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Fermented Garlic Scape Hot Sauce

5 from 1 vote
A hot sauce with the mouthwatering tang of garlic makes for the perfect topping on things like pizzas and burgers.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Fermenting Time 10 days
Course: condiments

Ingredients
  

  • 175 g Garlic Scapes
  • 175 g Jalapeno Peppers, or other hot pepper, preferably green
  • 2-3 Green Onions
  • 10 Peppercorns
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 2 cups Water
  • ½ cup Vinegar, see notes

Equipment

  • 1 Fermentation Kit / Vessel, see notes for alternatives
  • 1 Blender

Method
 

  1. Chop garlic scapes and add to fermentation vessel. De-stem jalapeno peppers and quarter or chop and add to fermentation vessel. Chop green onions and add to fermentation vessel.
  2. Add salt and water to a small pot and heat, stirring until salt dissolves. Let the saltwater brine cool, then add to the fermentation vessel.
  3. Place the weight in the vessel, ensuring all vegetables are below the water line. Close with an airlock. Place on a plate (in case it bubbles over) and put in a cool, dark, dry place to ferment.
  4. After a few days, you should start to see bubbles in the ferment. This means it's working.
  5. After 7 days, taste a scape to test for readiness. (There's no real measure of when it's ready, you go by taste and preference.) Ferment should be done in 7-10 days.
  6. Strain vegetables, reserving the brine.
  7. Add vegetables to a blender, vinegar, and ⅔ cup of the reserved brine. Blend until smooth.
  8. If you prefer smooth sauce:
    Strain though a strainer or cheesecloth, then store remaining liquid in a bottle or jar in the fridge.
    If you prefer chunky sauce:
    Transfer blender contents to a bottle or jar and store in the fridge.

Notes

If you don't have a fermentation kit, you can piece one together using a large jar as the fermentation vessel, a Ziplock bag filled with water as the weight, and a loose-fitting lid as the airlock.
For vinegar, white vinegar is usually best, but any vinegar with a complementary flavour profile would work well, such as chive blossom vinegar or sinamak.