Condiments - FAQ

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Hot Sauce & Canning Questions

How long does it take to grow the mother?
 
 

Q. Can hot sauce recipes be stored without refrigeration?
A. We do not recommend storing homemade bottles of hot sauce without refrigeration.  Since we do not know the specific recipe or method used, we can only give instructions for hot filling the bottles and then storing them refrigerated.  For canning instructions, the best reference is the FDA site. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/lacf-toc.html.

Q. If I use the hot water bath method to can my sauces with your bottles will the caps withstand the temperature of water bath canning?
A. The bottles we sell can be processed in a hot water bath as long as the bottles have been hot-filled and the caps are on securely.  The plastic restrictors and the liners in the caps cannot be boiled separately.  It is more important that you make sure your hot sauce has a pH level of less than 4.6.  Any higher and the conditions won’t be acidic enough to prevent the growth of dangerous bacteria.  If the pH is greater than 4.6, you cannot follow basic water bath canning instructions.  You would have to pressure cook and the bottles are not intended for that.
We do not advise the use of sodium benzoate; but as long as the pH of your sauce is less than 4.6 and you follow proper water bath canning instructions for tomatoes you should be able to store your bottles at room temperature.

Q. The vinegar kit it said it would take about 3 months, we would like to know how long it actually takes to grow the mother; we thought it could be done in a matter of weeks. 
A. There is no set time for how long it will take for the mother to grow.  It depends on the temperature that you’re fermenting at (80-90 F is ideal), the type of container you’re using and how much oxygen it allows in and the wine you’re using.  You may still get complete conversion without significantly growing the mother.