How to Make Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar
Making apple cider vinegar at home is an easy and worthwhile process that comes with so many benefits. Whatever size batch you're making, the result will be a high quality, sweet and tart vinegar with an endless variety of uses. You'll never want to buy it from the store again!
Ingredients
- chopped apples or apple scraps (skins and cores) enough to fill half the jar of any size you choose
- 1 tbsp pure organic cane sugar per cup of water used
- filtered water enough to fill remaining space in jar
Instructions
- Fill your glass jar half way with your apples or apple scraps.
- Fill jar to the top with filtered, room temperature water. Make sure to measure the amount of water you use. (Fill a measuring cup before pouring it in the jar so you can keep track)
- Add 1 tbsp sugar per cup of water used and stir well to dissolve.
- Cover jar with a breathable lid and store in a dark place at room temperature. (I recommend covering with a dark towel and leaving it on the counter so you don't forget about it)
- Stir it up DAILY for 2 weeks to mix up the apples and rotate the ones exposed to air. This is crucial to avoid mold growth. You should see bubbles after a couple days and the liquid will gradually become more cloudy. It should start to smell like hard cider.
- After 2 weeks, strain the apples out using a cheesecloth, saving the liquid. Discard the apples and transfer the liquid to a clean jar. Again, cover with a breathable lid and store in a dark place at room temperature and allow it to continue to ferment for at least a month.
- After a month, or possibly longer, the liquid should be more translucent and it should smell and taste like apple cider vinegar. There will likely be a layer of SCOBY on top. This is perfectly normal and can be left in the jar or discarded. Go ahead and transfer the vinegar to bottles or smaller jars and store at room temperature or in the fridge. It should last up to 5 years.
Notes
If you see any mold growing, the cider vinegar is no good and needs to be tossed.