Just like one saves up their veggie scraps to make stock, we keep a bag in the freezer to store apple and pear cores and peels that are left over, in order to make our own FREE apple/pear cider vinegar!
This project is actually one my husband has been doing since our days on the farm (where he reminded me recently of how much room we used to have in our pantry back there for the vats and vats of it he'd make from my post-canning scraps...), so I thought I'd document how easy it actually is to DIY your own ACV!
Save up your apple cores, peels, etc., in a bag in the freezer - just as you would with veggie scraps to make stock.
When it's full, toss them all in a bowl of warm water with a wee bit of sugar and (if you don't have a 'mother' already) a bit of ACV, to kick off the fermentation process - and ultimately create a mother you can reuse for future batches.
Cover your bowl or other container with a dark cloth (we just use an old scrap of cloth from our rag bin where all our old non-donatable clothing gets cut up and stored), and secure it so it doesn't fall off. This allows a little air as you don't want it sealed.
Pop this in an area outside of direct sunlight (we keep ours on an unused shelf in our linen closet where it's out of the way but still adjacent to our kitchen) and let sit for a few weeks, stirring occasionally (see that third picture? That's just a few days after he started the vinegar-making process...
Give it a taste and if it's vinegar-y, strain it into a bottle and you're good to go! PS - keep the 'mother' that's left over in a bit of the vinegar in a separate jar in the fridge so you can use it for your next batch.
It's unfiltered, hence why it looks so cloudy, but the taste is the same. You'll need to strain it further (like through cheesecloth) if you want it to be clearer - as well as to use it for things like an ACV rinse in your hair - but otherwise, it's good to go!
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