Scott
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This past October I made some Scotch Bonnet fermented hot sauce. I used about an ounce of the clear liquid from sour dough starter, in a 16oz jar packed with peppers.

In addition you may want to consider reading this link below.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pepper/msg082144132801.html

Thomas

Scott
I don't know about kafir, but I add a little (~ 2 tbs per qrt.)plain yogurt whey. It acts just like yeast, added to grape juice to brew wine. It is basically a lactic acid culture (Bacteria).

I make a brine by adding 2 Tb spoon sea salt to one qrt of distilled water (in that proportion) and pou over the crushed peppers, (Or anything else that I want to pickle). Avoid tap water as chlorine can kill the lactic acid making bacteria.
Make sure that nothing is sticking out of the brine, exposed to air.
My first batch of hot sauce is the tastiest I have ever made. It has no vinegar, no filler ; Just made with fresh peppers. I just made a pint of it so I keep it in the frig and use it. If you want it milder, just add sweet fresh red bell pepper to it.

Seysonn

Thanks for the reply. How long does it take for the fermentation process to start? ItâÂÂs been over 24hours now and no signs of fermentation yet. I blended up the peppers I had in my freezer and added salt to draw out more liquid. I mixed in the dried kefir and put the mix in a jar with an airlock on it. This morning in a panic, I stirred in a dollop or two of the yogurt I made with the kefir and covered the whole thing with a salt water brine.

Hi Scott

You should notice fermentation in about 3 day when you see some white goo on the top, plus some bubbles coming up.

Seysonn