Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar - An ACV How To

Apple Cider Vinegar - ACV - is truely a wondermaker. You can eat it, clean your hair and your windows just to mention a few uses. We go through a lot of ACV just in our cooking, so when I began using it to rinse my hair, I knew I had to look into making it ourselves. Good organic ACV is expensive and as it turns out also really easy to make. Plus when you make it yourself it is almost free.

The wonderful thing about making your own ACV is that while it takes a while before it's ready for use, it doesn't require a lot of active involvement.

Here's what you'll need:
Apples (preferably organic)
Water
a bit of ACV with a mother in it.
Glass container
Something to keep the apples down.
muslin to cover the top of the container.


Next time your family have some apples for a snack save the cores. Even better, make a badge of apple porridge and save the peels and cores.

Place the peels and cores in the glass container, cover with water and add a bit of ACV with a mother in it, if you have some, to jump start the process. If your ACV is cloudy and has a dark stringy substance in the bottom, then it has a mother culture in it. Most organic, unfiltered ACVs should have it.

The next step is to put something in there to keep the peels and cores submerged. I use a cooking quality plastic bag filled with water. It's not the best choice since it is a plastic, but I haven't though of anything as effective yet, so please let me know if you have an idea.

Place the muslin on top of the container, place it in a dark spot and wait for a month. You can check on it every now and then to make sure the apples are still submerged.
After a month, remove the cores and peels. The water should have turned into delicious ACV now. If it's not as strong as you would like it, then just let it sit longer.

My first batch turned out a little weak, but continued to gain strength after the apples were removed.

That, my friends, is how you make ACV. Easy and almost free. If you don't have an ACV with the mother, then the process may take a little longer. If you are not used to using ACV in your kitchen, go ahead and get a bottle to try it and make your own from then on.