Apple Scrap Vinegar
You may remember back in the autumn I batch cooked apple butter and apple pie filling for the freezer. The apple butter was a huge success, I’ll definitely be baking it again. As I’m sure you can imagine, I had a lot of apple peel and core at the end. I know the worms in the compost heap would have been very happy with these scraps, but I’d seen a lot of articles about making Apple Vinegar and wanted to see if the hype is really worth it.
I had no idea how it was going to turn out but decided I only had a little bit of sugar, and my time, to lose if I’d doesn’t work.
The only equipment needed was a large, clean, glass jar, a mug, tablespoon, piece of kitchen towel (or jay cloth) and an elastic band or string. Then apple scraps, water, sugar and patients.
I placed the apple scraps in the jar, covered the scraps in water (using the mug to measure how much water I put in) and added a tablespoon of sugar for every mug of water. For me it was a large jar so used 4 mugs of water so added 4 tablespoons of sugar.
I gave it a quick stir then placed a piece of kitchen roll over the top of the jar and secured it with an elastic band and put it in the cupboard.
After about 10 days, a white slimy layer formed over the top. I was really disappointed and threw it away. I searched some more recipes and saw some suggested the same procedure as above but then adding, a little bit of, apple cider vinegar, with the ‘mother culture’ in it. Luckily my nephew has an apple a day. Well when I say an apple, he peels the skin off and cuts out an inch and half square in the centre (he doesn’t want to eat the core!). So I asked him to put them in a bag in the freezer each day. Soon I had enough to try again.
I made it again, adding a good glug of, shop bought, apple cider with the “Mother culture” on the top. After 10 days the white layer appeared again. I did an internet search and discovered this was meant to happen! Apparently this is needed for the fermentation into vinegar, so I didn’t need to through the first one away after all!
After 2 weeks, I strained the liquid from the apple scraps, removed the white film layer and placed it back in the jar, secure a clean piece of kitchen towel over the top.
Waited 2 more weeks, and strained again. On a blind taste test my daughter, who drinks expensive organic apple cider vinegar from the health food shops, regularly, could not taste the difference between her regular one and the one I made. (I do not have a science background, nor have I had any test analysis done on my apple scrap vinegar, so can not tell you the Ph levels or health benefits between the two)
Throughout the articles I have read about this, there were a lot of discussions, some rather heated, debating whether it can have the word “cider” in the title or not. The general consensus is that it can only be called “cider vinegar” if you have cider first and then turn that into vinegar. As I haven’t made cider this is just apple vinegar.
We now keep a bag in the freezer for apple scraps (next to the bag for veg scraps, ready to make stock) so we can make more.
Uses
Many people use apple cider vinegar in salad dressing and various recipes.
(Update) GG and I, aren’t huge fans of vinegar, so we ended up with more apple scrape vinegar than we could eat. - Following a tip about using vinegar instead of fabric softener in you laundry, we now use our home made apple scrap vinegar instead. 1/2 a shot glass in each wash. (Surprisingly the laundry is soft and doesn’t smell of vinegar)
I’d love know if you’ve made this, or any other vinegars before.
Recipe
Apple peel (and/or) cores
3 cups water (or enough to cover your apple scraps)
3 table spoons of sugar (or the same number as number of cups of water you add)
Clean jar
Piece of kitchen towel or J cloth
An elastic band or piece of string
Method
Place apple scraps in the jar,
cover with water - ensuring you measure how much water you are using.
Add a tablespoon of sugar for every cup of water you add.
Push the apples down under the water. (If you have some apple cider vinegar, with the “mother” still in it (it will tell you on the bottle if it has “the mother”) or a some apple scrap vinegar from a previous batch, gently pour some across the top.
If you don’t have this, that’s ok, you can still make the apple scrap vinegar, you will just need to weight the apples down under the water - I use a large, open neck jar, to mar the scrap vinegar in and place a ramekin, in the jar, on top of the apples.
place the kitchen towel on top and secure with the elastic band.
Leave in a cool dark place for 2 weeks
(don’t worry if a white layer forms on top, this is normal)
After the 2 weeks, stain off the apples, place liquid back in the jar, cover with kitchen towel, and leave for another 2 weeks
after the second 2 weeks, pour into a clean glass bottle or jar, secure with a tight fitting lid, store on the cupboard. It’s ready to use!