A few months back Rachel and I attended the 2017 International Home + Housewares Show. This was the second year we went, and the second year that the fine folks at reCap Mason Jars have taken time to talk to us and show us their products. They followed up with us after the show and sent us one of their super fun Fermentation Starter Kits to review and another one to give away. Fermentation in a mason jar is a great way to preserve vegetables, while giving them great flavor. If our recipe below we take it to the next level and make a bright hot sauce. Details on the giveaway are at the end of the post.
As far as the kit is concerned, it is pretty straight forward.
It comes with the following:
1-24 ounce Ball Mason jar
1-Pour lid
1-reCAP Fermenter (A waterless airlock)
1-4 ounce Ball Mason jar
1-2.5 ounce packet Himalayan Pink Salt
An instructional guide including 3 recipes
The products included all look to be of solid quality. The two mason jars included are made by Ball, which makes a quality product. the pour lid seems to be made of quality plastic and forms a good seal. The pour lid can be used for other things like salad dressings and cocktails. The airlock fermenter seem to be of good quality, but check back in two weeks when we find out how the fermented hot sauce comes out (recipe below). The pink salt is a nice touch, but really any salt would have worked. I usually use Morton Canning and pickling salt. The instructions and guide could have been a bit more detailed. I did not like the fact that they put all the measurements in volumetric measurements instead of weights. This can throw you off it you use a different size grind on your salt such as kosher salt which is much larger, or pickling salt which is much finer.
A while ago we did an un-boxing video on Facebook Live, check it out here:
What is Fermentation?
A quick primer of fermentation. Fermentation is a process where something, usually a vegetable, is preserved by exposing it to specific beneficial bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms. They keep other, nasty, bugs away and create a pleasant tangy flavor. This is accomplished by submerging the vegetable in a salt water brine, which keeps the harmful bugs away while beneficial ones thrive. Other herbs and spices can be added to the brine for additional flavor. The process creates carbon dioxide, this is where the airlock comes in. The airlock allows the carbon dioxide out without letting other contaminants in, so the glass jar does not explode.
I took one of the recipes that came with the Fermentation Starter Kit and put a twist on it. Below is my version of the recipe. The sauce takes two weeks to ferment, so stay tuned to see how it comes out.
This is a recipe based on the hot sauce recipe included in the Fermentation Starter Kit by reCAP. The kit includes all of the equipment you need. The original recipe is for a red hot sauce, but I had a bunch of green peppers to use up so I went off script. I also added lime juice and scallions that are not in the original recipe to put my own spin on it.
This recipe only takes about 10 minutes to prepare, but then takes 2 weeks to ferment so plan ahead. It goes great on tacos, pizza, chicken, or anywhere you want to add a little heat.
- 1 Green Bell Pepper Sliced thin
- 2 Jalapenos Peppers Sliced into rounds
- 2 Serrano Pepper Sliced into rounds
- 2 Cloves Garlic Sliced thin
- 2 Scallions Sliced thin
- 1.5 Cups Filtered Water
- 1 tsp Salt
- Juice of One Lime
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Combine the salt, water, and lime juice to create a brine. Stir until the salt is dissolved.
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Add all the peppers, garlic, and scallions to a mason jar, then pour the brine on top, leaving a few inches of space at the top.
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Add a weight to keep the peppers below the water line. A smaller mason jar works well for this.
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Let the vegetables ferment for 14 days, then remove from the brine but don't throw out it out.
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Blend the vegetables slowly, adding the brine back in until the desired constancy is achieved. Store in the refrigerator and it should last for a very, very long time. (or maybe not, if you use it quickly!)
Now on to the giveaway. The fine people at reCap MAson Jars, will give on lucky reader of our blog a free fermentation starter kit. You can earn entries into the giveaway by using the Rafflecopter links below and completing the following tasks:
- Subscribe to the blog via the box on the top right of screen
- Visit and follow us at httpss://www.facebook.com/meatyourvegetables/
- Share this post on Twitter
- Follow @meaturveggies on Twitter. You can find us here: httpss://twitter.com/meaturveggies
- Leave a comment on this post letting us know how you you like this post and what you would like to see on the blog
The giveaway will run for 2 weeks, which is coincidentally the same amount of time it take for the hot sauce in the recipe to ferment. Tune back in then and we will do a taste test to see how the hot sauce came out, and announce the winner of the giveaway. Good luck everyone and thanks for your support.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive compensation if you make a purchase using those links. The products being reviewed and given away were provided free of charge by reCap Mason Jars.
Last Sunday Rachel, Elliott (Rachel’s husband), and I went to the 
Finally we ran in to a few food celebrities including
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