APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Yes, I made my own.  This weekend I decanted my own apple cider vinegar.  It was simple to make although you need patience.

Ingredients.  2kg of crisp, sweet,  eating apples.  The kind that don't go mushy when you cook them (ask your green grocer). If you have apple trees, the windfalls would be perfect.   One cup of brown natural sugar and four litres of cold water.

Method.  You will need a big ceramic or glass jug to store the mix which could take some months depending on the temperature.  I cored the apples leaving the skin on, and cut into chunks (about quarter slices then cut the quarters into half, but you don't have to be precise, smallish chunks will do).  Then dissolve the sugar into about a cup of water and then add the dissolved sugar water to the mix.

Put everything into the jug you have chosen, put a tea towel on the top, and leave for as long as it takes.  In Queensland it may take 1 month because it is warm, but here, even in my kitchen, it took 3 months.

After about a month it will go a bit slimy.  It won't smell or fizz.  If it does you are on your way to apple cider, slow the process down by putting it in a cooler place.  After the second month I added half a cup of a previous batch of vinegar (you could use a bought cider vinegar, but make sure it is organic and all natural (no chemicals added).  If you have a warm kitchen, or live in a warm climate you may not need to add this.  I just did it to hurry the fermentation along.  Then just leave for as long as it takes.  As I said, mine took about 3 months in total.

Cider vinegar is so sensitive to temperature, that I cannot guarantee anything about this recipe.  It works for me, and if you just take things slowly I think it will work for you.  It is so satisfying when it does.  The next batch I am going to leave much longer and see if I can produce a balsamic style vinegar.  I will let you know.  It might take one year to get the desired result!