The cider vinegar that I mentioned a couple weeks ago — IT’S DONE!
And looking at the store, I see that I’ve reaped a notable (to me) savings. Different brands of organic cider vinegar with mother cost around $3.50 for 16 oz. at my local stores. Depending on how much vinegar I use, this could be quite a deal. If I want non-organic, then I probably saved about 1/4 that amount.
I definitely have mother — there was a thick one and a thin one. In the photo, you’ll see that I just strained the liquid, and some solids are still present. I think the color is due to the fruit being very fresh when I used it, also because I used our medium-colored honey. My vinegar is darker than when I started it, but not as dark as the store vinegar. The store’s vinegar has mother and solids — they might be noted on the label. I can certainly see the solids in their bottle.
I saved both thick and thin mothers — the thick one is in the jar with the vinegar, but I’m not sure if that’s the right place for it. The thin one was moved to another container with a little water and its home vinegar. I’m not sure what to do with it, either, but here’s a photo for you to look at. Additionally, I’m not sure how to dilute it to a different acidity, except by taste. Right now it is higher than what I’d find at the store, but maybe I want to leave it as is.
I know my apples were not sprayed because they were in a “waste area.” However, I wonder about the car emissions from the nearby traffic — are there health affects? The tree and its fruit did not seemed harmed, but what is the quality? Questions like there are something we all have to deal with on a case by case basis as individuals.
I am very pleased with the results. Making vinegar was very easy and cost me nothing – I had to trim apples anyway, so there was no extra labor; I already had jars and fabric, so there was no equipment to buy; I had the shelf space, so it wasn’t inconvenient to store. The taste is stronger than the store’s vinegar, but I’m OK with that.