How to Make Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar 🍎 #fermentation #fermentedfoods #homesteading #guthealth, by BeyondTheFenceLine on YouTube. 1 min 31 s.
- Video length
- 1 min 31 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes hands-on, about 5 m
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Wash and roughly chop enough apples to fill a clean glass jar, or use peels and cores left over from making applesauce. Pack them in loosely.
Stir 1 tbsp cane sugar into each cup of filtered water, then pour it over the apples until they are covered, leaving a little space at the top.
Cover the jar opening with a fine breathable mesh cloth and hold it on with a rubber band. This keeps fruit flies out but lets air in.
Stir the mixture straight after making it, then once a day for two weeks. This daily stir is the step that keeps mould away.
Put the jar in a dark pantry and leave it alone for 4 to 6 weeks.
Strain the liquid through a clean cloth into a fresh jar and discard the spent fruit.
Add two shots of raw, unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar to the strained liquid to help kick start the next stage of fermentation.
Cover the jar again and return it to the dark pantry for about 4 months.
Check the acidity with pH strips and compare the reading to a bottle of commercial apple cider vinegar. Bottle it once it is close, and do not use it for canning.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep the apple pieces under the liquid as much as you can, because anything poking above the surface grows mould first.
Use organic, unwaxed apples if you can, since the wild yeast on the skins is what gets the ferment going.
Avoid metal lids and stir with a wooden or plastic spoon, as vinegar can corrode metal over several months.
Write the date on the jar so you know when the four months are up.
Questions
Do I have to add vinegar to start it?
No, apples carry wild yeast and will ferment on their own. The two shots of raw vinegar just make the batch more reliable and get it going faster.
Why can't I use it for canning?
Homemade vinegar may not reach a reliably high acidity, so it cannot be trusted to preserve food safely. Use shop-bought vinegar for canning.
How do I know if the batch has gone wrong?
Look for a fuzzy patch or a thick coloured film on the surface. Stir daily and keep the fruit submerged, and throw the batch out if real mould appears.
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.
