I planted some “heritage” apple trees in my small orchard. I thought these would be special apples invoking a taste/flavor lost to society. I would be participating in saving these varieties, doing a service to preserve these trees from extinction. Well, it turns out they don’t taste that great. So, I learned how to make apple cider vinegar, and this is an improvement on what I can buy in the store, and significantly less expensive. It takes a bit of time, but it is well worth it and lasts for up to 5 years.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
Apples
Water
Sugar
You’ll need a large glass container that can hold a gallon of water.
First, chop up the apples into 1-inch pieces, including the stems and seeds. Put them in the large glass container and add water to cover. IMPORTANT: Keep track of the amount of water you add, use a pre-measured amount or a measuring cup.
For every gallon of water, add 1 cup of sugar (that’s 1 Tablespoon of sugar for every cup of water).
Stir, and cover with a tea towel or double cheesecloth and rubber band to prevent fruit flies from getting in. Place it in a dark location with a temp of 70°-75°F. For two weeks, stir every day to help the sugar dissolve.
Tip: I leave it on the kitchen counter, covered completely with a towel. You will smell it fermenting into alcohol, then you’ll know it’s working.
After two weeks strain out the apples and return the liquid to the glass container. Cover with a breathable towel like before. For this process, I put it in the garage, the transition into vinegar will take at least a month, sometimes longer depending on the strength you prefer.
You can taste test the batch and if it’s vinegary enough, you can bottle it. Vinegar should have a pH of 2-3, you can test this with pH strips. Store it in the pantry or the refrigerator.
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