Making Vinegar

[Guest guest]

http://www.vinegarman.com/VinegarMaking.html is the web site I got this

from.

 

God Bless,

Jamie

 

 

How to Make Vinegar

Making vinegar is so easy it can be done by accident. We could even say that

most of it is made without our cooperation or awareness. Making good

vinegar, consistantly, is another story. That requires a little effort.

But the effort pays well.

 

Vinegar can be made from almost anything which contains sugar or starch. It

is made from many different things; fruits, grains, roots even wood.

 

It can be made directly from sugar but is best made by first converting the

sugar into alcohol and then turning the alcohol into vinegar. The

conversion from starch is a little trickier, but the process shares a lot of

similarities.

 

There are many ways to make vinegar and many of them are covered in our fun

easy to read reference book on the subject. But for now let's stick to the

very simplest way possible. If you want to learn more about vinegar and

vinegar making join our club.

 

To make vinegar the simplest way you need to find yourself;

 

 

A container with a spout .(e.g. a sun tea jar) The spout is not mandatory

but it sure makes things easier. The container should also have a wide mouth

to let in air as well as a way to keep out flies. (Air is very important!)

You will be visited by vinegar flies! They are my assistants. The container

should be glass or stainless steel for best results. Aluminum and iron is

definately out. Some plastics can work, some are dangerous because they

react with vinegar. So, for now, I would skip plastics.

Some fresh fruit juice. (Even the frozen variey will do. But I would stay

away from the bottled ones because they add chemicals to keep the juice from

turning to vinegar. (See how easy it is to make vinegar.)

A starter culture. Notice I said " starter culture " . Don't make a big deal

about getting a " mother " , it will probably ruin otherwise good vinegar. What

you need are the bacteria which make vinegar. Check the home brew stores or

pick up a bottle of unpasturized, unfiltered vinegar. I have had great

success with Braggs Apple cider vinegar. The vinegar in the culture keeps

out the other molds and bacteria until the vinegar bacteria have had a

chance to take firm control of the juice.

A dark place. You could also paint your jar or cover it . The object is to

keep out the light. Light will slow the vinegar production or even kill your

culture.

A warm place. The precise temperature is not so critical but it does make a

difference on how fast your vinegar is made. If you feel comfortable at that

temperature, most likely the vinegar bacteria will be happy also.

OK, we have a vinegar culture, a container to put it in, some food for it

and lot's of warm air available to it.

Pour about one quart of the starter into the container.

Pour about the same amount of juice into the container.

Put the mix into a warm dark place.

Keep checking it until it is as strong as you like it or it seems to be

losing strength.

Bottle it in small bottles.

Leave it for at least six months before using. (You could use it right away

but, this will make it smoother)