How to Make Fermented Banana Peppers

Whether they are hot or sweet, banana peppers have their best tastes pulled out when fermented. At least that is what I think! When I was younger and we would go to Subway, I would always ask for loads of banana peppers, so I tried pickling some when I was a teenager. Unfortunately they turned soft after pickling so they weren't the best. Ever since then I have been trying to figure out how to capture that cruchy, tangy pepper flavor with my own banana peppers. That is when I tried fermenting them!

These fermented banana peppers are a lot milder than jalapeños, and you can use sweet, hot, or a mix of the two (which is what I end up doing every time since I can't remember which I picked from what plant). They only take 5-10 days to ferment, and once fermented they can be stored in the fridge for a whole year. Fermented banana peppers are a great addition to salads, sandwhiches, pizza, and omelets. I have even cut them up and snuck them into chili without my husband noticing! (Shhhh... don't tell him! He doesn't usually like the taste of fermented foods!)

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Benefits of lacto-fermented foods

Fermented vegetables come with a host of health benefits. During the fermentation process, good bacteria break down the sugars and starches in the food, creating lactic acid. This makes the food easier to digest and very rich in probiotics, which support a healthy gut microbiome. Live, fermented foods have even been found to help repair and strengthen intestinal walls that have been damaged by poor gut health. Because of the increase of processed foods and better hygiene, our gut microbiome is not as strong as it was hundreds of years ago. By eating probiotic-rich lacto-fermented foods, you can give your gut microbiome the support it needs to thrive (source).

How to tell if your ferment is done

When your peppers are done fermenting, the brine will turn cloudy and it will have a sour smell. There should be no mold on the surface of the brine, and there should be no bad smell to the peppers. You also want to make sure that the peppers are crisp (not slimy or discolored) and that they have a sour tang to them. As long as they don’t have any mold on them, are crunchy and smell good, you should be set to enjoy them!

Making fermented banana peppers

To make fermented banana peppers, first wash your peppers and slice them to your desired thickness. You will need 3 cups of chopped peppers, and if you are cutting up hot banana peppers, please wear food-safe gloves, you'll thank me later. I like to slice mine into rings, as it is easier to keep them from floating up over the fermenting weight than if I were to dice them. While you can take the seeds out of the peppers, I always leave them in and haven’t noticed it while eating them after fermentation.

After slicing your peppers, pack them into a glass quart jar. I prefer to use wide mouth jars as they are easier to pack, but you can use small mouth as well. You want to make sure that the peppers are pressed down firmly (without crushing them) so they are less likely to float around your pickling weight. If you would like, you can add some bay leaves to your jar as well to add a little extra crunch. The peppers will still be crunchy after fermentation, but the bay leaves just add a little more.

Make a brine using 1 quart filtered (unchlorinated) water – I use my city tap water filtered through my Berkey and have had no issues – and 2.5 Tablespoons of unrefined salt. If you are heating up the water to dissolve it faster, make sure it has cooled down to room temperature before pouring into the jar. I have found that canning/pickling salt works great and dissolves fast, but you can also use any type of unrefined salt such as sea salt or Himalayan salt as long as there are no anti-caking agents, iodine, or any other additives. Stir until the salt has been dissolved in the water, then pour over your banana peppers until they are covered. If you have leftover brine, you can store it in the fridge for up to a week and use to make more fermented peppers later or to top off your jars during or after fermentation.

Once your peppers are covered with brine, gently tap the jar on the countertop to remove any air bubbles and then place a pickling weight on top of the peppers. Push down the weight so it sits at least one inch from the top of the jar rim, and make sure there is brine covering the weight. If not, top off with a little more brine. Make sure there are no floating peppers; there will likely be a lot of seeds floating and you can skim those off the top as well but it won't hurt anything if you have a couple still floating around. After everything has been covered in brine, add your fermenting lid as directed by your specific kit. There are so many options when it comes to fermenting lids, and while air locks and pickle pipes are the most popular, you can just use a regular canning lid but it will require more attention during the fermenting period.

Place your jar in a glass baking dish and store in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Check daily to make sure the brine is still covering the fermenting weight, as it tends to leak out of the top of jar during the fermenting process. If the brine level gets close to going below the weight, add some more brine from what was left over when you prepped the peppers.

If you are using a regular canning lid instead of a special fermenting lid, make sure to “burp” the jar about every 12 hours by unscrewing it and letting any carbon dioxide out that has been created by the formation of lactic acid. If you don’t burp your jars, they could pop the lid or burst the jar. After 5 days, taste-test your peppers and if they are to your liking, take out the fermenting weight, screw a clean cap on the jar, and store in the fridge for up to a year. If you would like them more tangy, replace the fermenting lid and let ferment for five more days. These go great in soups, sandwhiches, salads, and, in my opinion, belong on everything!

Fermented Banana Peppers

Prep time: 30 min Ferment time: 5-10 days Yeild: 1 Quart

Supplies:

• Glass quart canning jar

• Food-safe gloves

• Fermenting weight

• Fermenting airlock lid, pickle pipe, or regular airtight canning lid

• Glass baking dish

• Cutting board

• Knife

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sliced banana peppers

• 2 bay leaves (optional)

• 2.5 Tablespoons unrefined salt

• 1 quart filtered water (unchlorinated)

Directions:

1. Wash your peppers, put on some food-safe gloves if you are using hot banana peppers, and slice the peppers into rings of your desired thickness. You can remove the seeds if you like but it is totally unnecessary.

2. Pack the peppers into a glass quart jar. The peppers will be crunchy on their own, but if you want a little extra crunch, add 2 bay leaves to the jar. I prefer to use wide mouth jars as they are easier to pack, but you can use small mouth as well.

3. Press down the peppers (without crushing them) so they are less likely to float around your pickling weight.

4. Make a brine by dissolving the salt in the quart of water (if you are heating up the water to dissolve it faster, make sure it has cooled down to room temperature before pouring into the jar).

5. Pour the brine over your banana peppers until they are covered. If you have leftover brine, you can store it in the fridge for up to a week and use to make more fermented peppers later or to top off your jars during or after fermentation.

6. Once your peppers are covered with brine, gently tap the jar on the countertop to remove any air bubbles and then place a pickling weight on top of the peppers. Push down the weight so it sits at least one inch from the top of the jar rim, and make sure there is brine covering the weight. If not, top off with a little more brine.

7. After everything has been covered in brine, add your fermenting lid as directed by your specific kit.

8. Place your jar in a glass baking dish and store in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Check daily to make sure the brine is still covering the fermenting weight, as it tends to leak out of the top of jar during the fermenting process. If the brine level gets close to going below the weight, add some more brine from what was left over when you prepped the peppers. If you are using a regular canning lid instead of a special fermenting lid, make sure to “burp” the jar about every 12 hours by unscrewing it and letting any carbon dioxide out that has been created by the formation of lactic acid. If you don’t burp your jars, they could pop the lid or burst the jar.

9. After 5 days, taste-test your peppers and if they are to your liking, take out the fermenting weight, screw a clean cap on the jar, and store in the fridge for up to a year. If you would like them more tangy, replace the fermenting lid and let ferment for five more days.

   
   
   
   

   Notes:

   - If you are using the burping method, you will need to open the lid of your jar to let out any gas buildup every 12 hours or so while in the fermenting stage.

   - I will be writing a post on fermenting tips and troubleshooting to help answer any questions that may come up during your fermenting journey