Garlic Scape Fermented Hot Sauce Recipe

1. **Prep Your Ingredients:**

–  Chop the garlic scapes to fit neatly in a large mason jar.

–  Half or quarter the jalapeno peppers.

–  Pack the peppers and scapes tightly in the jar along with the cilantro, scallions (chopped as needed), and peppercorns.

2. **Prepare the Brine:**

–  To safely ferment your vegetables, prepare a brine that is 2% salt by weight.

–  Add 2 cups of water to a saucepan and gently heat it.

–  Stir in 2 tsp salt until fully dissolved.

–  Pour the brine over your vegetables in the mason jar, ensuring it covers the tops of the vegetables with no air pockets.

–  Use a fermentation weight to ensure the garlic scapes and peppers are fully submerged.

3. **Ferment the Vegetables:**

–  Place the jar on a plate (it may leak a little) and cover loosely with a lid or airlock system.

–  Let the jar sit at room temperature for about a week.

–  Check daily to ensure all vegetables remain submerged under the brine and start tasting after about 5 days.

–  Once the garlic scapes have a flavor you enjoy, you’re done fermenting.

4. **Blend and Strain:**

–  Drain the vegetables, reserving the brine.

–  Add all the vegetables, apple cider vinegar, and about 2/3 cup of the brine to a blender and blend until smooth.

–  Use more brine as needed.

–  Use a cheesecloth or nut milk bag to strain the sauce, squeezing out as much liquid as possible and discarding the solids.

5. **Finish the Sauce:**

–  Place your sauce on the stove, bring to a simmer, and reduce until you have about 2 cups. This will stop the fermentation process.

–  Let the mixture cool down, then use a blender to mix in the xanthan gum. Add slightly more xanthan gum if you want a thicker sauce.

–  Transfer to a container and store in the fridge.