[Sca-cooks] Caointiarn's apple vinegar

[Gaylin Walli]

Caointiarn wrote:

>I also started a new batch of apple wine.  However, I was in a bit of a
>rush before I left on vacation, and had a bit more than the 2 gallon jugs
>for the 2nd fermentation, so I just put the rest in a canning jar.  Came
>home to white floaty stuff  -- mother?  as for vinegar?  Smells that way.
>How long does vinegar need to incubate to be vinegar?  and do I need to feed
>the mother?  what and how often?   The stuff seems happy enough, and keeping
>it for my own vinegar would be way cool, I think.

Assuming it's the right bacteria, then yes, you probably have the start to a
very fine vinegar in the making. If the stuff is still floating on top then the
vinegar is too young to do much with. But if it's on the bottom, try taking a
piece of plain bread and pouring a little of the non-floaty-laden liquid on it
and see how it tastes. Likely at this point it will taste a little young, more
like cider or apples than vinegar. Eventually it will taste sharp like vinegar
but you'll probably find that the longer you let it sit (a nice dark warm place
helps) the more smooth and mellow with bite the vinegar gets.

I think that once you start making your own vinegar you'll find it hard to go
to the stuff they sell in the store. At least I know that I have. If you find
yourself using up that cider vinegar and you're getting close to the bottom
of the jar, save the last dregs with the floaty stuff and start a new batch.
Try some wine or some more cider with that mother and see what happens
with it. I've found that for the vinegars I've liked the best, saving
the mother
and using it over again has worked tremendously well.

And it's a great way to get rid of those last little bits of wine
that don't get
drunk at parties. Many of my friends save the bottles of wine that they don't
completely use up or that they don't like and give them to me for just such
a use.

Iasmin