RECIPE: Apple Cider Vinegar

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I have just started my first trial of making my own apple cider vinegar! I am so surprised that no one has ever taught me how to do this, or that more people don't make it themselves because it is SO EASY! This is definitely another simple skill to add to the bank. Learning recipes like this means you can rely more on yourself, and less on supermarkets, and in turn save a whole lot of money!

                          Who knew apple scraps could look so pretty! - Day 1 of fermenting. 

 Here you can see the second jar I have used to weigh the apple scraps down.

Preparation time: 10minutes
Brewing time: 6 weeks

Ingredients:
1tbsp of sugar for each cup of water
Enough apple scraps (cores and skins) to roughly fill 3/4 of a large jar
Enough water to fill your jar

Directions: 

• Thoroughly clean the jar you intend to use to ensure it is sterile  
• You can collect your apple scraps over a number of days or weeks if you freeze them until you have enough. Alternatively, I just made a week's worth of stewed apple for my porridge and used the scraps from these 7 apples.
• Place your apple scraps in your jar and then fill it with water up to almost the top. You should be apple to put a weight in the jar as well to hold the apples under the water so don't fill the jar all the way to the top otherwise it will overflow. I used a smaller long glass jar as my weight (see the photo). 
• Now remove the water and measure out how many cups it equates to. For each cup of water add 1 tablespoon of white sugar. 
• Stir the water and sugar mix until the sugar is dissolved. 
• Add the sugar water to the jar with the apples. Weigh down your apples under the water so none of the skins are exposed to the air (this will cause them to grow mould!). 
• Store the mix out of direct sunlight for 3 weeks, checking it every now and then to make sure the apples are still under the water and that no mould has grown.
• After 3 weeks, it should still smell nice and sweet. Strain the apple scraps out and then put the liquid back into the jar. (Make sure you compost the scraps to avoid any waste).
• Put the jar back in it's spot for another 3-4 weeks, stirring every few days.
• When the mix has reached the tartness you prefer you can put a lid on it and enjoy! 

NOTES AND INFO:

• White bubbly stuff on the surface of the mix is normal as it ferments (mould is not)!
• The sugar is fermented by the process of turning the water, apples and sugar into vinegar so the final product is essentially sugar-free! You can use honey as a substitute but the process takes a lot longer. 
• Apple cider vinegar has a HUGE list of beneficial uses. It's an amazing golden liquid that should really be in every household! People use ACV for sore stomachs, for gut health, as a salad dressing, for hair rinses as a natural conditioner, as a household cleaning product and so much more.

What do you use apple cider vinegar for?

Love, 

Liza