Fermented Jalapeño Hot Sauce

• 2 pounds jalapeños, stems removed

• 1/2 pound garlic cloves and onions, peeled

• 1-2 bunches of cilantro (optional)

• 1 1/2 TBSP salt

Put all these ingredients in a food processor or blender, and pulse until everything is a fine paste. You can add a tiny splash of water as needed for everything to blend well. Once it’s all blended, put into jars with an inch or so of head space on top. Put a sealed bag of water on top of the hot sauce, so that air can’t interact with the hot sauce. Put the jars in a cool, out of the way place, with a plate under each. (As it ferments, juice can push up and out and make a mess that the plates will catch.) Fermentation can take 3-14 (-ish) days, depending on where you have it located. (I often have ours go about a week or so on the stairs down to our basement, so it’s a bit cooler.) I taste it every few days to decide when to stop the fermentation. It should have a lovely tang, and it tastes less salty the farther along that it ferments. (If any type of funky mold grows on the top, you just scrape that layer off and the rest is fine.) When you want to stop the fermentation, remove the bag of water, put a lid on the jar, and keep it in the fridge. (We make large batches of hot sauce this time of year to last us the entire year. It stays fine in the fridge for a very long time.) You can optionally mix in some maple syrup to your finished fermented project if you want a sweet hot sauce. (Do not add the maple syrup before fermentation, only when it’s ready for the fridge.) Enjoy!