How to make Apple Cider Vinegar

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Don’t skip this step when processing your apples this year! Quickly learn just how easy it is to make apple cider vinegar from apple peels, cores and scraps with this step by step tutorial.

How to make Apple Cider Vinegar, Wandering Hoof Ranch

Apple Cider Vinegar has many benefits. It’s all the rage in natural health products and there’s good reason for it. Apple Cider is a popular hair rinse and now ingredient in shampoo. It’s also used in drinks, and I’ve even used it to help get rid of my brown spots.

But did you know you can actually make it at home?

This apple cider vinegar is perfect for just about anything around the house. But the one thing you can’t use homemade apple cider will probably disappoint you.

Yup, you can’t use this vinegar for your preserving and canning. Why? Well ACV made at home can’t be properly measured for acidity level.

When canning recipes call for ACV it needs to be a 5% acidity level. This ensures proper canning.

But there are still so many uses for Apple Cider Vinegar that I totally still think it’s worth making at home. In fact you can make apple cider vinegar for the cost of a tablespoon of sugar ( Heck if you have a stash of sugar packages in your purse… then it’s free!)

So now that you know what you can use Homemade ACV for, let’s get to the fun point shall we?

Pst… Pin it for later

HOW TO MAKE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AT HOME

When processing your apples at the peak of harvest season for jellies, pie filling, apple sauce, apple butter and so much more don’t skip this important step.

Place all your peels, cores and scraps in a large bowl while prepping for preserving.

When you’re done, it’s time to turn that compost into liquid gold, apple cider vinegar.

Now it’s not just pouring white vinegar over your heaping pile of scraps. This is what I thought initially. Turns out there’s more to it.

Apple cider vinegar is made by fermenting the scraps in sugar water.

So all you need to do is add water and sugar, cover it and sit back and wait til it smells like apple cider vinegar. Basically.

SUPPLIES AND INGREDIENTS

So all you need to do is add water and sugar, cover it and sit back and wait til it smells like apple cider vinegar. Basically.

APPLE PEELS, CORES AND SCRAPS free from rot, fungus or other ailments.

A QUART MASON JAR

COFFEE FILTER

ELASTIC OR SCREW TOP

WATER AND SUGAR

HOMEMADE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR INSTRUCTIONS

STEP ONE:

Fill a sterilized quart jar with apple peels and cores to about 3/4 full.

STEP TWO:

Fill with unclorinated water to fully submerge the apples.

STEP THREE:

To quicken the fermentation process add 1 tbsp of sugar per 1 cup of water added to the jar.

STEP FOUR:

Give it a Stir to remove air bubbles

STEP FIVE:

Cover the top with an unused coffee filter or muslin fabric and elastic or screw top band. This keeps fruit flies out and allows the apples to breath while fermenting.

I use coffee filters because they are so easily available on my kitchen counter. See my c offee bar here.

STEP SIX:

Place the jar out of direct sunlight, in a warm place, near a hot water heater, refrigerator, wood stove, to speed up the fermentation process.

Mine sits on the kitchen counter beside the fridge and seems to work well

STEP SEVEN:

After a few days, the contents of the jar should start to thicken. The mixture will begin to foam and bubble.

Give it a stir and remove any thick sludge from the top.

STEP EIGHT:

After two weeks, pour through a colinder and pour the liquid into a clean quart jar. Recover the jar with the coffee filter or muslin cloth and canning ring.

Now store on a pantry shelf where it will be safe and won’t get knocked over!

STEP NINE:

After a few weeks, the mixture should appear cloudy and a film will form on the surface. This is the “mother,” which can be used to start future batches of ACV.

STEP TEN:

After 6 weeks from the day you started your ACV the fermentation will be complete.

It will taste tangy and there will be residue on the bottom of the bar. If it smells or tastes undeveloped then let it sit longer.

When it’s complete, cap the jar with a lid and store in your pantry until it’s needed.

MAKE HOMEMADE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

This Homemade apple cider vinegar is the perfect way to put those apple peels and cores into good use, instead of just feeding them to your chickens on compost pile. Preserving every aspect of your harvest is just one step closer to obtaining the necessary skills for self sufficiency.

APPLE PRESERVING RECIPES FOR COLLECTING PEELS AND CORES

Print the ACV Tutorial for Quick Reference

Apple Cider Vinegar

Learn how to ferment apple peels, cores and scraps into apple cider vinegar in just six weeks

Prep Time30 mins

Fermentation Time42 d

Keyword: Apple

Cost: FREE

Equipment

Quart Mason Jar
Clean Coffee Filter
Elastic or Mason Jar Ring

Materials

1 Quart Mason Jar
1 Clean Coffee Filter
1 Mason Jar Screw Top Ring
1 Cup Filtered Water
1 Tbsp Sugar
Apple peels, cores and scraps

Instructions

Fill the quart jar three quarters full with freshly peeled apple peels, cores and scraps preferably organic apples from locally sourced trees but any apples will do
Dissolve sugar in filtered water and pour over apples until fully submerged. If needed create and add more sugar water
Cover with a new coffee filter or muslin fabric and seal with an rubber bang or mason jar screw band ring.
Allow to sit for 2 weeks in warm dark place
Strain out the apple into a new clean and sterile quart size jar without the apple scraps.
Cover as before and place in pantry for 4 weeks.
Check and taste at 6 weeks. When fermentation is done screw a plastic mason jar lid on the quart jar and store in pantry and use as you would with any other apple cider vinegar.

Notes

Use as you would for all Apple Cider Vinegar uses except for canning and preserving food as you can’t measure the acidity of homemade apple cider vinegar.

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