was the low-temperature pasteurization portion, so I'm a bit confused. Is there a section in the canning part of the site that discusses canning the fermented product after fermentation?

Yes the processing chart is listed in each of the fermented recipes ie. pickles, sauerkraut, etc.

The processing time for all fermented foods is the same just as the low-temp pasteurization time for all fermented foods is the same. All you are doing is creating the vacuum and sealing the jar.

Great, thanks! I don't think there is a recipe for fermented peppers there, that is why I was confused. I would like to avoid getting mushy jalapenos, that is why I was avoiding canning after fermenting. Maybe I'll make some fermented without canning, but won't plan on keeping them more than a few weeks, and then can others with pickle crisp and skip the fermenting step. I'm surprised to see that on the fermenting section of the NCHFP website they add vinegar to the brine, I thought that inhibits fermentation. I need to learn more about fermenting before I attempt to keep things in the refrigerator for a long period of time, I guess.

They're just adding a small amount of vinegar to inhibit the growth of mold in the early stages. As lactic acid forms, the vinegar becomes no longer necessary.

Mold can be more of an issue in warm summer weather.

Carol