My hot sauce batch kept getting mold for a solid month

I had this one jar of habanero and mango mix that just would not behave. Every time I checked it, a little white fuzz was growing on top, even with my usual airlock setup. I tried everything, like wiping the jar rim with vinegar and using a heavier glass weight. The real fix came from a guy at the local farmers market who said my kitchen was too warm, like 78 degrees. I moved the jar to my basement, which stays around 68, and it finally fermented clean for three weeks without a single spot. It was such a simple fix but it took me four whole batches to figure it out. Anyone else have to change their whole room temp to get a ferment right?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_fiona11d ago

Totally feel that, temperature is such a sneaky factor. I keep a cheap thermometer in my fermentation corner now just to check, it's wild how a few degrees makes all the difference.

the_fiona11d ago

My grandma's old bread recipe just says "warm place" for the rise. I tried it in my kitchen last winter and it took like four hours, then I moved it near the heater and it doubled in forty minutes. It's the same with my sourdough starter, it just sleeps when it's cold. Makes you realize how much of cooking is really just controlling little pockets of heat.

cora_scott773d ago

Oh man, temperature is everything! My pickles were a total mess until I found a cooler spot. It's crazy how much we overlook it.