Anyone made their own ACV?

Toddrick

Songster
5 Years
Sep 28, 2014
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Indiana
I've got some apple cuts in water with plain table sugar right now. I smell alcohol, but I thought the apples were supposed to sink after a week and they haven't after ten days. Wondering when to strain.

If I understand correctly, I can wait possibly months for mother to form after I remove the apples, or simply add a bit of ACV with mother. I don't know the details, like how much ACV I need to add.
 
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I've got some apple cuts in water with plain table sugar right now. I smell alcohol, but I thought the apples were supposed to sink after a week and they haven't after ten days. Wondering when to strain.

If I understand correctly, I can wait possibly months for mother to form after I remove the apples, or simply add a bit of ACV with mother. I don't know the details, like how much ACV I need to add.
Hi these threads are on BYC but I have never done it, but want to soon, let us know how you do it please!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/929347/homemade-organic-acv

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/99102/make-your-own-apple-cider-vinegar

http://www.candida-cure-recipes.com/apple-cider-vinegar-recipe.html
 
I looked on multiple websites and couldn't get clear information, because there are a lot of recipes, and none completely clarified the reasoning. Most said you have to use organic sugar, for example, which I thought was just a waste of money, for example, and many said not to add any sugar at all! Like most things in life, understanding the "why's" instead of just the "how's" is what is necessary to adapt and overcome challenges.

So here is my understanding and how I'm trying it:

1) You can use full apples (or any sweet fruit I think, just no rotten parts) cut into squares, or just scraps. You could also use store bought apple cider, but that defeats the purpose IMO. When using the fruit, it will be a lot easier if you do not smash them up, because you'll need to strain it.

2) Don't add too much water to the fruit, but enough you can stir a little. Bubbles at the top are the result of fermentation, and when fermentation is complete the fruit should sink. The reason sugar is added is to increase fermentation, and speed up the whole process. Since fruit has sugar in it, it will work without it.

3) After the fruit sinks (supposed to be about a week, maybe two), strain it out, and add some ACV with mother, which will immediately begin growing and converting the alcohol into vinegar. You can also buy the yeast I'm sure. You don't have to add mother, but it is done to speed things up, since it can take months for the right yeasts to fall out of the air into the jar (and that's another reason you must use cheese cloth rather than close the lid).

4) Taste test the vinegar after the alcohol smell goes away, which should be about a month, maybe two before it tastes strong enough.

If I'm wrong on any of these assumptions then I'll post a correction. If I'm right I should have lots of ACV in about a month. Right now it smells like alcohol, but the fruit isn't sinking.
 
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I will post this link on our PA thread and see if the locals make ACV and see if anyone stops over too! Good luck and I will be following!
 
We'll be attempting it soon. I have an ice cream bucket full of apple scraps that my strainer spit out when I made applesauce last week. Hopefully it'll turn out.
 
We'll be attempting it soon. I have an ice cream bucket full of apple scraps that my strainer spit out when I made applesauce last week. Hopefully it'll turn out.


Those will be rotten by now, unless you mean that you already put them in water and covered?

Anyways, here's a couple pictures of my main batch.

700

700
 
They're in a sealed container in the fridge, waiting. I just finished them on Thursday so they should still be ok. Of course, if there's any mold, I won't even be trying it.
 
They're in a sealed container in the fridge, waiting. I just finished them on Thursday so they should still be ok. Of course, if there's any mold, I won't even be trying it.


I forgot about refrigeration lol. Anyways, some of the recipes I read actually said to let them brown (not rot) some before starting, so I wouldn't worry about browning. You may as well add water and let them sit in the closet instead of the fridge. I didn't have any cheese cloth so I used a handkerchief to cover mine, or a T-shirt would work.

I think the sugar I added really helped mine ferment quicker because it smells like schapps (stronger than wine) right now. I'll keep letting mine ferment until it either sinks or stops bubbling at the top. I may have used too much water.
 
We've only turned white vinegar into ACV using store bought, that way's a bit cheaper then just buying ACV from the store. I'm gonna hopefully try from scratch this year, it depends on how our apple crop turns out.

Has anyone heard of or tried to do this with crab apples? We have an abundance of those and are planning on doing some crab apple jelly. It'd be nice to be able to use the left over for something cause the animals can only eat so many, lol. :)

Brenna
 

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