How to make vinegar

[Delrio]

like Grandma did. Everything I read seems to be really complicated.

[MullersLaneFarm]

I got a MOV (mother of vinegar) a few years ago from the place I get my (unpastuerized) apple cider. I keep the vinegar in a glass jug, when I use it, I replace the vinegr with apple cider, or other fruit juice and continue to let it make. It's not hard by any stretch of the imagination. I don't have a clue how strong it is, but I only use it for cooking and not for preserving

[ajaxlucy]

Once you get hold of some mother-of-vinegar, it's not hard at all. What kind of vinegar do you want? I'm making both apple cider vinegar and red wine vinegar (so much better tasting than store-bought!!).

I went to a health food store and bought a little bottle of vinegar that said "with the mother" on the label and used that to start. I put about a cup of it into a big glass jar, added about half a bottle of red wine that was left from a party, covered the top of the jar with a coffee filter secured by a rubber band, put the whole thing in the back of a kitchen cupboard and waited. In about a month there was a gelatinous looking disk (go mother!) floating at the top of the jar. I keep the vinegar I'm using in one bottle, and keep a jar "in progress" on the shelf, just adding leftover wine to it to replenish.

My next project is to make elderberry wine, then make elderberry vinegar from that wine (assuming there's any leftover) .

[minnikin1]

So once you have the mother, can you add pasteurized juice or wine and still get vinegar?

It's almost impossible to buy fresh anything here anymore, unless you are making it yourself.

[Pink_Carnation]

Originally Posted by minnikin1

So once you have the mother, can you add pasteurized juice or wine and still get vinegar?

It's almost impossible to buy fresh anything here anymore, unless you are making it yourself.

That won't be a problem...you are adding the bacteria needed with the mother. Pasturized only kills everything in it then...leave it open to air and things will grow in it.

[RockyGlen]

question.........the purchased vinegar "with mother"..........how long will that last, unopened, before the mother dies? Does it have to be refrigerated before it is opened?

[JayinCT]

I'm getting an idea here. I buy 50 gallons of unpasturized cider every year to make hard cider. What is left over when the warm weather starts, has been getting dumped out and the barrel washed for next year. The only thing I add to the 50 gallons of cider is 25 pounds of sugar to boost the alcohol content. Fermentation for alcohol stops when a certain alcohol level is obtained. The yeast dies off I have been told because the alcohol content rises to a level where it can't survive. My question is, can I take what's left in the barrel and make that into cider vinigar? How would I go about doing this? I would hate to dump something that I can make something from to help me at canning time. Store bought vinigars are so dilouted these days.

Jay

[CraftyDiva]

Pretty simple,


Making Vinegar
http://www.vinegarman.com/VinegarMaking.shtml


Making Cider Vinegar at Home
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5346.html


And last but not least
http://www.harvestfields.ca/CookBooks/Vin/vinegar.htm

.

.

[linn]

Someone on the cooking forum gave me instructions for making vinegar a couple of years ago. It was very simple.
I used my Jack LaLane Superjuicer to make about 10 gallons of apple juice. I dumped the juice into two 5 jallon water jugs and let it ferment. I coverered the top of the jugs with cheesecloth and a rubber band. After it fermented a while, I added some Braggs unpasturized vinegar, (It has the vinegar mother in it). I let it set a couple of weeks longer and put it into gallon jars. The only thing I didn't do right was to let the juice ferment longer before adding the vinegar mother. I have weak vinegar, but it is still good. Make sure to place your apple juice and vinegar in a dark place out of the sun.

[MariaAZ]

I tried making apple wine from apple juice and wine yeast, but it didn't turn out so I thought I'd make cider vinegar. I placed the fermented juice in a 1 gallon glass jar, added several tablespoons of Bragg's vinegar (health food store brand with MOV) and covered with cheesecloth.

Months later, not much had happened except the fruit flies found a way in and had set up shop on the sides of the jar. I DID have what seemed to be a bit of mother forming on the surface; more like a thin sheet than anything I saw photos of on the 'net. I siphoned the liquid from the jar into my 3 gal crock, to my way of thinking the best way to get rid of the fruit flies. I covered the crock with a dish towel and within a week had a good, thick mother floating on the surface. I don't know if it was the location, the glass was letting in too much light, or if there is something about the crock that fosters good vinegar formation, but it turned out pretty good for a first try. I just added another 1/2 gal of fresh apple cider to the crock after having removed a good portion of the vinegar a couple days ago, and already the mother has reformed over the surface.

[CajunSunshine]

For making vinegars for canning and general purposes, the 1999 July/August issue of Countryside Magazine also has an excellent article:

http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/4_1999.htm



Here's my favorite no-fuss way of making vinegar...

Cover any kind of chopped fruit and/or fruit peelings & cores (such as leftovers from home canning) with water in a clean widemouth glass container. If possible, use rainwater, distilled water or water from a well or spring. Chemicals in tap water may interfere with the natural bacterial action that is needed to make vinegar. Cover the container securely with a cloth to keep out insects while allowing contact with air. Keep it in a warm dark place for a few months, stirring now and then to allow the topmost layer to work with the rest of the mess. The wild strains of vinegar-making bacteria present in the air should colonize and feed on the sugars and starches in the liquid. After a few weeks, you will notice a vinegary smell. Allow the liquid to ferment until desired strength is achieved (smell, taste). Strain and pour into clean bottles. For faster and better action, add a cup or so of Bragg's Vinegar or other natural unfiltered vinegar (from health food store) to the water before fermentation takes place. This promotes rapid growth of the good bacteria, while discouraging unwanted bacteria that could spoil the batch. I usually use a bit of my previously made vinegar for this purpose.

I have made many batches of fine salad vinegar this way, too.

Some tips:

You can make vinegar from just about anything that contains starch or sugar: Fruits, fresh or frozen fruit juices, berries, grains, roots, or even a 10% sugar water solution.

Do not use canned or bottled fruit juices, as they contain chemicals that prevent fermentation.

Do not use aluminum or iron containers to make vinegar in.

To strengthen vinegar, freeze it and remove the floe which forms on the surface. The water of the vinegar alone freezes leaving the acetic acid in solution in the remaining water.

Vinegar will ferment a little slower in cooler temps. It will ferment a little faster at room temperature, and even faster in warmer temps. If you are comfortable, then the vinegar will be too.



--Sharon

[WisJim]

To make vinegar from some of our cider, we let it ferment to hard cider, then leave it open to the air. It soon gets infected with vinegar making bacteria and turns to vinegar. As hard to do as falling off a log.