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.
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**FAQs:**
❓ How long should I ferment the vegetables?
🕒 About a week, but start tasting after 5 days to achieve your desired flavor.
❓ Can I use different peppers?
🌶️ Yes, you can use spicier green peppers if you prefer.
❓ How do I know if the vegetables are properly fermented?
🍲 They should have a tangy, pleasant flavor and be fully submerged in the brine.
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