Make your own Apple Cider Vinegar

[jomoncon]

I personally Love apple cider soaked french fries. But that'd be a nice additive to a waterer for algae growth. Thanks for the idea. /img/smilies/smile.png


ETA: We always keep a gallon on hand. & I have a filled glass shaker with it. Ya never know when you'll need some for fries. /img/smilies/wink.png

Do like the British & sprinkle your fish & chips - or any fried fish - with a little ACV.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Do like the British & sprinkle your fish & chips - or any fried fish - with a little ACV.

I always use Malt Vingar for my fish and chips.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

Am I missing something?

The first ingredient you need to make Apple Cider Vinegar is Apple Cider Vinegar?

Is Apple Cider Vinegar just like stone soup?

 

[ChickaBamBam]

It will keep algea at bay in your water dishes, too.

I didn't know that....sure beats wiping it out all the time.
Thanks

 

[WalkingWolf1]

Am I missing something?

The first ingredient you need to make Apple Cider Vinegar is Apple Cider Vinegar?

Is Apple Cider Vinegar just like stone soup?

Cute -- This is usually spoken by the naive. You don't need ACV to make ACV but you do need a source of Acetobacter spp and that is easily obtained in the mother of ACV.

It is simple and fun to make and can be quite educational if you have children in the home. You have the apple juice extraction lesson, the fermentation of the sugar lesson as well as the conversion of the alcohol to vinegar lesson on top of the health benefits of making your own unpasteurized ACV from scratch fostering independence and creativity. Here is a pic of a batch I started yesterday. After a fermentation period of ~ 1 week I will let the yeast settle for 2-3 days. I will then decant into another container and add 10 ounces of unpasteurized ACV and leave on the counter top. Will be ready to use in ~ 6 weeks.

 

[Arielle]

I really must try macking this this summer. Everything else is trying to grow in this heat! LOL

 

[WalkingWolf1]

I thought I'd give an update after 1 week. The pic shows how the liquid changes appearance when the yeast has consumed all of the sugar. With the added cup of sugar the alcohol content should be around 9% with a target of 7-8% (acetic acid) on the final vinegar. The acid percentage content (being too low) is the biggest criticism of home-made vinegars. If you use the wine makers info and techniques you can produce vinegar that is as safe to use in any application that you would use vinegar purchased from the store. The yeast layer is visible in the first photo but is very distinct in this updated picture. I will now decant the liquid off of the yeast bed and inoculate with ~1/2 pint of vinegar from my previous batch. If you desire, you can now mix up another batch and put in with the yeast and it will continue to work for you. While a bit more thought and effort goes into this method I like the fact that I understand what is actually going on and can determine the quality of the product I am producing.

 

[knightie]

Okay so I out some frozen apple juice and some bragged acv in a container with a coffee filter over it. I started it may 27.... is that normal? I was gone for 3 weeks and my mother stirred it every few days and said it had that while I was gone, but she just mixed it in. She was told that's the mother (or that what she thinks she was told when she was younger)

So is this batch okay and about how many more weeks (months) do I have before its acv (or at least I can start thinking it might be?)

 

[WalkingWolf1]

Not sure what you have going on there. I didn't take a picture of the "mother" as it formed but I will on this batch. When you add ACV to apple juice the sugar in the apple juice will have to ferment to alcohol so it can then be turned into vinegar. This is why I like to introduce yeast instead of depending on a wild source to eventually get the job done. Does it smell like vinegar? Taste? The mother has a jelly-fish like appearance and it will form on the surface. If you gently move the jug from side to side the mother will settle to the bottom and another layer will form over the next few days. If what you have here doesn't settle to the bottom then I'd be inclined to think you have something else possibly growing in there.

 

[knightie]

I used some acv to start the ferment and it went through a stage where it smelled like alcohol.... It sorta smells like acv but not exactly. I can't stand the taste of acv so I will not taste it (g) I haven't tried shaking it I've stirred it and it will go down to the bottom and the next day more is back. It's been brewing for about a month... I think I heard it takes at least two months? Does that sound right?