i made my own apple cider this year. extracted the juice and froze it in icecream tubs to get rid of any wild yeast. put it in a plastic rubbish bin from the warehouse with a lid on. it was just left and now i am using the applecider.
pickles7,
Sep 29, 7:01am
Did you add a wine yeast? , mothergoose If you have a lot, why not try making a cider vinegar with some. Apple cider can be diluted with 1 part water to two parts cider, then add raw unfiltered cider vinegar you buy at the health food shop, cover with a cloth and put in a dark warm spot for two or three months.
pickles7,
Sep 29, 8:17pm
More research you can now test your home made vinegar for acidity. isn't that cool. Years back when you had no choice but to make your own, that was a major problem. Food was not being preserved using vinegar with a high enough acidity. If the alcohol is 5% you should end up with a safe vinegar as long as it has had the time and space to turn the alcohol into acetic acid. There needs to be a large lot of air available for the vinegar mother to breath.
pickles7,
Sep 30, 7:27pm
I would not have believed it was so simple The bottle I put down with half white wine and water, and added the cider vinegar to, has a vinegar mother growing already.
pickles7,
Sep 30, 7:41pm
any one wanting to try this, all you need is some wine or beer, diluted as above, and a bottle of raw cider vinegar. I got mine from a heath food store. something to "Bragg" about. I have been told you can buy something similar from your supermarket. Shake the bottle, if it turns cloudy bits can be seen floating around , it should be good. Read the label, should read "raw unfiltered, with the mother" some where on the label.
pickles7,
Oct 1, 6:40am
cool as I have just arranged to have all the beer in the lines at our local, to be saved for my vinegar mother to turn into vinegar. lol. She won't get a lot but it all helps. I will definitely take a pic of my new mother tomorrow. I am blown away as to how fast this has taken place.
pickles7,
Oct 1, 10:41pm
This morning I made up a tin of apple cider, I added 1800 grams of sugar. In total 24 liters of water. I am using an old beer brewing barrel. The Specifid gravity is 1040, should give a alcohol of 6 % in 6-10 days. Specific gravity should come down to 1000. wine yeast and a pkt of yeast food was added. I put on an air lock.
pickles7,
Oct 7, 9:20pm
bumping... . for buzzy and david
pickles7,
Oct 8, 10:34pm
mothergoose_nzwhy not make one bottle into vinegar. it is so simple, if you were near by I would gladly give you the starter.
uli,
Oct 8, 11:44pm
pickles - I am not sure you UNDERSTAND how vinegar is made - so I am a bit worried about your "wonderful" ideas on here ...
Especially your comment:
makes absolutely NO sense to me ... .
davidt4,
Oct 8, 11:46pm
Nor to me.
pickles7,
Oct 9, 12:08am
then don't worry, uli. davidt. It will make sense to anyone who has made wine. Sometimes if you cannot understand something you should leave well alone. Most wine makers make vinegar at some time, it can be a curse. I haven't had a brew turn into vinegar by itself yet . I have made wine now for 25 years I guess I cannot see things in a simple light. 60 bottles last year, hence, wanting to turn some into vinegar. uli. I am starting to think your "vinegar mother" as you put it, was just the rubbish that normally rises to top, of the first fermentation of any must. That was not the correct way to make a safe vinegar. Maybe alright for a simple dressing, so long as it wasn't on my salad. Not the same thing, as striving for a vinegar suitable to use for pickles. I will test for alcohol using a vino-meter before introducing the vinegar eels.
davidt4,
Oct 9, 12:16am
This is getter funnier and funnier, isn't it uli? Here's a quick quote from wikipedia:
Although they are harmless and non-parasitic, leaving eels in vinegar is considered objectionable and is not permitted in vinegar bottled for consumers in the United States.
Vinegar eels are often given to fry (baby fish) as a live food, like microworms. Vinegar eels are only found in unpasteurized vinegar. Vinegar that has been pasteurized no longer has the live bacterial and yeast culture that these nematodes require for subsistence.
pickles7,
Oct 9, 12:34am
I sure would not like them in my vinegar, It would be a sign of the vinegar having been tampered with.
I have a pic of them on here somewhere. I was ecstatic when my first lot appeared. just what I was expecting. But as my vinegar has developed the eels have been devoured by mother. may take a new pic of that jar. I won't take the lid off though, wouldn't want it to get contaminated. If anything there are those that are being educated as to just how, there vinegar got into the bottle.
pickles7,
Oct 9, 9:27pm
Thought I should put this in here as well, so that davldt could unders tand just what the vinegar eels do in the way vinegar is made. He is sort of making raw vinegar, sound scary. People drink it every day in the way of cider vinegar. It is very good for your health. . http://www.vinegarman.com/zoo_vinegar_eel. shtml
pickles7,
Oct 13, 9:39pm
bumping to say, the jar I put in the glass house with the banana skin in has been brewing away. not good, I would not even consider a wild yeast, to preserve my food with. It, along with the jar with the fruit flies, have been sent packing. Although the jar with the flies did take on a sour taste, too risky to have that in the same room as my 23 liters of cider, turning into vinegar. I cannot see into that vessel so there will not be anything to report until I open up the covering to taste. Maybe two months off. Now I can devote my time to salami making. One sausage stuffer, coming up. Cheers
buzzy110,
Oct 16, 6:11am
It's taken me a while but I have finally found this thread. This thread has really fired me up. Have been searching the net and am pretty sure I'll be able to make apple cider. Now all I have to do is figure out how to turn the cider into vinegar and I'll be wrapt. Am thinking about where I'm going to get my big glass jar and other stuff. I can't wait to get going. Once I've mastered this I'll be able to branch out. However, as we don't use that much vinegar, maybe I'll save some cider for drinking.
pickles7,
Oct 16, 7:09am
buzzy, I will use the 23 liters of vinegar in no time at all, I make 3 lots of plum sauce, pickles, pickle my own gherkins, and onions. Figure if I need to alter the recipes because D. Y. C has changed the way they make there vinegar I may as well brew my own vinegar to start with. I am brewing my 23 liters in plastic. An old beer brewing vessel. Nothing to see now. but my fish bowl vinegar is brewing white wine vinegar. I have another beer vessel but it has been a worm tea container. Don't fancy using that. I am going to brew a lot of fruit wines this year, just half gallon jars. I found tomato vinegar the other day, $10. 00 For a tiny bottle. Think that would be just yummmmmy . A pic of the fish bowl, follows . 3 bottles of white wine and 3 bottles of water, + raw cider vinegar. http://images. trademe.co.nz/photoserver/80/108457080_full. jp g
buzzy110,
Oct 17, 8:54pm
That is amazing pickles. I would never have thought of using a fish bowl. Don't you need to cover it with a cloth to protect it from dust and bugs. Mine would be full of spiders and fruit flies in no time flat if I left it open like that.
pickles7,
Oct 20, 1:56am
... . . buzzy... . . learn to use the message board search , option... . . lol. ... silly
pickles7,
Oct 20, 3:19am
buzzy ... . your local wine makers club would help out with a wealth of knowledge, hands on help if you require, I have found the clubs very helpful, often they can point you in the right direction for the proper cider apples. I will be looking for a club here soon, great competitions, tastings etc. The year before last the National competitions were held in Kawerau. It was a blast. . I accidentally came across some, Seibel grapes, Divine, wine. It is a hobby that can get away with you. You start to look at every living thing to turn into wine. lol I don't brew with wild yeast anymore, the last wild yeast I made wine with was a 40 gallon drum of cherries, that shot its lid off, with the build up of gas. I syphoned off 4 x 20 liter containers and continued the brewing on the yeast it had in the must. . Nice wine good alcohol, I had to run it through the still as it gave everyone a stomic rumble. As a liqueur it was easy to put away. soooo very nice. I will not be able to repeat that again, imported sweetened cherries, what luck.
buzzy110,
Oct 20, 4:47am
Hi pickles. I have seen this thread for a while now but hadn't clicked on it as I thought it might be some one asking for information about DYC vinegar as opposed to a really interesting thread that led to the making vinegar thread.
pickles7,
Oct 30, 9:52pm
Not far off making pickles myself. I bought two cucumbers the other day, and I have not used them. I know they do not keep as well as they used to, so it is pickling time. It will be a challenge as all the vinegars taste the same, ... . . sour ... . . I am also unsure of the acidity, as we had a can of beetroot go moldy in the fridge. The first time ever. I have sterilised the plastic container, just in case there will be an on going problem with that, as a precaution I will boil my vinegar 5 minutes before making the pickle.
pickles7,
Nov 1, 9:21pm
Put the lid on and the slugs won't get in.
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