Apple cider vinegar

If you have some unsprayed apples that fall off regularly, you can easily make a great apple cider vinegar that you use all year round.

If you don’t have your own apples, you might be able to get falling apples somewhere cheap - most likely for free. When I walk in the hills, there is a lot of fruit that no one picks around around the farms. Ask.

We have 10 apple trees in the garden that we don’t spray with anything. Of course, not all apples are fully ripe, but they are already good enough to make vinegar. It is not good to use completely unripe apples. Vinegar will not be good. The power of vinegar (acidity) is given by the sugar in the apples and not the acid.

Preparation

Pick up fallen apples, wash and remove worms or tilted part. Apples do not need to be peeled and no stalks, stalks (the ones around the seeds) and flies removed. The apples should be ripe, as sweet as possible. From unripe apples vinegar will not be good.

Cut them into thin slices and shake them into a larger bowl. We use plastic barrels suitable for food storage.

Some add some more sugar to make the vinegar stronger. There is nothing wrong with this as long as you do not replace the ripeness of the apples with sugar.

Pour water over the sliced ​​apples in a barrel. Do not overdo it with water - pour only to the surface of the apples. Cover the barrel with a cloth to prevent insects and dust from falling into it, and CO2 may be emitted at the same time.

Stir from time to time (with a wooden spoon or even with clean hands) to mix in the oxygen needed to form acetic acid from alcohol. We’ve been doing this all season.

At the end of the season (once in October - the vinegar must not freeze!) Strain the vinegar through a thin strainer (salad drainer), and then finely - with a wide kitchen strainer.

We keep it in plastic handles. It can also be stored in stainless steel containers (for juice, wine, milk,…). By no means in containers where there used to be any chemicals.

NOTE: Vinegar can also be made from apple juice, which is simply left to sour. Such vinegar is much stronger and must be diluted with water before use.

IMPORTANT! If a layer of mucus accumulates on the surface of the vinegar, there is nothing wrong with it. This is the "mother of vinegar", which consists of cellulose and acetic acid bacteria, which are actually responsible for the formation of acetic acid (from alcohol and oxygen). The mucus doesn’t look exactly pleasing to the eye, but it’s not at all dangerous or harmful. I’ve heard some people just throw away such vinegar, saying it spoiled for them.

How much vinegar do we need per family?

We use apple cider vinegar in the household all year round. We prepare it for about 50 liters and that is enough for a family of 6. We never buy it, except at sea, when we run out of home. We bought one small bottle this year and we can’t use it at all because it’s not good for us. We are just used to home…

Apple cider vinegar is also healing. Probably a factor as to why they're doing so poorly.

Financial and ecological side

We consume about 50 liters of apple cider vinegar per year, which, if bought, would cost about € 64 per year.

In addition, 50 bottles are not thrown in the trash and do not have to be transported from distant places (ecological impact of transport).

recipe 2

Various aromatic vinegars are also very popular. In these recipes, we always use quality apple cider vinegar, in which we soak herbs, spices, but also fruit. Natural apple cider vinegar is not only useful in cooking, but also helps to alleviate many health problems. It regulates digestion, lowers cholesterol, and weight loss with apple cider vinegar is also very popular.

Recipes for homemade apple cider vinegar are simple, with a little knowledge we can prepare a stock for the whole year. To prepare a good apple cider vinegar, we always use ripe, sweet enough apples that have not been sprayed and are grown without pesticides or fertilizers.

Apples should be healthy and as aromatic as possible. Vinegar is extremely aromatic, to which we add old varieties of apples, our ancestors planted hazelnuts for this purpose. Hazelnut fruits are not too good to eat, but they are wonderful for making homemade vinegar. (1)

Preparation of apple cider vinegar in a small household

In smaller households, it is usually enough to make apple cider vinegar from four kilograms of apples and five liters of water:

Put a quarter of a kilogram of sugar in five liters of water and bring to a boil. Instead of sugar, you can add a piece of black bread, which has the same effect as sugar. Bring the water with the sugar to a boil and cool. Pour it into a large glass, it should hold at least ten liters. We do not use plastic or metal containers to prepare the vinegar. The most suitable is a glass, ceramic or wooden container.

We then add to the sweetened water four kilograms of apples that we have previously ground or sliced. If we have a fruit press, then we grind the apples, otherwise we cut them into eighths and mash them. In addition to apples, we can also add the peels left over from when we were preparing some apple dish.

When making apple cider vinegar, we must pay attention to the room temperature

Close the jar tightly with a rubber balloon and place it in a suitably warm place where it should stay for about 1 month. Acetic acid bacteria are most active at temperatures between 25 and 28 degrees C. Care must be taken that the room where we placed the jar does not freeze, as in this case the acidification will stop.

If we are making vinegar in a larger container, then we just cover it with a sparsely woven cotton cloth to give the liquid enough oxygen. Stir the liquid several times during fermentation, but when the fermentation is over, the vinegar can be left in the same container for another 14 days to get a more pronounced aroma.

After about four weeks, the liquid boils alcoholically and apple cider is formed. The apples soften and sink to the bottom of the glass. Now is the time to drain the must. Pour it into a shallow bowl and add a little ripe apple cider vinegar left over from last year’s harvest. It is even better if we add vinegar nut, which is also called vinegar yeast. Vinegar yeast is a sticky mixture that accumulates on top when boiling vinegar. It is formed with the help of bacteria that trigger the fermentation process. If we pick up vinegar yeast and put it in some other liquid, they will start the boiling process and speed it up.

We can also make vinegar yeast ourselves. Prepare a mixture from a glass of apple cider vinegar and a glass of natural apple juice. Place the mixture in a warm place and after about a week, vinegar yeast will form on top.

Once the vinegar has been strained, pour it into clean bottles, which must not be sealed yet. Instead of a stopper, close the bottles with a piece of cotton wool and put gauze over them. Place the bottles in a cool place for 2 or 3 months to allow the vinegar to slowly ripen.

If sediment accumulates at the bottom of the bottles, we should not worry, because the sediment means that our apple cider vinegar is of good quality. In fact, we need to pay attention to vinegar, where there is no sediment, which we see in industrially produced vinegar, from which all important active ingredients have been filtered off.

Recipe for apple cider vinegar

Apple cider vinegar can also be made from apple pomace. Apple cider vinegar is made from not too compressed pomace of apples of the old variety. Very good vinegar is made from apples that ripen late. Such vinegar takes a long time to develop, but it is of high quality and lasts for many years. Old varieties of apples, such as mošančki or lesnika, bobovec or damasonka, are suitable. We pick these apples only in November and grind them immediately:

Old varieties of apples to make vinegar, pick up in November and immediately squeeze them in a press. Immediately afterwards, grind them again to obtain not too compressed pomace. The pomace is then pressed into a wooden tub or large glass container. We avoid plastic containers as they are not acid resistant. Place the dish in a warm place to heat slowly.

After two days, the pomace is warm enough and now pour lukewarm water on it. There should be as much water as the pomace absorbs. We should not pour too much water as we can get too watery and empty vinegar.

Vinegar yeast can be added to make vinegar faster

After two days, the pomace is squeezed again in a press and the resulting liquid is poured into a clean tub or a larger glass container. Cover everything lightly, preferably with a cotton cloth or gauze. Vinegar fungi need oxygen for fermentation, the more it is, the faster we will get quality vinegar. We can also add vinegar yeast left over from last year's vinegar to the liquid.

After about a month, the fermentation is over and the vinegar can be poured into bottles, but if we have produced a larger amount, it can be kept in an oak barrel. The bottles should not be completely closed, but only covered with gauze or cotton wool. We also need to leave the barrel on top open for a while as there is still a slight boiling.

The use of apple cider vinegar in cooking

Apple cider vinegar is indispensable in every kitchen! We use it to prepare a variety of dishes, we can add it to stews and cover salads with it. It can also be used to prepare various sauces and dressings, it is indispensable in the preparation of homemade mustard, and we can also prepare especially delicious vinegars with herbs.

.Mustard with apple cider vinegar

Mustard is a versatile spice additive, but it can also be prepared at home. The recipe can be customized to your liking.

The basic recipe for making homemade mustard requires 3 tablespoons of liquid, we usually use homemade apple cider vinegar, wine or bubble-free beer.

You can also add turmeric, fresh chopped garlic, honey, salt or dried tarragon. Season the hot dogs with home-made mustard, offer it with a burger or spread it on the meat before grilling it.

Homemade mustard recipe:

45 grams of yellow mustard seeds

3 tablespoons mustard powder

125 ml of apple cider vinegar

125 ml of dark beer

2 crushed cloves of garlic

80 grams of brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Mix the mustard seeds, mustard powder and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Cover with cling film and let rest for 3 hours at room temperature. Then mix beer, garlic, brown sugar, salt, ginger and allspice in a small pan.

Stir in the mustard mixture and bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Then lower the heat and cook slowly for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally in between.The mustard mixture is then transferred to clean jars and tightly closed. Before use, the mustard is cooled to room temperature, stored in a cool, dark place.

Homemade apple cider vinegar recipe with walnuts

Homemade apple cider vinegar can also be enriched with walnuts! We use it for a sophisticated seasoning of sweet dishes, to which we want to add a slightly sour note. Walnut vinegar goes well with beetroot and lettuce salads. In winter, season an apple and carrot salad with it. It is used in combination with quality but taste-neutral vegetable oil so that the taste of the oil does not overpower the vinegar.

Homemade apple cider vinegar recipe with walnuts:

1 liter of homemade apple cider vinegar

5 whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

250 grams of walnut kernels

Roughly chop 250 grams of healthy walnut kernels and put them in a pot, along with apple cider vinegar. Slowly heat to about 40 degrees C. Then cool the mixture slowly and add a cinnamon stick and 5 whole cloves. Pour everything together into a large jar, close and place in a dark, cool place for three weeks. In the meantime, shake the vinegar several times and also try if the ingredients have already soaked with each other.

After three weeks, strain the walnut vinegar and pour into smaller, dark bottles. The cinnamon stick can be left in one bottle for decoration.

Use of apple cider vinegar for skin care

Apple cider vinegar has also been a popular skin care product for centuries. It helps in regulating the pH of the skin and in removing excess fat on the face. The most effective is washing the face with natural apple cider vinegar. Mix 5 tablespoons of vinegar in a pot of warm water and wash your cleansed face with this mixture every night. The procedure is repeated for 5 days and if necessary even more.

Cooling bath with apple cider vinegar

On hot days when we can’t cool down, a cooling bath made from fresh lemons, oranges and mint can help. Apple cider vinegar cleanses the skin, restores its natural pH and also eliminates unpleasant skin odor.

Fresh or dried herbs are added to the bath vinegar to give the bath a fresh and pleasant smell. You can also add citrus to the baths, which have an equally pleasant smell. For a bath with orange and lemon, we need the following ingredients:

500 ml of apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon fresh mint

1 lemon, cut into thin strips

1 finely chopped orange

Coarsely chop the mint and put it in a glass jar. Add the orange and lemon, pour over the apple cider vinegar and seal tightly. Let the mixture stand for two weeks, then strain it and pour into a small bottle. Add 60 ml of the mixture to the bath water.

Apple cider vinegar coating for bruises

With the help of homemade apple cider vinegar, we can also relieve the pain of bruises. The wet compress relieves pain and speeds up the healing process. For a simple recipe, we need the following ingredients:

60 ml of water

60 ml of homemade apple cider vinegar (can be replaced with virginia)

2 drops of lavender essential oil

2 drops of rosemary essential oil

2 drops of peppermint essential oil

In a bowl, mix water, homemade apple cider vinegar and essential oils. Soak an absorbent cloth in the liquid, squeeze it well and place it on the damaged area.

Place plastic wrap over the cloth to allow the skin to absorb the essential oils. Put a towel over everything. Leave the dressing on for half an hour, change it three times a day if necessary.

Apple cider vinegar bath for sensitive skin

Apple cider vinegar can also be used for a bath for sensitive skin. Prepare a mixture of the following ingredients:

500 ml of apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons dried lavender

2 tablespoons dried rose leaves

2 tablespoons dried chamomile

Place the dried herbs in a wide-necked glass jar, pour over the vinegar and seal well. The herbs are soaked for two weeks and then strained and poured into a bottle.

For sensitive skin, add about 60 ml of the mixture to the bath water. We stay in the water for 20 minutes and then wrap ourselves in a warm towel and rest.