ACV with the Mother
I was wondering if it possible to change apple cider vinegar which doesn't have the mother in it, by adding some apple cider vinegar with the mother in it?
Does that make sense?
The reason is my mother just bought 5L of ACV before I found out the benefits of having the mother in it, & is disappointed that she didn't know, if this would work could you please tell me how we would go about the change?
Thanks
(Denver, Colorado)
10/13/2013
Debbie: Raw Apple Cider Vinegar contains acids, minerals, and enzymes not in pasteurized acv. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar does not have any beneficial microbes that can start a ferment. The acids prevent any further fermentation. The regular Apple Cider Vinegar is beneficial for alkalyzing only. The raw Apple Cider Vinegar has more benefits. You can make your own home made ferments with water kefir grains and raw organic sucanet. You can get the grains and info online. The microbes in kefir are more beneficial than yogurt. I take 4 cups a day.
(Wisconsin)
11/02/2013
I am making AVC, and it appears both mold and the mother are forming on the surface. Should I try to get rid of the mold? Does the mold ruin the ACV?
(London)
12/10/2013
Hello, I'm making homemade apple cider vinegar from whole apples, the water is drying up and the top fruit is no longer under water. Can I top it up with water or should I just leave it be? Thank you.
(Eddy Texas)
03/12/2014
There is mold on top of my organic wine vinegar, it is attached to the mother. Do I have to throw it away or scoop off top? thank you barb
(Ma., US)
02/07/2015
★★★★★
Mike; I'm not sure if my information is acceptable but I also bought ACV with-out the mother in it as that was the only two bottles in the store at the time I needed it, however, I bought apple cider at a near by farm. I had forgotten about the cider and left it out on my counter. The next morning I looked and the cider was fermented so I just added it to my ACV and there was no negative affects what so-ever. I found it's just as easy. I also put a small container aside and add an onion cut up and two or three garlic's. I found is great for constipation, so I use it as an enema because I found I have a disease called Hirschsprung// A congenital condition that affects the large intestines. Apple cider is good for just about every thing. Good Luck
(Okc, Ok)
02/09/2015
I did the same thing and asked the same question. I just mixed them together and it seemed to work fine.
(Arizona)
03/10/2015
If it's vinegar its already converted all the alcohol to acetic acid. So there's no point at all and using it to make more vinegar because you would have to add alcohol and reformat. So just go ahead and use it for cleaning and other household things and make fresh.
(New Zealand)
04/24/2016
I juiced apples and added a mother. A month later I went to get a piece of mother for the next brew and discovered the scum on the top had gone off. Quite a rotten smell. :-(
So I retrieved the mother, rinsed it and am just putting it in the next brew. Fingers crossed.
(Nigeria)
10/26/2016
hello,
My people in south south part of Nigeria is not aware nor practice any form of or anything like ACV preparations, no knowing any steps to follow or material to use not to mention the science of temperature regulation, is not even perceives in my area. But I know if all the material and direction and instructions is available it will be practiced in almost every household even in commercial quantity, even myself am very much interested.
What detailed help and direction can be given to me for starting such preparations locally, including other preparations that may be helpful in other ways
I shall be grateful I receive a favorable reply
Thanks
Emmanuel Robinson
Nigeria
Extending Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
(Somewhere, Europe)
01/06/2016
Teresa, you don't need to add a "starter" of any sort or some previous ACV??
(Wa)
10/27/2018
Adding the starter only speeds up the process a little. The mixture without a mother or starter will make its own.
Making ACV is very easy and uncomplicated. I have made several quarts by using the same method as Teresa and waiting at least 30 days for it to mature. No form of starter was used. Be sure to use sugar with the sliced apples, filling half the jar with sliced apples and stir at lease once daily to prevent mold and encourage quicker fermentation.
(Idaho)
11/20/2016
How much apples and how much water?
(Pennsylvania)
11/26/2022
The directions are not complete, do you strain it after the acc is ready?
How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar
(Hope Bc Canada)
11/03/2014
Hello, Appledays --- it's thumps down. These buggars have done their bit this year and they can multiply, as you may well know, in minutes.
They lay eggs and I had to renew my kombucha for the same reason. I have to cover everything and then some.
Next year I will have traps everywhere.
Namaste, Om
(Eugene, OR)
11/03/2014
I am making Apple Cider Vinegar also...I have checked this; it is fine to strain them out and start with a clean container. This time be sure to have tighting fitting cheese cloth, maybe use a few layers....maybe put a coffee filter between the layers as an barrier.
(Missouri)
05/28/2015
Hiya guyz, the simplest and best idea I've ever seen came from my grandma, just throw an old (but clean) T-shirt over a five gallon food grade bucket and anchor it down with a tight fightin' bungee cord, done! Always workz :)
(Nh)
11/04/2015
If you put dish soap and vinegar (vinegar first then carefully pour the soap down the side of the dish or glass so as to keep them separated) together in a shot glass or similar container, the fruit flies go nuts. My dad does this and we have several of them around the house during fruit fly season, and we count them to see who caught more. Put it next to fruit or garbage or whatever the flies are infesting and soon you will have caught tons.
(Ten Mile , Tn)
11/04/2015
HI U HI, , , , , , , , , , , , , you got the right string baby, but the wrong yoyo.
As all know , I's SJS, and we have fought fruit flies for years because we brought our fruit from the farm and processed it at our lake cabin. We discarded the waste in a compost pile and we were devoured by fruit flies and used the Apple Cider Vinegar trap, like you, to try and control them.
Finally, we shut down our compost pile and carried all our waste a few miles down the road. Guess what, no more fruit flies.
Like I've said before, I thought I would be smart at 65 and did not make that goal. Set the new goal to 75 and failed that. My new goal is 85 and I am confident that I'll achieve that.
Ya'll behave for a change. =====ORH====
How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar
Thoughts about processing those scraps into vinegar?
(California, US)
11/26/2014
In answer to the one who had a bumper crop of harelson apples, I just made several batches of Apple Cider Vinegar using the peels and cores (chopped) of the apples with purified water. I added some Apple Cider Vinegar I already had to the water plus 1/2-1 cup cane sugar (for the good bacteria to feed on), and then proceeded to follow the rest of the directions for making the acv. It's smelling quite vinegary now and has darkened in color, so I've strained out the peels/cores and letting it ferment a bit longer. I'll then store it in my cool dark pantry and probably won't pasteurize so as not to destroy the good bacteria. You should be able to make a lot of vinegar this way and not waste all those good peels, etc. I just made almost 5 gallons and with the prices of Apple Cider Vinegar in the stores, that adds up to a lot of savings!
How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup of Raw apple cider vinegar (the one with the mother in it)
1 cup apple cider
Put in a jar and cover with a coffee filter over it. You can use a rubber band to secure it. Put this in your pantry/ cupboard for about 1 month. At this time you will have a mother at the top or a thin film. Taste it to see if it is strong enough. If so, continue on-
For the next batch, use 1/2 cup of your vinegar in a mason jar and fill the rest with apple cider. This batch will go much faster and will be done at about 2 weeks.
You will no longer need to buy apple cider vinegar. You can share this with others and also the mothers can be given to friends and family for their use. It will help you save money, too! Spread the love!
Best of health to all in the new year 2013! Lisa
(Houston)
05/04/2015
Lisa, is it apple cider or the regular apple cider vinegar you use?
EC: Lisa uses both organic & raw apple cider vinegar and apple cider in her recipe.
(Weaubleau Mo)
11/04/2015
Thank you! :
How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
-2 liter of water (boiled and let cool)
-1 kg of apple (1/2 kg of green apple and haft of the red one
Clean and cut all apples into small pieces. Use the blender to chop them with the above water. Put them into the glass jar and close the lid. It is ready to use after one month.
(Montreal)
10/17/2016
Thanks for the recipe. I'll try it......this stuff is worth it's weight in gold.
How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar
(West Virginia)
03/12/2015
I like to mix apples for my ACV, using up to 1/4 TART crabapples. 1/2 sweet, and 1/4 culinary. This ratio is not crucial, but the mix of sweet, and tart makes a much more complex ACV. Try it a few different ways, see what works best for you.
How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar
(Jamestown, Ny)
08/02/2011
I use vinegar all over the house for cleaning and in the laundry, so I buy it in gallon plastic jugs. For convenience in the kitchen, I transfer it to a glass jug and top it with a cork. Even hot-washing the jug when refilling, within a week or two a cloudy scum develops in the vinegar. Is this a sign of contamination or just the vinegar continuing to ferment? Is it ok to use this vinegar for cooking? Thanks!
nrg(at)netsync.net
How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar
I am presently taking two TSP's shortly before meals to suposedly promote the flow of digestive juices to aid the takeup of nutrients: ie. the breakdown of foodstuff into juices my gut can absorb easily.
At home in the 'thirty's', I recall cloudy slimey stuff forming in the vinegar jug that was called
(St. Louis, MS)
04/12/2009
The slimy stuff, actually milky/slimy is the "mother". Just add more water and let it sit. Then strain the clear vinegar off, save the mother to use again, and enjoy!!
(University City, Missouri, Usa)
05/28/2010
If I live in a country where Apples are not obtainable, just like different fruits are substituted for grape in wine making, can I substitute some other not so sweet fruits for the tart winter apples? Do you know of a tropical fruit that can be used?
(Dhaka, Bangladesh)
06/11/2010
I know that 'Date juice' is an ingredients to make organic vinegar as being made in Bangladesh from time immemorial.The process is the same as making ACV. Date Juice vinegar (DJV) cures indigestion.
(Wharton, Nj)
09/28/2010
Yes, in South America we ferment pineapple skin with "spring" water and brown sugar(panela).
(Indianapolis, In)
12/04/2012
I've read many recipes that say one can use apple and fruit scraps to make vinegar... And one person above mentioned using pineapple scraps.
Question: If I freeze my fruit while collecting scraps, will it still make vinegar?
Question: I'm at the bottom of my jug... How do I preserve or feed the mother for future use? thanks.
(Thousand Oaks, Ca, Usa)
12/04/2012
Hi Becky, I don't see why you couldn't use the fruit scraps which you have frozen and then defrosted. That shouldn't pose a problem. I'm not really sure about the second question though. Do you want to feed it or preserve the mother? One or the other. Not long ago, I put up a post on making your own apple cider vinegar. I have made homemade coconut kefir and after getting it going, I would never use all of the "original". I would then add more coconut water and let it sit on the counter and by the next day, it would be coconut kefir again. Hope this make sense to you. Here's the link since it also explains how to continue feeding the mother to make more.
https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/acvinegar14.html#MAKING_88673
As for preserving the mother, just keep it in a jar of the vinegar. You can also give mothers away for others to use. I have done that as well as extra kefir grains as they proliferate.
Best to you, Lisa
(Portland, Or)
03/16/2013
In response to a comment. Vinegar forms from sugar converting to alcohol then converting to acetic acid (the main ingredient of vinegar). Any fruit that has sugar can be fermented into alcohol then acetic acid. That's why we keep corks on our wine bottles. We don't want to alcohol to turn to vinegar!
Can you tell me how you make date vinegar? I have never heard of this but I know it must be very good.
Thank you very much, Mary
How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar
Procedure for Making Traditional Hard Apple Cider (Found at: http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/vinegar-making.html)
1) Use one gallon (3.8 Liters) of freshly pressed apple juice from your local apple orchard. The juice should be unfiltered, additive free, and non-pasteurized for maximum nutrition and flavor and to allow the natural yeasts in the juice to ferment the sugar to alcohol.
2) Determine the amount of sugar in the apple juice by measuring its specific gravity or density with a simple hydrometer. The more sugar contained in the apple juice, the higher its density. Juice made from North American dessert apples will have a specific gravity between 1.040 and 1.050 and if allowed to ferment fully, will result in a hard cider with around 5.5 to 6.5 percent alcohol content. If, on the off chance you find the apple juice specific gravity less than 1.040, then add some plain old granulated white sugar (sucrose) directly to the juice as follows: Add 2.25 ounces (67.5 grams) of sugar to raise the specific gravity of one gallon of juice by 5 points (for example from 1.035 to 1.040).
3) Unscrew the top of the one gallon juice container, screw on a fermentation air lock, and allow the container to stand at room temperature for 6 to 8 weeks. The air lock will allow the carbon dioxide gas, produced during the fermentation, to escape while at the same time preventing the oxygen in the air from getting into the cider and interfering with the reaction.
4) After 6 to 8 weeks the fermentation will be complete. There will be no more carbon dioxide gas escaping through the air lock and there will be a thick deposit of lees at the bottom of the container. To make sure all the sugar has been converted to alcohol, check the cider's specific gravity, which should be less than 1.005. If the reading is still to high, wait another week and test again. To compute the alcohol content of the completed apple cider, take a hydrometer reading (using the potential alcohol scale) after fermentation and subtract it from the value you obtained before fermentation.
5) Separate the cider from the lees by siphoning the liquid into clean storage bottles using a section of plastic tubing. (Tubing with a 0.5 inch inside diameter will do fine.) You are now ready to make your own homemade apple cider vinegar, just follow the procedure outlined in Vinegar Making Starting from Hard Apple Cider.
Vinegar Making Starting from Hard Apple Cider
1. Fill a thoroughly cleaned wide-mouthed glass jar (a 700 ml mason jar will due fine) with about 500 ml of 5 to 6% hard apple cider.
2. Add 50 ml of unpasteurized and unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar which contains some mother of vinegar (Available at most health food stores).This will quick-start the vinegar making process.
3. Cover the jar top with two layers of cheesecloth, this will allow vinegar bacteria and oxygen from the air to get to the surface of the cider without being contaminated with fruit flies and other pests.
4. Place the jar in a warm room but in a dark place away from sunlight, which will interfere with the action of the bacteria. The optimum temperature for vinegar making is about 29 degrees C (85 F). o After about 2 weeks there will be a gelatinous white film floating on top of the liquid, this is the mother of vinegar, which is produced by the vinegar bacteria as it converts the alcohol into vinegar (acetic acid). o Allow the reaction to proceed for at least 4 to 8 weeks, then, if you started with a hard cider with 6% alcohol content, you should have a vinegar with about 5% acetic acid.
The age-old method for determining if the vinegar is complete is to simply smell and taste it. No odor or flavor of alcohol should be present.
A far more accurate way is to measure the acid content by titration. Inexpensive titration kits can be found at your local wine and beer making shop and are easy to use.
Once completed, store the apple cider vinegar into clean long necked glass containers equipped with plastic screw-type caps, and discard the thick mother of vinegar film or reuse it to start-up a new batch.
(St Helena, CA)
01/14/2009
to make cider first, can I use a juicer???
(New Delhi, India)
01/04/2010
This refers to the procedure for making Apple Cider found at: http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/vinegar-making.html). The procedure in step 2 and 3, states not to close the lid of the container. Instead it should be covered with cheesecloth so that oxygen is allowed into it.
At some other place on the same page it is contradicted. The lid should be air-tight so that atmospheric oxygen does not enter into the liquid.
Please clarify.
(Fipland, Michigan)
05/10/2013
Not sure what you are referring to, but any time you have bacteria or yeast working, it needs to breathe or will build up pressure causing container to explode. After vinegar is finished working it should be put in sealed bottles.
The Mother
So I am familiar with fermentation and dabble with many of the throwback forms of preservation. I have not made Vinegar before but because I lecture on fermentation often, I had a coworker give me a gallon bottle of apple cider....it had a floating mother in it so I kept it to see what will happen.
This is a pasteurized apple cider product, and after a couple days out of the fridge it rose to the surface and began developing a white raft of mold.
The question is whether this will turn into vinegar eventually, or make me sick from attempting to consume it weeks down the line.
Has anyone ever allowed the pasteurized apple cider to do its thing without inoculating it (purposefully) with a known mother? Is it safe? worth letting it run its course naturally?
(Cobbora, Australia)
02/25/2015
★☆☆☆☆
WARNING!
R: Floating Mother...
Personally I'd toss it! Or put it down an ants nest...
From buying ACV for years I know that the "mother" sits on the bottom as in a sediment, and will intergrate throughout the vinegar when shaken...
If it floats I would venture to say that it has been opened at some stage and I just would not use it. I have never heard of mold in ACV, because it is a product that literally keeps for years without refrigeration... plus even if you removed the mold, spores would still be in the vinegar thereby making it unsuitable for internal or external use.
Stay safe and buy a fresh bottle...from another supplier.
Jenn..
(Atlanta, Ga)
04/15/2015
Do not use the white mold you're describing. Since this is from a pasturized product all the beneficial organisms from fermenting are dead.
All the recipes for ACV here seem so complicated. I have saved some mother from a purchased bottle of vinegar that has the mother in it.
- I fill a crock with small diced apples, skin included.
- Cover the apples with filtered water and then put in the mother on top. Covering with water prevents the apples from molding which ruins the vinegar and can be tasted even if carefully removed.
- use a plate with some jars filled with water to submerge the apples below the surface. This can be removed after the mother forms on the surface and the void will fill itself in in a few weeks.
- Cover it tightly so the fruit flies do not invade.
- wait about 3-4 months and it's vinegar.
Save the mother and reuse it for the next batch. It's that simple.
Type of Yeast to Use
(Harrison, Michigan)
12/09/2013
You really can't use too much or too little yeast. Yeast is a living organism and if there is too little it will reproduce to the optimum level. If too much it will only work faster.
(Home)
02/04/2016
sorry, not trying to sound condescending or mean here but I think the part of the recipe, you refer too, says, "To make a starter, crumble one cake of yeast into one quart of cider.".. A certain amount of yeast is referred to as a cake of yeast or 0.6 oz. Of course there does exist Cake yeast and I'm not a yeast or fermentation guru, so I don"t know how one type of yeast really differs from another... Just my two cents.
