Saturday, October 12, 2013

apples and vinegar*part one

 
 I processed 40 pounds of apples a couple weeks ago. I put up 2 dozen pints of applesauce and 9 quarts of pie filling.

 And I was left with this large pile of apple scraps. I gave a bowl full to the chickens but there was far more than they could eat. Instead of tossing the rest into the compost heap I decided to give apple vinegar a try!

{the following method will work with any fruit scraps}
 Sandor E. Katz's formula from Wild Fermentation is 1/4 cup sugar per quart of water. You need to use enough liquid to completely cover the fruit scraps in a jar or crock. Then cover the crock with a clean tea towel secured with a rubber band and set aside in a nice, warm place.
You will give the mixture a stir once a day.
 
Day 12 - before stirring. There were little bubbles popping up from under the apples.
Day 12 - after stirring. It is bubbly and starting to smell like vinegar!

I am going to strain the apple scraps out this weekend and then it will go back to the crock to continue to ferment until it becomes vinegar. To be continued...