Unpopular opinion: people keep fermenting peppers with the stems on

I see it all the time in photos, but leaving the stems on your hot peppers can introduce unwanted bacteria from the garden soil. My last batch of serranos got moldy until I started clipping them off first. Anyone else run into this issue with their ferments?

2 comments

2 Comments

parker5431mo ago

Honestly, is a little bit of garden dirt really the biggest worry here? A good wash with some vinegar or even just plain water should take care of most of that. Was your mold maybe from something else, like not enough salt or an air pocket?

charlesb421mo ago

Doubt the dirt's the main problem anyway.