Scrap apple vinegar
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Apple peels and cores covered with sugar water and left to ferment into homemade vinegar. A thrifty use for scraps.
Ingredients
- Apple scraps peels and cores (bruises are OK; discard any rotten bits)
- 1 cup water chlorine-free (repeat as needed to cover)
- 1 Tbsp sugar per cup of water
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar with a mother per cup of water
Equipment
- mason jars
- fermentation weight
Directions
- Wash the apples before you peel them. Fill a glass jar about three-quarters full with scraps that have no mold or bad spots.
- Stir together the sugar, water, and vinegar one cup at a time, and pour it over the scraps until they are just covered.
- The scraps will float, which is fine. Cover with a cloth or coffee filter held by an elastic band or jar ring; don’t seal it, because it needs oxygen.
- Let it ferment at room temperature in a dark place, such as a closet, and stir every 2 to 3 days.
- After 2 weeks, strain out the scraps. Cover with a cloth and ferment for another month before bottling.
- Let it age for at least 6 months; it gets darker and the flavor gets better.
Notes
A thick, rubbery pellicle (mother) or dark floating bits are normal. Mold is not: throw the batch out. If not sour after a month, ferment another 2 or 3 months. Safety: homemade vinegar’s acidity is unknown, so don’t use it for canning or shelf-stable pickling, which need commercial 5% acidity vinegar.