Thanks to this apple cider vinegar recipe, I'm never buying apple cider vinegar again! Fermenting your own apple cider vinegar is so easy! All you need is some apple peels, cores or scraps, and water. You can use your homemade apple cider vinegar to make these delicious Mexican pickled carrots and so much more!
If you know me at all, you probably know that I'm always trying to learn something new. From brewing my own elderberry wine to making balm of Gilead, and freeze drying eggs, there isn't anything I don't want to learn how to do or make from scratch.
Making apple cider vinegar is yet another way I'm increasing my homesteading skills. It's one of those easy skills that everyone can learn to make. You don't even need any fancy equipment, just a quart-sized glass jar and a flip-top bottle.
I experimented with a few different methods which included using no sugar, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. I even made a jar with pear cores and scraps.
What I learned is you don't need to add sugar since the fruit has natural sugars, but the sugar sure helps the concoction to ferment faster! As far as taste goes, I preferred the vinegar made with granulated sugar, but the flavor of the pear vinegar was really good too!
So the next time you make apple pie or apple preserves, save the apple pieces to make homemade apple cider vinegar!
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๐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Making apple cider vinegar is easy and rewarding!
- It's a great skill to pass down to your kids.
- Apple cider vinegar is a natural remedy that helps with digestion, weight loss, and balancing glucose levels.
- You don't even need whole apples, just use apple scraps or cores!
- The same method can be used to make vinegar with other fruits and berries. I even made a fig vinegar that was outstanding!
๐ What You Need For This Recipe
๐ Ingredients & Substitutions
- Apples: Although you can use any apple variety, it's always good to use a few different varieties to improve and balance flavor.
- Sugar: As mentioned above, the sugar is not really necessary but it can get the fermentation going faster. You can also substitute with honey.
- Water: Use fresh, non-chlorinated water or filtered water for best results.
๐ How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar
Step 1: Fill a quart-sized mason jar ยฝ to ยพ full with chopped apples, cores, peel, or scraps. Mix 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in 2 cups water. Stir to dissolve, then pour over apples. If apples are not fully submerged, add an additional cup of water mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar.
Pro Tip: If possible, choose a wide-mouthed jar, which will be easier to fill and work with.
Step 2: Cover jar with a coffee filter or breathable cloth and secure into place with rubber band or jar collar. Place jar in a cool, dark location (away from direct sunlight) and wait for the fermentation process to start. Stir mixture daily for the next two weeks. This will discourage mold growth, especially since some apples will float to the surface.
Pro Tip: During this time, bubbles will begin to form indicating that fermentation is in progress.
Step 3: After 2 weeks, strain apples through a fine mesh strainer, and discard. Allow vinegar to ferment anywhere from 1 to 3 months. The longer you ferment the vinegar, the more the flavor will develop. Your finished vinegar should have a ph somewhere between 2 to 3. These PH test strips can be used to confirm the vinegar is ready to be bottled.
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Pro Tip: If you bottle the vinegar too early, the pressure will build up from the gases and you can end up with a mess on your hands.
Step 4: Transfer finished vinegar to either flip top bottles or bottles with tight fitting lids and store in a cool, dark, location.
๐ฆ Vinegar Mother
If you notice a film forming on the top of the vinegar, it's totally fine. This simply means your vinegar is forming a "mother", similar to a scoby in kombucha. This film is called the "mother" because the acetic acid bacteria it's made up of facilitates the fermentation process, "giving life" to the vinegar. The mother will eventually get thicker and settle at the bottom of the jar. You can leave the mother in the vinegar or remove it, it's totally up to you!
๐ฅ Uses For Apple Cider Vinegar
Around here, we're always buying a 3 pack of apple cider vinegar from Costco because we add it to the water for our chickens. It helps keep them healthy.
But chickens aren't the only ones who can benefit from consuming apple cider vinegar. ACV has many health benefits for humans too! One to two tablespoons in water can aid digestion, reduction of blood sugar, and encourage weight loss (read more about this at WebMD). It's great for gut health and your immune system too!
Of course, apple cider vinegar (ACV) is also delicious in vinaigrettes, salad dressings, and in this dill potato salad. You can also use it to make this elderberry shrub recipe.
Besides uses in the kitchen, some people also use it as a vinegar cleaning product and a beauty aid as a facial toner and hair rinse!
๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ Recipe FAQs
Initially, wild yeast consumes the sugar (whether added or natural sugars from the fruit). This produces alcohol and carbon dioxide. Acetic acid bacteria then consumes the alcohol, leaving behind the vinegar.
Some people take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before a meal, while others stir it into water to make it more palatable. It's really a matter of preference.
The process of fermenting homemade vinegar can take anywhere from 1-2 months. The longer fermentation process produces a better flavor.
๐ฉ๐ผโ๐ณ Pro Tips
- Whenever possible, use organic apples and filtered water or unchlorinated water.
- If you don't have enough apple bits and pieces to make this apple cider vinegar recipe, you can save them up over time in the freezer until you're ready to start a batch of apple cider vinegar.
- Don't use cheesecloth to cover the jar because fruit flies and other tiny bugs can get into the jar and ruin your fermentation.
- The acidity in homemade vinegar can vary. For this reason, it's not recommended for canning purposes!
๐ Related Recipes
If you like this apple cider vinegar recipe, be sure to check out these related posts!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-starย ๐๐๐๐๐rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
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๐ Recipe
How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped apples, cores, or scraps
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 3 cups filtered water
Instructions
- Fill a quart-sized mason jar ยฝ to ยพ full with chopped apples, cores, peel, or scraps. Mix 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in 2 cups water. Stir to dissolve, then pour over apples. If apples are not fully submerged, add an additional cup of water mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar.
- Cover jar with a coffee filter or breathable cloth and secure into place with rubber band or jar collar. Place jar in a cool, dark location (away from direct sunlight) and wait for the fermentation process to start. Stir mixture daily for the next two weeks. This will discourage mold growth, especially since some apples will float to the surface.
- After 2 weeks, strain apples through a fine mesh strainer, and discard. Allow vinegar to ferment anywhere from 1 to 3 months. The longer you ferment the vinegar, the more the flavor will develop. Your finished vinegar should have a ph somewhere between 2 to 3.
- Transfer finished vinegar to either flip-top bottles or bottles with tight fitting lids and store in a cool, dark, location.ย
Notes
- If possible, choose a wide-mouthed jar, which will be easier to fill and work with.
- During this time, bubbles will begin to form indicating that firmentation is in progress.
- If you bottle the vinegar too early, the pressure will build up from the gases and you can end up with a mess on your hands.
- Whenever possible, use organic apples and filtered water or unchlorinated water.
- If you don't have enough apple bits and pieces to get started, you can save them up over time in the freezer until you're ready to start a batch of apple cider vinegar.
- Don't use cheesecloth to cover the jar because fruit flies and other tiny bugs can get into the jar and ruin your fermentation.
- The acidity in homemade vinegar can vary. For this reason, it's not recommended for canning purposes!
Margaret Kendall says
Where is the recipe for Mexican pickled carrots that you promised?
Hilda Sterner says
The link you're looking for is in the first paragraph. Also, you can always use the search bar to find any of my recipes! If you search "mexican carrots" it will come up. Thanks!
Kelly Methey says
This is so cool! I canโt wait to try it. It looks so easy and fun to make your own ACV. Thanks Hilda!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Kelly, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks it's fun making vinegar. I am enjoying making different flavors too! Fig and pear are my favorites so far!