Easy Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar

September 01, 2024

reading time: 3 min

Making apple cider vinegar at home has become one of my favourite homesteading traditions for fall over the past three years for several reasons:

1) it's cheap, basically free (all you need is apple scraps from baking, or whole homegrown apples such as the unripe ones shaken down by storms)

2) it's zero waste because it actually makes use of waste! (apple waste that is)

3) it's super easy to make and doesn't require much work on your part (you simply have to stir it once a day for a week or two until it "tells" you it's done!)

4) it gives you an excuse to make a delicious apple dish!

So the next time you're making apple pie or apple butter, make sure to save the scraps and make your own organic apple cider vinegar!

HOMEMADE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Preparation time: 10 mins (+ several weeks of fermenting)
Main ingredients: apples, water
difficulty level: easy
makes: 1 litre / 4 cups of apple cider vinegar
suitable for: vegan, lactose-free, fat-free, gluten-free, nut-free, low sodium

Ingredients

about 500 g (1 lb) organic apples, or apple scraps such as peels and cores
about 1 litre (4 cups) filtered water
(optional) 1/2 tbsp raw cane sugar

also:
a large sterile glass container
a tightly woven cloth (e. g. gauze, coffee filter, napkin or a dish towel)
a rubber band
a strainer
a large sterile bowl
1-2 sterile glass bottles (I simply re-use old ACV bottles that I sterilize with boiling water)

Instructions

Sterilize containers using boiling water.

Rinse apples with water and chop or core/peel.

Add chopped apples or apple scraps (core/peel) to a large, clean glass container, filling it about halfway full. To speed up the fermentation process, you can add 1/2 tbsp of sugar per pound of apples. I skipped the sugar.

Add filtered water until the apples are covered. It is normal for them to peek out of the water a little at the top.

Cover the glass container with a clean cloth and secure with a rubber band. Store the glass container at room temperature for 7-14 days. During that time, stir once a day to prevent mould.

Foam will appear during the first few days – that is a natural part of the fermentation process.

After 7-14 days, the foam should have disappeared, the apples should sink to the bottom of the glass container, and the liquid should be cloudy and have a subtle vinegar smell. When this is the case, it's ready!

Set a strainer on top of a large sterile bowl and pour the contents of the glass container through it. Compost the fruits.

Rinse the glass container with boiling water, and return the captured liquid to the sterile glass container.

Once again, cover the jar with a cloth and rubber. Let it ferment at room temperature for 3-6 weeks. During this time, a thin jelly-like layer might develop on the surface of your maturing vinegar (just like a kombucha scoby). This is totally normal and called the "mother of vinegar". Read more about this in the notes below!

After the first couple of weeks, give your vinegar a taste-test. The longer you allow it to ferment, the more vinegar-y it will taste. Once you're satisfied with the taste, fill the apple cider vinegar into sterile bottles using a funnel and a fine sieve.

Stored in a dark, cool and dry place, your homemade vinegar will keep for several years.

TIPS & NOTES:
- It's best to use a combination of sweet and tart apple types for a well-balanced flavour.
- You can replace up to half the amount of apples with pears or pear scraps.
- Once you've completed a batch of homemade apple cider vinegar, you can save the "mother of vinegar" and store it in the fridge with some mature ACV. The next time you make apple cider vinegar, add the "mother" to your glass container. It will speed up the fermentation process significantly.
- In addition to using this homemade apple cider vinegar for cooking and things like salad dressings, it also makes a wonderful DIY Herbal Hair Rinse!