Apple Cider Vinegar
I have a good friend Laurie who has tried to get me to write a blog about how to make your own vinegar for a long time. My sister asked me a couple of years ago what I would like for my birthday. My response was a vinegar pot I had seen in a catalog.( Thanks Danette for the pot.) I had made my own vinegar and was completely hooked on it. I had one woman who tried my vinegar, then emailed me begging to buy some from me. She said she drank apple cider vinegar regularly but had never tasted any like mine and was craving it after tasting it. Homemade vinegar is different from store-bought vinegar. It has a rich taste and loaded with health giving properties. This too is a cultured food and makes the best vinaigrette and sauces. You can dip into your pot to deglaze a pan or make a salad dressing or marinades. It is made very similar to kombucha and really just takes time as any cultured food would. It takes about a month or two to make a pot, but you only have to make it once or twice a year. You can even flavor your vinegar with fresh rosemary sprigs. Just add a couple springs to your vinegar when your done.
I’m not the only one that makes my own vinegar. I’ve heard that all French farm kitchens have a crock of rich deep- flavored vinegar working away some where. I have some French blood in me maybe this is where I get it from. My grandpa would be proud.
You will need a vinegar with what they call a mother. This means that it hasn’t been pasteurized you will see sediment at the bottom of the bottle and most of them say “with the Mother”, or unpasteurized vinegar. This is the good stuff that you need. Live active cultures.
Try my delicious drink below made with apple cider vinegar.
Really refreshing (and unusual). This was served to the cowboys or field hands on a hot day to quench thirst.
To be served icy cold.
- 1-½ cups of Bragg’s apple cider vinegar (It has to have the mother in it)
- 4 ½ cups of good apple cider
- Place the vinegar and the apple cider in a crock or jar make sure the crock does not have lead based paint and is food grade. It should hold at least a gallon with enough extra room for air circulation.
- Cover the opening with a cloth or cotton tea towel. Place in a warm spot (68 to 70 F) for 1 to 2 months. Check it occasionally and sniff it. It will gradually take on a distinct vinegar smell and you will notice a slight film on the top.
- When the mixture taste and smells like vinegar pour a third and place it in airtight bottles.
- Save the culture and extra vinegar and replace with equal amounts of apple cider and start the process again. The process will take less time so check it often. Mine has been done as soon as two weeks.
- You can also bottle all of it and throw away the culture.
- 1-1/2 cups of red wine vinegar with mother (I use the Eden brand with the mother)
- 4 ½ cups of red wine
- Place the vinegar and the apple cider in a crock or jar make sure the crock does not have lead based paint and is food grade. It should hold at least a gallon with enough extra room for air circulation.
- Cover the opening with a cloth or cotton tea towel. Place in a warm spot (68 to 70 F) for 1 to 2 months. Check it occasionally and sniff it. It will gradually take on a distinct vinegar smell and you will notice a slight film on the top.
- When the mixture taste and smells like vinegar pour a third and place it in airtight bottles.
- Save the culture and extra vinegar and replace with equal amounts of apple cider and start the process again. The process will take less time so check it often. Mine has been done as soon as two weeks.
- You can also bottle all of it and throw away the culture.
- 8 cups of water add:
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 7 TB apple cider vinegar
- 1 TB freshly grated ginger or 1 tsp dry ginger
- Stevia or honey to taste
- Mix together all ingredients and serve. (ginger will settle to bottom)
Hi, I have 10 (1/2) gallons of homemade apple cider vinegar going right now. I began them in mid-october of this year. I opened one yesterday and it had some vinegary taste and smell but was still a bit sweet. How much longer should I wait? It is at a constant 68 degrees and some of the jars have 3-5 scoby’s in them that are thick and healthy. The “juice” is light in color, nowhere near as dark as the bragg’s vinegar. Is this okay? also are they light sensitive? They are kept in an incubator I have for making other cultured foods and the light periodically goes on to warm the unit up (it uses a thermostat and light bulb). Thanks for your thoughts you might have!!
I would let it sit longer till it loses it’s sweet taste.The color doesn’t matter much because it is the type of apple cider you use that determines this. Vinegar is sensitive to light which might be why it is taking longer. It is best to not expose it to consistent periods of light. Or put it in a vessel or crock that won’t let the light in.
Thanks for the link to the fruit scrap vinegar. I have tried it twide already but it hasnt worked. I get mold on top. However I wasn’t letting it get enough air for one thing and didn’t add sugar for another. I will be trying this again soon.
is there a difference between fresh pressed apple juice and fresh pressed apple cider? thanks
They are the same thing. You can use either.
How does it help with the fungus?
There are probitoics and also good yeasts in acv which helps control and balance the gut and kills harmful pathogens.
How much of this cider would you have to consume to have it work on all of those ailments?
That just depend on you and how your body reacts. I would take at least 2 to 3 tbsp a day.
Just wondering what the purpose is of making apple cider vinegar by using apple cider vinegar? Aren’t you really just giving it a stronger cider taste by adding apple cider to the already made apple cider vinegar?
This is how you keep an ongoing pot of apple cider vinegar. To make vinegar you have to have a starter this is how you make it. For instance with red wine vinegars people keep a crock going all the time and add left over wine to it and then they always have vinegar on their counter. It’s something they do a lot in French farmhouses. Keep a crock going all the time of vinegar for cooking.
Hello, do you know where I could buy a vinegar pot over here in australia or know of a place that would ship over here? Thanks and cheers, Trish
You can just use a lead free jug or glass jar you wouldn’t have to have a vinegar pot.
Great post! I’ve made red wine vinegar and love it but my last batch of aCV turned. When I checked it, it had a layer of green mold on it. Any ideas where I went wrong? I’m hesitant to start another batch until I know what I did wrong.
I would also love to learn to test the acidity of my vinigar, any suggestions?
Thanks!~
Did you use enough starter and did it have enough ventilation? Make sure it is not in a cupboard or closet need lots of air.
What do you mean by “good apple cider”? Is apple cider from the grocer ok, or do I have to have fresh pressed, unpasteurized apple cider?
Thanks,
Debbie
Yes, you need the one that say’s “with the mother”, in it. Unpasterized.
This sounds so cool! I can’t wait to try it. I am such a huge fan of acv, so thanks for posting it
can you make ACV with a kombucha scoby and apple cider?? I have wondered about this for quite some time and I have tons of scobys to test it out on.Thanks!
You can but don’t need the scoby, the apple cider with the mother in it will make it’s own type of scoby.
I had read elsewhere on the web about using apple cores and peels. Have you tried this as opposed to using the cider? Any thoughts?
This kind of vinegar is called Fruit scrap vinegar. I have not personally tried it but know of others who have. Here is a link: http://thenourishingcook.com/how-to-make-fruit-scrap-vinegar/
Your vinegar looked so yummy that i rushed right out to buy the ingredients to make this…I bought fresh mountain apple cider and the bragg’s vinegar and set to work …It has been over two months and my vinegar is still not well, vinegar, I have a very thick mother floating on top (glass container) but it stills taste to sweet….the apple cider had a lot of sediment (apple pulp) in it…would this cause my vinegar not make….would really, really love to make my own but don’t seem to be doing something right….Do you have any idea what I am doing wrong. Thanks
Is it really cold in your house? That will slow it down. It will still make it but will take longer. If you want to speed up the process you can put in on a heating pad on low or a brew belt. I have them on my site on the right hand column under things I use. It is working just taking a little longer. The apple pulp at the bottom won’t hurt anything just makes it have a richer taste. Your mother might have not be very strong so you could add some more Braggs ACV if you like to help it out and speed things up. Fermentation is a unique process. Your kitchen and the bacteria and yeast floating in the air, the temperature, ingredients you use , all make your vinegar unique to you. They all wind up the same place but maybe at a slightly different time. It will be great just give it more time. Let me know how it turns out.
Thanks for answering so quickly…..will certainly try these things, but still don’t understand why my mother is very, very thick almost like the one in kombucha…you don’t stir this , right?
Thanks , Shirley