makes 12 ounces of hot sauce (Keep lightly covered and refrigerated); adapted from Sylvia Fontaine of Feasting at Home
Heat the water and add the salt. Allow to cool while you prepare the chiles.
Wearing gloves, remove the stem, slice in half, and optionally remove the seeds and ribs. Add to a wide-mouth quart canning jar with the carrot, shallot, and garlic. Pour brine over the vegetables.
Rig up something to keep the vegetables submerged in the brine.
I have lots of jars around and was happy to discover that a 4-ounce mini jam jar fits in the mouth of a quart (wide-mouth). I filled the mini about halfway with water to make it a heavier which worked great.
Alternatively, use a sandwich baggie filled with water. If you have fermentation weights, now is the time to use one.
Set the quart jar in a bowl to catch any overflow. Lightly cover with the canning lid (do not screw on the ring) or piece of cheesecloth held in place with a rubber band. Allow to sit undisturbed at room temperature for 5 to 7 days, preferably somewhere dark like a corner of the pantry.
This is an active fermentation so you do not want to close the lid. Signs of fermentation—brine turns cloudy white and occasional bubbles rise to the surface. A longer fermentation time will mellow the heat of the chiles.
Be careful not to touch the brine and touch your eyes or face, it's hot and spicy! This is another good time to use gloves.
Drain the fermented vegetables, preserving the brine.
Using a blender, purée the vegetables, ½ cup brine, apple cider vinegar, and honey. Transfer to a squeeze bottle with a loose cap and keep refrigerated.
The hot sauce is alive and fermenting so you do not want to tightly cover the sauce. I used a honey bear and put the cap on ever so lightly and set that in a plastic bag with the sidecar of extra hot sauce, no lid, because Sylvia kinda scared me and I don't want a mess in my refrigerator.