Ingredients for
Making 3-4 Cups of APPLE SCRAP VINEGAR
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Organic Apples
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5-6 (peels & cores only)
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Filtered Water
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Raw Apple Cider
Vinegar
(with Mother)
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1/4 cup
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METHOD:
1. Wash apples. Discard spoiled/damaged parts. Peel and core apples. Place peels and cores into a wide, 4-cup capacity glass jar. Add filtered water to cover. Weigh down peels if they float above the surface (to prevent spoilage).
2. Cover the jar with tightly woven cheesecloth and secure with an elastic band.
3. Ferment at room temperature for 7-10 days. It may bubble during this time.
4. Strain to collect liquid, discarding peels and cores.
5. Pour liquid back into the jar with the vinegar (and mother). Stir to combine.
6. Cover the jar with tightly woven cheesecloth and secure with an elastic band.
7. Ferment at room temperature until it turns into vinegar. The fermentation length may vary. Expect around 3-4 weeks to make a mild tasting vinegar (up to 4% acetic acid), up to 6 months or so for maximum strength (i.e. 6% acetic acid), especially if you are making a very large batch of vinegar that contains a smaller proportion of mother vinegar.
8. Strain and filter vinegar (optional) and decant into glass bottles or jugs with airtight lids before labelling and storing bottles in the pantry.
9. Test pH before use in preserving (i.e. pickling) to ensure the acidity is 6% or higher (pH 4.25-5). The pH can be tested using pH strips (available from homebrew stores) or by using an electronic pH meter. If you are unsure of the acidity, we recommend using store-bought vinegar for food preserving projects to ensure that all jars of pickled vegetables are safe for long-term pantry storage.
APPROXIMATE ACIDITY 6% (pH 4.25-5)