Home made and foraged apple cider vinegar

Most of the apple cider vinegar (ACV) made this summer have been from crab apples foraged locally.

Fermenting is fun. There is something magical about catching your own yeast and turning some rapidly-browning fruit-mash liquid into a happily fizzing, frothy brew with a chugging, gurgly airlock.

Patience is needed for this – there are a lot of peels and scraps to be gathered if wanting to make several litres at the time.

Apple cider vinegar recipe

1 kg of apple scraps, cores, peels, floury apples diced finely or grated

3 tbsp. sugar

1L water

1 large glass jar

Method

Add the apple scraps to the glass jar and top with sugar. Add water and shake well to dissolve the sugar.

Cover with cloth (trusty nylon to the rescue!) and leave for at least six weeks, shaking daily to aerate the mix. The cloth keeps the dust off, while the natural yeasts feed on the sugar in the mix and are still able to breathe.

Store away from direct sunlight. After two or three days at room temperature the mix should start bubbling.

After 6 weeks the brew will smell sweet and cider-ey. Strain the apple scraps from the mix and leave in another jar for another 6 weeks while the vinegar ages further. Keep the nylon over the uncovered jar to allow for airflow. When happy with the taste, bottle the vinegar and use as needed.