We buy ACV with the mother in it. It is translucent. We bought some at the local grocery store and the health food store. Maybe you could go and look at it and compare it to what you have? We don't do anything to preserve it. It just stays there by itself. Bragg's makes an expensive one you can look at in a health food store. We found the same thing much cheaper at a grocery store.

Actually, I bought a bottle of Bragg's and used it over the last couple of months, which is what got me started making my own. I set up a coffee filter in a small plastic caulinder (sp?) to drain the liquid from the goo--which is much thicker than I thought it would be. Mine has a relatively sharp taste, as I'd hoped for, and a fruitier taste than Bragg's.

I may do my vinegar production in the winter--it attracts a lot of fruit flies! I keep them out of the production, but they're still annoying.

Thanks,

Rick in CT

Mother can and will create a disk on top of the container. I've kept vinegar mother alive for just over two years and each time I feed it more alcohol the top disk falls to the bottom. I just poured some beer in it a week ago and a new disk of mother is forming and the older one fell to the bottom.

I was thinking of using the mother disc to put into containers of new apples to jump start the process. My first batch of ACV has a lot of solids. Is there a good way to force a little more liquid out? I tried using a coffee filter in a plastic caulinder in the fridge, but even after a couple of days didn't get too much out.

Rick

I have a local store that sells apple cider no additives, I turn that into hard apple cider by adding champagne yeast then turn that into vinegar.

I would just process the apples into juice then either let wild yeast get to it to ferment or add your own champagne yeast (don't use bread yeast just a nasty flavor, good for bread bad for alcohol) and let it ferment, once done then drop some of the mother into it and let it do its thing and convert the alcohol into vinegar. That way you don't have to deal with chunks.

Another note, I plan on trying to obtain wild vinegar, have to attract the vinegar fly which carries the bacteria for vinegar on their feet. If interested here is a video explaining the whole process.

http://youtu.be/TEwOzhyVYyc

I guess in the mean time, I'll try using cheesecloth to wring a little more out.

Thanks!

--Rr

Yeah cheesecloth is probably the best route to go. Get as much as you can and if you need more liquid juice more apples. With the chunks you have left, I would put it in a blender and pulverize into pulp and strain through cheese cloth that way you can twist and squeeze easier.

I realize that I'm a newbie to making vinegar, but my process was quite different from that shown in the video, and was still successful. I started my ACV by cutting up (washed) organic apples, and stuffing them in a mason jar ~2/3 full, with a tsp of sugar and non-chlorinated water to cover. No fruit flies, fermentation as a separate step, etc. I put a double layer of paper towel over the top, secured with twine, and that was more or less all I did. It got stirred, often at first bc it was fermenting, less later on. The apples in this case turned to mush after ~2 weeks.

I realize I was somewhat fortunate getting a good culture the first time. Would this culture still count as 'natural' since the microorganisms were either on the fruit or in the air? Another later attempt went bad. So, it seems in my 1st attempt, that the fermentation and conversion to vinegar were simultaneous.

I definitely agree that starting with organic cider and cultured wine yeast would simplify the process quite a bit. I'm also making sauerkraut via a similar fermentation process, as well as sourdough, which was easily inoculated just by leaving the container open for a while--it was winter, so no flies to worry about.

Thanks, Habj--it's all good experience. I really appreciate being able to compare notes here!

Rick

Yes the process you used is perfectly fine, the flys are around the trees and around during picking/packaging process so the chances they land on apples is high and since they were organic you have the bacteria on the apple skin, even though you washed it some still survived. You obtained natural yeast from the air to start fermentation. Once you have the mother from your first batch just add a little to your next batch to ensure success. If you like malt vinegar just buy some beer and drop some mother into it. It's more difficult with store bought wine because most have preservatives to prevent the wine from turning into vinegar so most wine will most likely kill the mother.

Sourdough sounds like a good project, do you have a post/thread on here about your experience with that? I may want to give that a try.

Malt vinegar sounds like a good idea--I didn't realize it was made from beer--lol. During the summer, I cut up tomatoes from the garden with mozz and spices, then steep them in warm malt vinegar for a few hours. The bread to go with it:

I did a thread on sourdough somewhere here, but it's very simple: in a very clean quart mason jar, mix 1/4 cup of rye flour with enough non-chlorinated water to make a 'batter'. Let the jar stand open for 12-24 hours where bugs won't get into it. Stir it and screw the lid on, but 'barely tight'. Stir it, 1x/day for two days, and you should see/smell fermentation starting. As fermentation gets going, add a little more flour and water every day until the jar is 1/2 full. If it smells good, it's good. If bad, then chuck it and start over. It should have a yeasty/vinegar scent. Tan liquid, sometimes quite dark, will float on top. Pour it off. Never add sugar.

During warm weather, keep it in the fridge unless you're using it every day. Refrigerated, it should be fed a little rye flour and water 1x/week. You can use ~3/4 of it for baking, replenish it, and it will be ready again the next day at room temp. Never put the lid on so tight that gas can't escape, and not so loose that bugs can get in. Happy baking!

--Rr

Rredbbeard, thanks for sharing, I will be giving that a try. Never add sugar? To the starter, but when baking the bread do you add sugar? I've made homemade bread and added sugar so can I use that recipe and sub the rye for wheat flour? Your bread looks awesome.

the tomato and mozz with vinegar sounds delicious I may have to try that. I am growing tomatoes this year.