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–+ servings
Apple cider vinegar in a bowl with apples beside.

Apple Scrap Vinegar

Vinegar is a versatile homesteading staple, and when you grow your own apples, you’ll want to use every part of the harvest that you can. Learn how to make apple scrap vinegar, and you will use it in everything from your favorite food and drink recipes to cleaning your windows and coffee pot.
4.72 from 7 votes
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 32 servings
Calories: 25kcal
Author: Carolyn Thomas

Ingredients

  • 1 pound apple scraps cores, peels, etc.
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar raw and unfiltered
  • 2 quarts filtered water

Instructions

  • Put the fruit and sugar into a 1⁄2 gallon (2 liter) jar. Add 1 quart (1 liter) of the water and the raw vinegar. Use the rest of the water to cover the apples up to the neck of the jar.
  • Stir the sugar, water, and fruit scraps with a wooden spoon, and you will stir again once a day for the first 5 or 6 days. (Unlike most ferments, you want some oxygen in the mix.)
  • Cover the jar with unbleached cotton and secure it with a rubber band or string.
  • Place on the counter or another spot around 70°F to 80°F (21-26°C), above the refrigerator works well. You may see bubbles, which is good. The ferment will begin to slow down in about two weeks.
  • After the fermenting bubbles slow down, it is time to remove the scraps. You may see a film developing on top when you remove the cover. If so, work carefully to keep it because this film is the beginning of the vinegar mother. Homesteading Hack: You can set the film aside while straining out the fruit solids, then add it back into the vinegar.
  • Cover it again and let it continue to sit on the shelf.
  • Check the vinegar in another month, and you should have nice acidity; however, it may take another month or two to develop fully.
  • Bottle the vinegar, save the mother for another batch or share with a friend.
  • You can use the vinegar immediately, or you can age the vinegar to mellow the flavor.
  • Apple scrap vinegar will last indefinitely at room temperature.

Notes

  • Bottle the vinegar, save the mother for another batch or share with a friend.
  • You can use the vinegar immediately, or you can age the vinegar to mellow the flavor. 
  • Apple scrap vinegar will last indefinitely at room temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 25kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 3mg | Sugar: 6g | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.01mg
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