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Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar

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Course Condiment
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • 1 sterilized jar or a fermenting crock more jars if you are making a larger batch
  • cheese cloth or coffee filter
  • rubber band or a jar ring

Ingredients
  

  • apple peels and cores you can use slices or a whole apple, but I’m all about utilizing waste!
  • 1.5 tablespoons sugar or about 1 tsp per apple
  • water

Instructions
 

  • Make sure your mason jars are sterilized. Place the apple peels and cores (or apple pieces) in your fermenting jar. You want to fill up each jar a little over ¾ full, but not 100% full because the apple pieces will expand a little once the cider has set.
  • In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of water with 1.5 Tbsp of sugar per jar. Pour the mixture into the jar over the apple parts. Add more water as needed to ensure the apple bits are COMPLETELY covered to avoid mold growth. This may require a small weight be placed on top of the apple pieces to ensure complete submersion.
  • Place cheesecloth or coffee filter over the top of the jar. Secure with a rubber band or a ring. NO LID. This enables oxygen to pass through to aid in the aerobic (oxygenated) process of the ACV development, while preventing flies or gnats from getting into the mixture.
  • Place your jar in a cool (60-70 F°), dark spot for 2 weeks. I put it with my potatoes in the pantry.
  • If you check on the apples before the two weeks are up, you may notice bubbling. It’s all part of the fermentation process. At the end of the two weeks, the bubbling will have ceased.
  • At the two-week mark, the apples will sink a little in the jar and the consistency will be cloudy. This indicates the apples have fermented, and they now can be discarded. You may notice a sweeter vinegar aroma at this time. If the vinegar is bad, it will smell rotten and sour. Trust me, you will know if it is spoiled.
  • Strain the remaining solution, discarding the large apple parts with the use of cheesecloth or a filter. Be quick if using a metal strainer because if the apple cider vinegar sets on the metal for an extended time, the acid will corrode the metal and make a bitter taste.
  • Next, place the coffee filter or cheesecloth back on top of the jar and set a lid LIGHTLY on top. You still need to allow for a little bit of oxygen to pass through the filter, but not as much as before. A loose lid will allow the new good bacteria that’s been created to continue developing inside the apple cider vinegar.
  • Return the jar to the same cool, dark spot. This will allow the apple cider vinegar to ferment further and become more concentrated. Give it 2-3 more weeks to develop deeper concentrated flavor and that classic, tangy aroma.
  • Once you’ve achieved your desired ACV concentration based on your preference, drain the vinegar into a sterilized jar, screw on a tight lid, and place in the fridge. Your apple cider vinegar should remain good for at least a year. If a congealed substance has formed on the surface of your ACV, then you have created the much-valued vinegar mother, known to be full of probiotics.
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