V is for Vinegar

Making vinegar?  That is probably one of the easiest but last things most people would ever think to make.  And it truly is easy.  I have been making vinegar for as long as I have been posting and I think I am probably a better vinegar maker than a blogger...lol

Seriously though, it really is incredibly easy to make vinegar.  All you need is a some left-over wine (you wouldn't want to use a good bottle!!), some water, a bottle of Bragg's cider vinegar or a vinegar mother, a jar with a large opening and lots of time. Time for it to sit, it really doesn't demand more than a minuscule amount of time.

These vinegars are not high enough in acetic acid to use them for canning.  It is best to stick with commercial vinegar for  canning.

Bragg's cider vinegar

How to make Red or White wine vinegar:

leftover wine
water (optional)
Bragg's cider vinegar
or
a vinegar mother
a jar with a large opening
coffee filter
rubber band
warm cupboard

Make sure that the jar that you will be using is good and clean.  The jar itself should have a wide mouth and be able to hold at least a three or four cups of liquid. A canning jar is great or, if you are planning a larger amount, a one gallon pickle jar would work as well.

You want to make sure there is a lot of head space or air above the vinegar because it needs it to aid in the conversion of the alcohol to vinegar, so don't fill your jar more than half full.  If you notice that it is getting pretty full and the vinegar is ready, filter it and start over.

White wine vinegar starting

There are three/four ways to make vinegar.  The first is just to take a wine bottle about half full and cover the top with a couple of layers of cheesecloth or a coffee filter (basket style) that is held down with a rubber band to prevent flies from spoiling your batch.  Put this in the back of a warm cupboard and leave it for about six months.  At this time, remove from cupboard and give the wine a sniff.  It will either smell like vinegar and have developed a vinegar mother or smell like paint remover.  If it is vinegar, strain it into a clean bottle reserving the mother to help create a new batch.  If it smells like paint remover, recover it and put it back into the cupboard for another month.



The second way to make some vinegar is to take some Bragg's cider vinegar and put about one cup of it into the canning jar along with about two cups of wine. Some people add water when they add their wine but I don't, it is up to you.  If you decide to the proportion of wine to water is two to one or for one cup of wine add one half cup water.  I always figure that you can add water later if you find it too strong.  When you purchase the Bragg's, look for what looks like residue or dust on the bottom, the more the better.  This "dust" is the vinegar mother and is what will jump start your vinegar.   Again, cover it with some cheesecloth or a coffee filter and let sit in a cupboard for a couple weeks.  Add about a half cup of red or white wine occasionally - preferably about once a week after the initial period.  By adding the wine occasionally you will be feeding the mother.  Sometimes the mother will fall to the bottom and another will form on top.  You want her on the top to be effective.  When you decide the vinegar is to your liking - taste it to find out - strain and bottle it.

The third way to make vinegar is to acquire a vinegar mother from a wine store or another individual and add it to some wine.  Let sit and proceed in the same manner as for the first and second ways.  I don't have a picture of a mother (I lost/misplaced some pictures when my computer took a vacation.) but it can have the appearance of anything from a wispy veil to a solid raw meat type of look and feel.  If you google vinegar mother in images there are tons of pictures of various types of mothers.

Pineapple vinegar from fruit

The fourth way is to make it straight from the fruit but I won't go into that right now.

Something to note:  The vinegar mother should be fed occasionally to keep her viable.  If she falls to the bottom, it means two things - she has run out of wine to make vinegar and has lost her potency.  It is best to remove the old mothers occasionally.

Also - red wine will create vinegar far quicker than white wine but they both will take a few months.  Cider vinegar is the quickest to make.  After straining your vinegar, you can pasteurize it by bringing it about 150F for 30 minutes.  I personally don't pasteurize mine because I believe that it is more natural and better for you if you don't but it is a personal choice.  I do, however, keep mine in the fridge after I filter it to slow down the eventual development of a new mother.

You can dry out a mother for future use and I have heard of persons freezing them but I never have so don't know how well it works.

Last laugh was on me!

Well, it looks like the weather had the last laugh on me this weekend despite my optimistic predictions of warm weather. It rained and was quite cool the entire weekend. The wind came up on Sunday, the only reasonably ok day, and blew over a huge (at least 40 ft high) poplar tree to the north of us. It damaged another cabin's eavestrouphing but was being held in place by all the other trees surrounding it. I have no idea how they are going to get that tree down without wrecking a cabin or two.
It was a usual type of may long with all the teenagers coming out of the woodwork and totally enjoying themselves. The party in the cookshack didn't shut down until about 4:30am on Saturday night - it was loud, noisy and totally full of life. The saddest part was they didn't invite anyone over 30...lol It would have been nicer if they had quit a bit earlier...my age is starting to show I'm afraid.
Wilma woodchuck was out fattening up on the clover across the street. She is already pretty plump - I am not sure if it is because she is pregnant or because she is just naturally gifted. Our little Kiwi, the dog, was fascinated by it and spent hours watching her munch away. She wasn't too keen on taking a quick run across the street at it though.
Our weather continues to be cool and raining on and off. It is supposed to go down to 6 degrees celsius tonight - brr. I still don't have my garden in. Hubby wanted to knock down part of one of our Amur maples -one of the trunks died and had absolutely no leaves on it. It was sad to see it go because it is part of such a beautiful tree.
Well, I think I am going to have to ask - I cannot seem to download pictures from the internet. I was able to before but not now. I have been trying for the past few posts but to no avail...any suggestions?

Birth of a mother!

I have now got a Mother!! Not a human mother - I already have one of those wonderful persons in my life. It is a red-wine vinegar mother!

I decided last weekend that I would try to make some of my own specialty vinegars as we tend to go through quite a bit around here. I went to one of our local health supplement/food stores, Hedley's Health Hut, and purchased a liter of Bragg's cider vinegar with the hopes that there would be enough of a residual mother in it to act as a starter for some of our own. Wonders to beat all wonders - I actually have the start of a full-bodied red-wine vinegar mother. I have yet to actually sample it - perhaps I will on the weekend. It sure smells great - tart with a bit of a fruity bite to it. The neat thing is that the hubby made the Bordeaux wine in 1989, so it is a joint effort. I am surprised that it happened so quickly as most of the instructions I read said that it would take 2 or more weeks for a mother to start and it has only been 6 days. I guess that cupboard above the refrigerator (a good 77F or 25C) is the perfect temperature for vinegar. Never really had a use for that cupboard anyway other than collecting junk...it can finally earn its keep.

Well, that's all for now - take care and maybe try your hand at a little vinegar as well.