CrimsonRose
Lovin' The Homestead
Ok question.... is homemade ACV supposed to be really cloudy... almost milky looking?
Here is what I did to make it....I took the apple scraps that I had from a batch of homegrown apples (no chemicals used to treat them) basically all the cores chunks and skins that I didn't use to make apples sauce... tossed them into a jar and covered it with water then added a pinch of yeast to it.... covered the top of the jar with a few papertowels so it can breath but not let in bugs or dust...
Within a few weeks there is a slimy white booger growing on top of the jar... after another 2 months of sitting under my cabinet the booger divided into 3 thick layers... I'm assuming this is good from what I've read... ok figured it was done at this time...
boy does it stink!!! (I can't stand the smell of vinegar and I've only used the white distilled kind to clean with or balsamic for salads so wasn't expecting such a stout strong smell... it smells like vinegar with a touch of soured apple) So I dug out the boogers with a spoon and put them in a small jar off to the side and covered them with a tad bit of vinegar to keep them moist(I assume it's ok to put it in an airtight container and leave it in the cabinet until I'm ready to make another batch of vinegar right?)
I then used a colender and cheese cloth to drain off all the apple chunks... the stuff still looked cloudy so I then tried to run the vinegar through a coffee filter to clear it up some... wouldn't work... so then I tried through a paper towel... this worked but the stuff still isn't clear like the ACV you buy at walmart....
Since I've never had the REAL ACV before I have no clue what it's supposed to taste like to see if it's ok... my mom growing up was super mega paranoid about germs and such so now has me scared to try it... (she about died when I made yougurt!) but I like yougurt and could taste it and tell if it was bad... this I have no clue...
I guess I need a better expert opinion as to weather my ACV is good or not... Is there any other BAD bacteria that could have gotten into my batch and kill me if I use it? Or am I just being paranoid since it's not the color or clarity I expected?
I now have my stinky juice in an old pickle jar with the lid on... is it ok to just store it in my cabinet this way? I do use vinegar when baking bread but that I know would kill the good stuff in it... I have tried and CAN NOT stomach drinking the stuff no matter what I mix it with... so any other suggestions I can use this stuff for?
Here is what I did to make it....I took the apple scraps that I had from a batch of homegrown apples (no chemicals used to treat them) basically all the cores chunks and skins that I didn't use to make apples sauce... tossed them into a jar and covered it with water then added a pinch of yeast to it.... covered the top of the jar with a few papertowels so it can breath but not let in bugs or dust...
Within a few weeks there is a slimy white booger growing on top of the jar... after another 2 months of sitting under my cabinet the booger divided into 3 thick layers... I'm assuming this is good from what I've read... ok figured it was done at this time...
boy does it stink!!! (I can't stand the smell of vinegar and I've only used the white distilled kind to clean with or balsamic for salads so wasn't expecting such a stout strong smell... it smells like vinegar with a touch of soured apple) So I dug out the boogers with a spoon and put them in a small jar off to the side and covered them with a tad bit of vinegar to keep them moist(I assume it's ok to put it in an airtight container and leave it in the cabinet until I'm ready to make another batch of vinegar right?)
I then used a colender and cheese cloth to drain off all the apple chunks... the stuff still looked cloudy so I then tried to run the vinegar through a coffee filter to clear it up some... wouldn't work... so then I tried through a paper towel... this worked but the stuff still isn't clear like the ACV you buy at walmart....
Since I've never had the REAL ACV before I have no clue what it's supposed to taste like to see if it's ok... my mom growing up was super mega paranoid about germs and such so now has me scared to try it... (she about died when I made yougurt!) but I like yougurt and could taste it and tell if it was bad... this I have no clue...
I guess I need a better expert opinion as to weather my ACV is good or not... Is there any other BAD bacteria that could have gotten into my batch and kill me if I use it? Or am I just being paranoid since it's not the color or clarity I expected?
I now have my stinky juice in an old pickle jar with the lid on... is it ok to just store it in my cabinet this way? I do use vinegar when baking bread but that I know would kill the good stuff in it... I have tried and CAN NOT stomach drinking the stuff no matter what I mix it with... so any other suggestions I can use this stuff for?
. It is perfectly fine in its cloudy state; think of freshly pressed, unfiltered apple cider, it is also not clear. Personally I quite like ACV, smell and taste, so I'm not the best person to ask about "hiding" it. I use it for most of my salad dressings, and pour a bit into simmering chicken or beef stock (helps to draw the minerals out of the bones). I use it as a rinse for my hair (smell goes away after hair is dry; dilute ACV with water , and pour it through your hair after shampooing, let sit for a few minutes, and rinse out). I put a shot into the chickens' waterer (not into metal however). 
. Divide *her* up, put some in the freezer (maybe in a bath of cider) and keep the rest in some cider or ACV, and see 1) if the unfrozen keeps for a longer time (longer than the few weeks I suggested before), and 2) eventually, if the frozen mother will still work. Even if you lose both batches it doesn't really matter, as a bit (maybe 1/2 cup) of your active ACV will be enough to kickstart another batch, and even if that isn't available you have proven that you can make ACV perfectly well from just the apples.
I have plenty of vinegar to last for a while... so won't be needing her till next apple harvest... unless I make some really bad wine which is a possibility.... in that case mom may have to be unfrozen sooner... but I figured since it was super easy to make the mom from these apples... (it's my sis-in-law's trees she doesn't usually do anything with them so it's 100% natural all the way... wormy apples and all... LOL) and I have access to them each year... I figured even if my mommy can't survive a deep freeze.... I can always start from scratch again next year... I still can't believe how quick and easy the mom formed....
