Apple Scrap Vinegar

Like Apple Cider Vinegar, only cheaper to make!

This is my first time making vinegar (on purpose).  I have blotched a wine recipe here and there and ended up with some really good vinegar.  This one will be purposeful :-).  

Basically, you make a sugar water then add your apple scraps and a little apple cider vinegar to jump start things, in and wait a few weeks until it turns into vinegar.  Sounds easy enough.  

First you need enough apple scraps to fill a small (or large) jar.  

Create enough sugar water to cover the apples.  Use a 1/2 cup of sugar (or honey) per quart of water. Add a little existing apple cider vinegar with the mother (optional - but speeds up the process), add a fermentation weight, cover either with a cloth or a mason jar lid that isn't tightened, and let it sit, stirring at least once a day.

Once the color of the base water starts to change (1-2 weeks), then strain out the apples and compost them, retaining the liquids.

Leave at room temperature for another 2 weeks to a month until the vinegar changes to a sour smell.  This will mean the alcohol has changed to vinegar.  

Ingredients:

Apple cores/peels/scraps to fill a quart jar

1/2 C. sugar or honey

1 T. Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother (optional)

Directions:

1. Place your apple scraps into a glass or ceramic jar
2. Mix your sugar or honey with water (non-chlorinated or filtered)
3. Pour the water over the apple scraps so they are submerged.  
4. Optional:  Add a little apple cider vinegar to jump start the fermentation.
5. Use a fermentation weight if desired to keep the apples below the surface.  This will discourage mold.  Cover lightly with either a dishcloth or a jar lid that isn't on all the way.  You want to keep out the bugs, but let the mixture breath.
6. Stir or shake daily (if you shake, make sure the lid is on tight for that, then loosen again).
7. In about two weeks, the color of the liquid should start to yellow/brown.  This is time to remove the fruit.  Strain our the apple scraps and compost them.
8. Leave at room temperature for another two weeks to a month, stirring daily until it smells and tastes sour like vinegar.  
9. Move to your permanent storage bottle, cap and store out of direct light.  Use as you would apple cider vinegar for health purposes salad dressings, etc.  This also makes a wonderful base for herbal vinegar.  

Note:  Do not use this vinegar to home can unless you can test your acidity levels.  Acidity level testers can be found on amazon or from wine making suppliers.  Water bath canning requires vinegar of at least 5% acidity.   

Fermented Limes

 Fermented limes are divine! 

Fermented limes allow you to have that tangy sour wonderful taste WHENEVER you want it without having to run to the grocery store.  Plus as an added bonus, they taste BETTER!!!  And you get healthy gut probiotics!

Here is the best sales pitch I could find!

in 1869 a Boston physician wrote that pickled limes were among the “unnatural and abominable” substances consumed by children with nutritional deficiencies.”

Here's where I started.  I had a bag of limes and wanted to make sure I didn't waste any....

Then....  we chop the top/bottom nubs off, slice into fours, place in a mason jar and add non-iodized salt (I used Kosher today).  Be VERY liberal with the salt!!!

Traditionally you leave the lime connected at the bottom so the four slices are still connected like the picture below.  

Then pound them in.  The limes need to be covered with the acidic lime juice.  It will take some muscle power!  I recently invested in a fermenting pounder, but a spoon or anything that can crush them will work.  

Keep filling your jar alternating limes and salt!

Then keep pounding them down....  

Once you are done you need to weight down the limes so they are under the lime juice/salt mixture.

I use either fermentation weights or ziplocks filled with salt water.  Here is how I do the ziplock weights:

Fill a ziplock with a little bit of water and about a teaspoon of non-iodized salt.  Fill it to about the amount of head space you have in your jar... 

Then place the baggie into the top of the jar, making sure all the limes are submerged into the juice.  Air is not our friend!!!

I had to let some salt water out.  Here;s the ziplock keeping my limes safe!

And all set to sit out at room temperature for a week to a year and let the magic happen!!!!  The lime pith becomes less bitter.  The peels are the delicacy and the salty limey brine goodness makes amazing marinades!    If there is any non-white mold growing on the top, throw out the batch.  

Enjoy!!!!