Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar from Scraps

Apple vinegar is surprisingly easy to make at home and can be a really fun and flavorful experiment for kids and adults. It's also made with the waste parts of the apple, so it doesn't cost a thing to try it out to see how it works.

The first ingredient needed is apple parts. Peels, cores and trimmings left over from processing apples for pie filling or apple sauce are the perfect raw materials. These should be placed in a sterilized food safe plastic bucket or crock. Water from the faucet may have too much chlorine and inhibit the growth of the vinegar forming bacteria, so distilled water or bottled drinking water could be used in place of it. Another solution to the problem of chlorine in faucet water is to allow it to sit out uncovered for a day or so to let the chlorine evaporate before adding it to the apples. The water should be added to the apple parts just until they're covered, or begin to float. Covered loosely with a cloth or the lid placed on the bucket, but not sealed, this should begin to ferment in a few days.

The vinegar should be left to ferment for a couple of weeks. It's fine to stir it occasionally to make sure the bacteria are well distributed through the mix. It will start to smell vinegary in a few weeks, and the longer it's left to ferment the stronger it will be. If it turns foul, or has black or furry molds in it, it should be discarded. The vinegar bacteria will form what is called a "mother" which looks a bit like a gelatinous mat of whitish or translucent material on the surface of the vinegar, or it may be a blob floating in the vinegar. This is normal and can be used to start a new batch of vinegar or it can be fished out and discarded.

When the vinegar has reached the intensity desired, it should be strained through a cheese cloth lined colander and pasteurized. To pasteurize the vinegar, is should be put into a clean, non-reactive (enamel, stainless steal, or glass) pot and the temperature raised to 140 degrees. This will kill the bacteria in the vinegar and keep it from continuing to ferment in the storage containers.

After pasteurization, it's nice to strain the vinegar more thoroughly through coffee filters to remove more of the sediment. This can take a while, and the filter may need to be changed a few times, since the sediment can easily block the flow of the liquid through the filter.

The vinegar should be stored in sterilized jars or bottles, and kept out of direct sunlight. I like to keep the batch in sanitized gallon water jugs, and pour it into the vinegar bottle in the kitchen as needed, to ensure that the bulk of it stays cool and dark.

This vinegar can be used in many different ways. It's great in salad dressings and on veggies. It can be added to marinades and used in sauce recipes. As a condiment, it's always popular on fish and cabbage or other greens. It cannot, however, be used in canning and preserving, since it's often not as acidic as commercial vinegars and can be dangerous to use in pickles that are being canned and stored for extended periods.

Using the leftovers of apple processing not only produces free vinegar, but also a great feeling of accomplishment that comes from making something out of nothing.