Apple Magic

This time of the year is very, very exciting for us at Heirloom Fire. There is much to be done in order to put up the remaining season so that we may capture the last of the year's flavor to carry us through the cold, barren winter. This is also the time of year that we make a season's worth of apple cider vinegar. The process of making vinegar is incredibly easy and I want you all to try this recipe so that you never have to buy it again.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Yield : 1 QT

INGREDIENTS:

A little less than 1 qt apple cider or apple juice (local or homemade please)

1 tsp dry yeast

3 tablespoons warm water

DIRECTIONS

Fill a clean, glass quart mason jar with cider.

Stir yeast into warm water and let sit for 5 minutes

Stir yeast mixture into cider and mix until dissolved.

Cover the mason jar with cheese cloth and secure with a rubber band or butchers twine so no fruit flies may get in.

Leave on countertop at room temperature for around 1 month, stirring once a day. You will begin to smell the vinegar developing and gelatinous layer grow on top of your vinegar (that is the mother). Taste the vinegar and when it is sour enough to your taste, remove mother to a plaster bag with some of it's liquid, seal and place in the fridge. Strain and bottle vinegar.

NOTE: The vinegar mother can be used in anything. The microbes on the "mother" eat alcohol and convert it to acetic acid. You may place the mother directly into a alcoholic liquid such as beer or wine and the microbes will go to work converting the alcohol to vinegar. If you want to start another batch of apple cider vinegar, you will need to ferment the raw juice to alcohol.