I have about 1 gal of cider that was 10% crabapples and 90% unpasteurized juice. I hypothesize that, if you picked the right crabapples, you may have a strong, interesting vinegar, possibly superior to my cider vinegar (which is pretty decent).

There is a lot of variation amongst crabapples, though. I taste and spit every crabapple or every aronia I can lay my hands on, and only one in about 4 I think is worthy of trying. It usually works well with crabapple mixtures though, because one gets some bitter/tart balance from the mix.

Thanks for the reply.
I simply downloaded some info on vinegar making from the internet, and thought I'd try what I had on hand. Maybe it'll work, maybe it won't.
Occasionally had homemade wine to turn to vinegar by itself. Elderberry vinegar is unusual... but not bad.

I have a Dolgo & a Centennial on order for the spring.
Ciao

Would you mind sharing your vinegar recipes? I am trying to make one out of apple cores and grape-wine-sludge (juice with sentiment from our wine-making) But... I'm just not sure if it's working or not.

I have 3.5 gallons on crab apples that I am 'hopefully' making into vinegar. I chopped all of the crab apples in quarters and filled my gallon glass jars about 3/4th full, then filled with water. I put about 1/4 cup of sugar in each gallon (I dissolved the sugar in the water first). I also put a weight in each one to keep the crab apples under the water level. They have been sitting in my basement for 1 week now. There is a scum forming on the top of each one. It is starting to smell slightly of vinegar. I am not really sure how long to let them sit, or if I have done everything right. If anybody has any other recipes or info, please share!

I have many imperfect Dolgo crabapples since I do not spray. How is the vinegar quality affected by poor quality fruit?