How Make Your Own Organic Apple Cider Vinegar

I started a 21 day ACV Challenge for my followers on the first Monday of the new year. I have always known the amazing benefits it offers in cleaning supplies and have read a numorous amount of homemade salad dressing recipes that call for it. It wasn't until I started research for the challenge that I really got a good look at the medicinal benefits. There are so many to name I will list some below. I'm pretty sure I will be using ACV on a daily bassis after all I've learned. Therefore I will make my own.

The one thing you will learn about me is I'm an advocate of DIY. When you make something in your own kitchen you know what goes into it. The prep time is quick and easy and the cost of making it yourself as opposed to buying it is a no brainer. Have fun doing this and please let me know how yours turned out.

You’ll need:

• A large glass jar ( mason and jelly jars work well.
• Cheese cloth, coffee filter, pice of lace, or paper towel
• rubber or elastic band to secure over the jar
• A glass weight (used to hold the apples below the surface of the water)
• Organic apples
• Filtered water
• Raw cane sugar (about 2-3 tbsp. for each half-gallon jar )

Step 1 – Prep

Prep your area – The only real thing that you’ll want to be cautious about is that the apples, utensils, jar and surface area that you’re working on is very clean – you don’t want to introduce any bad bacteria into the fermenting process, as it will spoil your ACV. Clean everything in warm, soapy water and leave to air-dry.

Prep your apples – Clean your apples in a sink full of cold water and wipe them down with a cloth to remove any residue or dirt. Make sure to cut off any yucky bits, bruises and blemishes before-hand – if you wouldn’t eat it, don’t use it for your ACV.

For this batch of ACV I will use only the peels, and the core pieces- use pieces that you have left over from a pie or apple sauce you previously made.

If you’re using the whole apple, dice it in to small, half-inch pieces.

Step 2 – Assemble

Fill you jar 3/4 full of clean, diced apples.

Cover the apples with water and sprinkle with the sugar. The sugar will act as food for the beneficial bacteria which will help move the fermentation process along.You can also make it without without sugar, and instead used a 1/2 cup of ACV as a “starter” which worked well, too!)

Submerge the apples below the surface of the water. You’ll need to use a weight to prevent the apples from floating to the surface. I used a small glass jar but you may have to get creative. Many people use a clean zip-lock bag filled with water, or a plastic lid, perhaps left-over from a yogurt or sour cream container, cut to size and then held down with a sterilized rock. Again, you may have to get creative. If there are pieces of apples left exposed to the surface air, they may mold which will spoil your ACV.

Cover the jar with a doubled-up piece of cheese cloth, and secure it with an elastic band to prevent fruit flies and critters from getting in.

Step 3 – Wait

Store your soon-to-be ACV in a room-temperature environment, away from direct sunlight (like in your pantry, or tucked away in an undisturbed corner of your kitchen) and leave it to ferment for 4 weeks. If the room is cooler then “room temperature” (about 70°F) then your ACV will take longer to ferment.

In about 3 days you should see little bubbles forming – this means it’s working! The beneficial bacteria are breaking down the sugars into CO2!

Check on the ACV every few days to ensure that the apples are still submerged. It should smell sweet in the beginning, and then eventually start to smell more and more sour.

Step 4 – Strain & Store

After about 4 weeks, it should be ready to strain. Use a cheese cloth to squeeze out, and break down, as much of the apple as you can.

Pour the liquid back into the jar, cover again with the cheese cloth, and leave it to ferment for another 2-3 weeks, stirring every few days.

Once it has developed the taste that you desire, you can now bottle it, seal it with a lid and start to use it. Please share your experience making your own ACV.

Thank you for reading. Please share and follow. Your comments and feedback are encouraged. I'm always interested in hearing how your experience.