Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe

I started making homemade Apple Cider Vinegar when I was looking for things to use up the windfall from my apple tree but you can use any apples (shop-bought or homegrown).

If you liked this you may also like my Dried Apple Crisps, Lavender Ice-Cream and Elderberry Cough Syrup

Ingredients For Making Apple Cider Vinegar

You will need the following items to make your Apple Cider Vinegar

• Apple pieces
• water
• and old jat or container with a lid
• A tea towel or similar
• dark place to store it

How To Make Apple Cider Vinegar

You make the apple cider vinegar using all the apple cores, peelings, and bad bits you don’t use/have left over. There are loads of slightly different methods on the Internet but this is how I’ve been making mine.

The pieces need to be sliced thinly to start with… which is why apple peel is so good.

First, put all the pieces of apple in a bowl or on a plate, and allow them to brown over about 24hrs.

Next, pack out a large jar/container with the browned apple pieces and pour in enough water to just cover the apples. Don’t worry if you don’t have a full jar to start with. You can keep adding browned apples as and when you get some until the ‘mother’ starts to form.

Next, over the jar with an old muslin/tea towel and put somewhere warmish and dark and leave for about 2-3 months. I leave mine in a cupboard in the kitchen which may be why it takes so long. Lots of people leave theirs in the airing cupboard but I found mine went moldy.

As previously mentioned, you can keep adding apple peelings, etc to the mix (make sure you top up with water) until you start to get a white grey scum forming over the top.

The white/grey scum forming on the top is meant to be there.This is know as ‘The Mother‘ and is a harmless symbiotic culture of bacteria and natural yeast.

You’ll be able to smell the apple and water mixture change. It will go from smelling like apple juice to cider and then to vinegar. You can also taste the different stages by dipping a spoon handle through ‘The Mother’ and into the fluid.

After around two months lift off ‘the mother’ and strain the liquid through a muslin or tea towel (you can also use a coffee filter). Pour it back into the jar, put the cover back over and leave for another month or two until strong enough. More ‘Mother’ may form during this time often at the bottom of the jar. This is totally normal

When ready (taste test required) strain off and pour into a storage jar with a lid.

How To Use Your Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar

It has so many uses. You can use in cooking,  for heath remedies, as a cleaning product and in homemade beauty products. You can also flavour the vinegar with herbs.

I use my apple cider vinegar as a household cleaner. It is fantastic for cleaning windows, shower doors, and mirrors. And best of all it leaves a no-streak shine. The initial vinegar smell evaporates away very quickly so don’t be worried that your house will smell strange.