"Apple cider vinegar, made from fermented apple juice is a good choice for many pickles. It has a mellow, fruity flavor that blends well with spices. However, it will darken most vegetables and fruits."

This is from the University of Minnesota extension pages. I wondered about this too, and my local extension said it was fine as long as the vinegar is purchased and has a 5% acidity label on it. I just filtered out the mother through a coffee filter for mine. It makes the pickles darker and cloudier. I am having a hard time finding an pasteurized apple cider vinegar that is made from 100% apples and a brand where the pasteurization method is "transparent" (meaning they explain technique re: chemicals).

Haha I remember getting help with moving house. A friend was transferring the fridge contents. He held up my bottle of red wine vinegar and said "Time to throw this out". It has a BIG MOMMA of a mother at the bottom of it. He looked doubtful...and disgusted...when I said it was still good.

What is supposedly wrong with using plain old Heinz vinegar products be it cider or white or wine?

Dave

Thanks David - Sounds like it would be worth a try but I've never heard of Braggs brand vinegar nor seen it for sale locally. Is it a regional product? Is it usually available in supermarket chain stores or only in specialty stores? Found the website and it appears to be a bit...hmmm...strange? No offense.

Dave

It is found in health food stores.

Hahah Dave! I just went to the website to check out the 'strange' factor. First thing I did was hit 'mute'. They do seem a bit dippy don't they?

Hadn't seen their website - it takes all kinds, I guess :-)

I can buy over-priced quarts of the stuff in the local Safeway, but pass on that and get the gallons from a local healthe foode shoppe.

I'm amazed at the difference in taste in the organic Bragg's vinegar. It's so good that I can actually take a swig of it plain. This coming from someone who really doesn't like the taste of vinegar much, except for mild rice wine vinegar.
I love the Bragg's vinegar straight with a good Cherokee purple tomato, no olive oil needed. I can imagine it would make fantastic pickles.
It also seems to help prevent and even get rid of yeast infections, as I've experimented this summer when I took antibiotics for a sinus infection.

Re: Braggs: I seems to me that the Braggs has a more "muted" taste -not as sharp- as regular cider vinegar (as well as a more complex taste). That has always made me wonder if the amount should be changed if using in a recipe which was developed with regular old cider vinegar.

I think if you are using a modern recipe that calls for a 5% acidity in a vinegar then you can use Braggs vinegar no problem. It has 5% acidity on the label. However, older recipes that call for stronger stuff (10% vinegar acidity), of course that would not work. I've been using Braggs for icebox quick pickles for years, but recently it was suggested to me that I stop using so much chemically fermented vinegar and use more Braggs (because I also love the taste of vinegar and have to use it a lot in my baking).
A super use for Braggs is to change flavors during slow cooking. I also used it recently to make a non-canned smoked cucumber relish that was a big hit (the peppers are smoked)....sweet and sour goodness with a bit of smokey heat!

I wonder if you could make cheaper vinegar taste better by adding a bit of Bragg's and some sugar to it and letting it dement for awhile? Or, would it be better to buy apple cider and add the Bragg's? It's just so darn expensive but I'm hooked!

Thanks everyone for your posts!

Now I am definitely looking forward to using Bragg's in some of my canning - esp. the bread 'n butter pickles, which turn a different color anyway because of the turmeric in the recipe.

There are many health benefits to using Bragg's in its raw (unprocessed and not heated) state so I'm not sure what BWB canning will do to that.
But, I will use it for the taste that so many like.

Last year I canned "Roasted Sweet and Hot Peppers" and used White Balsamic vinegar. They are sooooo good! I will use that again too.

tracydr- I think I remember reading that you can add Bragg's to another vinegar. There might be a wait time for the mother to work. There is lots of info on the Bragg's site. I didn't read it all.

It's good for your joints, helps lower blood glucose (Type 2 Diabetes) etc. etc. Just use a couple Tblsp. daily straight up or mix with water or juice.

Don't be afraid of the mother. The more you read about all its benefits - the more you'll use it.

-gloria

I've been making a quick drink daily for my joints and digestion. Tbsp of chia seeds and a tsp of Bragg's vinegar with a glass of water. Not bad tasting but you may want a bit of stevia or honey if you prefer sweeter tastes.

Yes they do make all sorts of claims about its health benefits but then so do all vinegar brands. But I still have some very real concerns about it safe use in canning, its processing methods, the lack of inspection and regulation it is subjected to, its stability over time in stored canned foods, the lack of any testing done on it for canning, etc.

While I see no problems using it for fresh eating food preparation, canning for long term shelf storage is a unique situation. I can find no information on their site specific to its use in canning. Is there some I am missing?

I think for now I prefer to stick with USDA tested and approved brands of vinegar for canning.

JMO

Dave

Here's the link I found for University of Minnesota and their pickling and vinegars information:

Here is a link that might be useful: U of Min extension pickling vinegars

To update - I made two phone calls today.
1. To my local extension office
2. To the Bragg company

My extension office said that as long as the vinegar is labeled 5% acidity - it is safe to use in BWB canning. She also said to use a recipe that calls for cider vinegar, not white vinegar.

The Bragg company said their vinegar is safe to use in canning. It must be processed (BWB) according to the canning directions in the recipe - to kill the mother, ie. the bacteria. Cold pack - refrigerator or freezer pickles is NOT to be done because it does not destroy the mother.

It doesn't matter if you shake the bottle first, pour off carefully or filter it. You can do it anyway you want. The important thing is to process it BWB.

I think I would filter it for a clearer looking product..

I really want to see if Bragg's vinegar makes better tasting pickles. The bread 'n butter pickles I make never last very long. I usually make 4 or 5 batches and that's gone shortly after Christmas.

The Bragg company also said it can be added to any cider vinegar to enhance it. So using it 1:1, with Heinz as David52 will do- is a good thing.

Happy canning!
-gloria

@gardengal19 I've been adding regular ACV to my Bragg vinegar for over a year and now have a wonderful glob of gelatinous mother in the bottom of the bottle! When I purchased the vinegar there were only some strands. Tastes fantastic and seems to have developed a bit more acidity which I find pleasant. I made some apple-infused rice vinegar which I'm thinking of introducing the mother to and see what happens!

I have some acv with the mother I got from an apple farm. The jug is very low so I was wondering if I can just add some regular acv to the jug?