It's so easy. Yes the directions look long, but I talk a lot. A bit of chemistry - The first thing that happens to the apples in making apple cider vinegar is the liquid turns into a hard apple cider. Don't drink this! As the mixture continues to sit, any alcohol in the hard cider will change into acetic acid (vinegar) during the fermentation.
Ingredients - Makes approximately 1/2 to 3/4 gallon
About 4 pounds of apples
Filtered water
Cheesecloth or cotton fabric to cover your jars or bowls
Sugar (1 tablespoon per one cup of water)
1 wide mouth gallon glass jar or 2 half-gallon jars (You can use glass bowls in a pinch.)
Rubber bands or string to secure the cloth onto the jars.
Steps
About 4 pounds of apples
Filtered water
Cheesecloth or cotton fabric to cover your jars or bowls
Sugar (1 tablespoon per one cup of water)
1 wide mouth gallon glass jar or 2 half-gallon jars (You can use glass bowls in a pinch.)
Rubber bands or string to secure the cloth onto the jars.
Steps
- Wash the apples (do NOT peel) and chop into pieces larger than an inch. Don’t throw away any part of the apple. Put the pieces, cores, seeds, and stems into clean glass jars or bowls between ½ and ¾ full.
- Pour in water until the apples are covered, but leave about 1 to 2 inches at the top of the jar for expansion as the apples ferment. If you fill to the top, the mixture may bubble over and run out of the jar during fermentation. Not fun.
- Stir in the sugar until fully it dissolves.
- Cover the top of the glass jar with cheesecloth or cotton cloth with a rubber band or string to keep it in place. A rubber band is easiest in the long run, as you will be removing the cloth every day to stir your mixture.
- Set the jars or bowls on the counter or in a warm, dark spot for about 2 weeks. Stir it every day - bubbles will start to form. Great! This means it's fermenting.
- When the apples sink to the bottom, the cider is ready to be made into vinegar. If you have a compost bin, you can throw the remaining apple pieces into it. They're already decomposing.
- Strain the mixture into clean jars or bowls and cover with cloth and a rubber band. If you have a compost bin, you can throw the remaining apple pieces into it. They're already decomposing.
- Let sit for about 3 more weeks for the cider to turn into vinegar. I like to stir every two days at this point. Sediment on the bottom is fine and completely normal. Also, a “Mother” culture – a gelatin-like blob may form. That’s good! I just remove it and compost it. You can, however, use it to “fast-track” future vinegar batches.
- Taste the vinegar after 3 weeks and see if it’s the right strength for you. If it’s too strong, just dilute with a little water. If it’s too weak, just leave for another week.
- Once the vinegar taste is good for you, strain it one more time and store in clean glass jars or bottles. I like to use dark green wine bottles!
- Store your vinegar out of direct sunlight. I use it in cooking, for salads, and in a pinch - for cleaning!
