How to make apple cider vinegar for FREE from apple scraps!🍎🤯 #homestead #diy #acv #ruralking, by Collins Country on YouTube. 2 min 48 s.
- Video length
- 2 min 48 s
- Time to do it
- 15 minutes hands-on, plus 6 to
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Collect the peels and cores from 6 to 8 apples. Use organic fruit or wash waxed apples well, and keep the scraps in a clean bowl until you are ready.
Stir 1 tablespoon of sugar into 1 cup of filtered water until it dissolves. Make enough to cover the scraps, usually 3 to 4 cups.
Pack the scraps into a clean quart jar, leaving about 2 inches of space at the top. Pour the sugar water over them until they are covered.
Weigh the scraps down so they stay under the liquid. A small glass jar filled with water, or a clean zip-top bag, works well.
Cover the jar opening with a piece of cheesecloth and hold it on with a rubber band. Air gets in and fruit flies stay out.
Stir once a day with a clean spoon and push any floating scraps back down. Keep the jar at room temperature, away from direct sunlight.
After 1 to 2 weeks the liquid should bubble and smell like hard cider. Strain out the solids through cheesecloth into a clean jar.
Cover the jar with cheesecloth again and leave it for 4 to 6 weeks. A thin jelly-like mother may form on top, which is normal.
Taste a little each week from week four. Bottle it in a clean glass jar once it tastes sharp and vinegary, and cap it tightly.
Tips and common mistakes
Never seal the jar airtight during the first ferment, because the gas needs somewhere to escape.
Throw the batch out if you see fuzzy mould on the surface, but a flat rubbery mother is fine to keep.
Add 2 tablespoons of unpasteurised cider vinegar at the start to help the batch sour faster.
Use glass or food-grade plastic only, since metal lids and bowls can react with the acid.
Questions
How long does homemade apple cider vinegar last?
Sealed in a clean glass bottle it keeps for months at room temperature, and the flavour only gets sharper. Keep it out of direct sunlight.
Do I need a vinegar mother to start it?
No. Wild yeast on the apple skins does the work, though a splash of raw cider vinegar speeds things up and lowers the risk of spoilage.
Can I use the scraps of any apple?
Yes, any variety works, but sweeter apples ferment faster. Avoid scraps that are bruised, mouldy or already brown.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
