August 21, 2017
There have been numerous health claims for apple cider vinegar lately from weight loss to wart removal. Though I have only used vinegar from apple cider for general health care and skin care, I do enjoy making my own! I am a DIY kinda gal and when living in an area where apples are plenty, of course I would like to make my own Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). Fermented foods have powerful germ killing properties, the healing power lies in the probiotic enzymatic properties of the fermented foods. Unpasteurized or organic ACV contains the ‘mother’ of the vinegar which can give it a slightly congealed look.
Vinegar from Apple Cider
For this recipe you will need:
Ingredients
- 5 large apples or scraps of 10 apples
- Filtered room temperature water
- 1 cup raw local honey or cane sugar
Equipment
- 2 wide mouth glass jar (1 gallon)
- Cheesecloth
- Large rubber band
- Strainer
Instructions
- *First you must make hard apple cider. The alcohol from the hard cider is what changes via fermentation into acetic acid. Acetic Acid contains some beneficial properties but, is not recommended in high concentrations.
- Wash the apples and chop them up, cores, seeds, stems can all be included.
- Put these into the clean wide mouth jar. Should fill up half of the container or more.
- You can then poor in the filtered room temperature water. The apple should be completely covered and more, leaving a couple of inches space at the top or the jar.
- Stir in honey OR cane sugar until completely dissolved.
- Cover the jar with cheese cloth and secure with the rubber band. You can leave the jar in an area that in not in direct light to ferment for 2 weeks.
- Be sure to stir it 1-2 times a day. The sugar will ferment into alcohol after 1-2 weeks.
- Next, strain the hard cider that you have made into the other clean wide mouth jar and cover with cheesecloth again. This part with take about 3-4 weeks allowing the alcohol to transform into acetic acid. It is normal for sediment to form on the bottom and a ‘mother’ culture to form on top.
- After desired vinegar taste is achieved you can strain and remove the mother and store the vinegar in an air tight glass container in a cupboard and out of the sunlight. If you find the flavour to be too strong it can be diluted with a touch more water.
- Enjoy 1-2 Tablespoons per day, it is not recommended to consume more than this.
Other uses:
- ACV as a hair conditioner (dilute 1:4 and rinse)
- Use it in a salad dressing
- ACV beverage (1TBS with sweetener and water maybe some cinnamon)
- ACV as skin toner (dilute 1:4 and rinse)
- ACV for hard water stains
- ACV as a cleaner (eliminate odours in fridge and plastic containers)
- ACV for your Dog! (spray to repel fleas and for a beautiful shiny coat)
- ACV Soak in the bathtub (1 cup per tub)
