Apple cider vinegar

Ingredients

• Apples. Can just use the scraps (core, peel, etc.). I've seen different opinions on the seeds, so I leave them out.
• Ratio of 1 cup of filtered, boiled water to 1 tbsp sugar
• Optional: Mother from previous vinegar

Recipe

Fill sterilized jar 3/4 way with apple and scraps. Add enough sugar water to fill the bottle. Make sure the apples are submerged. Cover with cheesecloth.

Place jar in cool, dark place for 2-3 weeks, checking regularly to make sure apples are submerged. Bubbles indicate that fermentation is starting. A white foam will eventually form on top. This will become the mother in a few weeks. After 2-3 weeks, it should taste apple-y and sweet, but not yet acidic.

Strain the liquid into the original jar, cover with cheesecloth, and let sit for another 3-4 weeks, stirring every few days. Start tasting after a week. When it reaches the desired acidity, you can start using it.

If you have some mother from a previous ferment, use that in initial mixture. That will speed up the fermentation.

It's better not to use homemade vinegar for pickling unless you can assure that it has an acetic acid level of at least 5%.

History

November 2019

November 6, 2019

Noon-ish, started a jar.

November 7, 2019

No foam. Turns out Eun-Joung had some store bought raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, so decided to add two spoonfuls. In retrospect, wish I had done this with Mom's homemade persimmon vinegar instead, but all good. Curious to see how much this accelerates things, if at all.

November 8, 2019

No foam. Smells sour (a la the vinegar) — not as pleasant as it was before, but not bad.

November 9, 2019

No change.

November 10, 2019

Foaming! Wonder if this was accelerated by using the same wooden spoon I had used to mix the apple wine without washing it first. Either way, it's a good sign.

See Also

• Homemade organic raw apple cider vinegar