Apple cider vinegar, or ACV, is so simple and easy to make! For years I never knew how to make apple cider vinegar but last winter I embarked on an adventure to give it a try. Honestly I think the toughest part of the process is having the patience to sit and wait for it to work its magic over the course of several months! Since that first batch of ACV last winter, I’ve made several more batches and also started experimenting with fermenting other homemade fruit scrap vinegars. Making homemade fermented vinegar is so easy and fun!
In my free time, I love reading historical fiction books based in the pioneering homesteader days. That is where I first read about how to make apple cider vinegar and was inspired to try it myself. In the homesteader books I read, they made huge vats of apple cider vinegar in wood barrels by putting in apple scraps and water then letting it sit to ferment. I couldn’t believe that was all it takes to make apple cider vinegar!
Apple cider vinegar has many health benefits and in the pioneer books I read they often tried to drink some of the apple cider vinegar daily to stay healthy. One book I read talked about how important apple cider vinegar was to helping them fight off scurvy when food became sparse. In my favorite fermenting book Wild Fermentation, it states “….vinegar’s effectiveness in preventing arthritis, osteoporosis, and cancer, killing infections, soothing itches, burns, and sunburns, aiding digestion, controlling weight and preserving memory.” I personally love to use apple cider vinegar in our favorite all natural cold remedy and I also use it as a digestive aid.
How to make apple cider vinegar
Since we don’t need a large barrel full of apple cider vinegar like the pioneers did, I prefer to make our homemade ACV in large glass jars that I can sit in a dark corner of the kitchen counter. For the first batch I made, I used a 1 gallon glass jar and put in organic apple cores and skins left over after I made an apple crisp. The apple parts filled the jar about 3/4 full. I then filled the jar full of water. I’ve read of some people adding sugar to the water with the apples but I didn’t because the apple scraps I used were sweet and naturally have a lot of sugar in them. (I do add sugar water to other types of homemade fruit scrap vinegar that don’t have as much natural sugar. The book Wild Fermentation recommends a ratio of 1/4 cup sugar to 1 quart water)
Next I put a piece of cheesecloth over top the mouth of the jar and put a rubber band around it to keep the cheesecloth on and fruit flies out. Then I stuck the jar in a corner on the counter out of direct sunlight. I stirred it once a day for the first week or two since the apple pieces were floating then and I didn’t want mold growing on it. Within a few days of starting the apple cider vinegar, you can see bubbles in it as it ferments. Here’s a close up picture of my second batch of homemade apple cider vinegar where you can see the fermenting bubbles.
After a couple weeks the apple parts sink to the bottom and the bubbles stop.
The jar of fermenting goodness continues to work its magic and transitions to a hard cider and then as it sits longer will turn into apple cider vinegar. I started my first batch in early January and strained it and bottled it a couple months later. Some people will strain the apple parts off after the first couple weeks but some say to leave them in the whole time. For my first batch, I left the apple scraps in the vinegar the whole time it fermented which was a couple months (I probably could have strained and bottled the vinegar after about a month but I got so busy with spring gardening season I didn’t get around to it for a couple months-and no harm done!) For my second batch of homemade ACV this fall, I strained the apple scraps off after about a month. I put the liquid back in the jar, put the cheesecloth back on and let it sit on the counter for another month to continue fermenting before I bottled it.
The most amazing part of this process is that the homemade apple cider vinegar I made grew its own Mother! For those of you who may not know what that means, the book Wild Fermentation explains it quite well, “You may observe a film or disk collecting on the surface of the vinegar. This is called the ‘mother-of-vinegar’, or ‘mother’ for short. It is a mass of vinegar making organisms that can be transferred to your next batch of vinegar as a starter. The mother is edible and nutritious, so there is no need to be afraid of it.” I actually tore off a piece of the mother from my first batch of homemade apple cider vinegar and gave it to a friend who used it to ferment her first batch of homemade ACV and it worked great!
I was curious to see how the acidicity level of my homemade ACV compared to our store bought Braggs ACV. I have a pack of PH test strips in the kitchen that I use primarily during canning season to test the acidity level of the foods I’m canning to know whether to water bath or pressure can (you can find the PH test strips here). I read that the PH level for a good quality apple cider vinegar should be 2.8-3.0. My test strips aren’t fancy enough to show decimal points of levels but are color coded. I was so amazed to see that my homemade ACV and the Braggs ACV had a similar dark orange acidity level which correlates to a 3.
I was so excited that I learned how to make apple cider vinegar that I began experimenting with other homemade fruit scrap vinegars which I read about in my Wild Fermentation book. So far I successfully made a quart of pear vinegar from pears we grew in our orchard and this vinegar also has a PH level in the 2-3 range. Next summer I want to experiment with making a homemade apricot vinegar and even a wild huckleberry vinegar. I think they’ll make really delicious additions to some homemade salad dressing!
dee m
I have two gallons of apple cider vinegar going now. I am so glad you mentioned about a mother forming on yours. Both of my gallon batches have a mother on the surface. Can I just leave it in each batch? Thanks.
Montana Homesteader
That’s so exciting you have 2 gallons fermenting and you grew your own mother!! I always leave the mother in the jar. That way it is there and continues to be “alive” so if I want to use it to ferment another vinegar I can take that mother and add it to a new batch of vinegar. Plus, when I’ve bought good ACV at the store in the past (like Braggs) it always had pieces of the mother floating in it so I figured I might as well leave it in mine too!
Almas.Nathoo
Hi,
I am 4 containers of apple cider vinegars. Two container I made from Crabapple and it turn out great. I cut the fruits add to my boil water and add 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tsp salt and left the bottle in the sunlight for one month and it works well for me. I drink every day after my lunch in water.
thanks
almas
MontanaHomesteader
Interesting, I’ve never heard of adding salt to ACV, but I do use it in most of my other fermented foods. That’s great that that method worked for you!
angela
If your acv grows its own mother, why would you give it to someone else to start their acv, wouldn’ t their acv grow its own mother? Or does having a mother from the start help to speed the process?
Cindy
Using the mother to start a fresh batch just helps the process go a little quicker. I didn’t have any mother to start my first batch, and it did fine. I will use the mother from my first batch to do another, so I can see how much it may speed the process.
MontanaHomesteader
From what I’ve read and learned, using mother from another batch of ACV will speed up the fermentation process.
Nicole
I have just picked some apples that are quite tart (and a little bit too sour to comfortably eat) so I might try doing this. I love ACV and it’s so cool that I could make my own. Thanks for the tips 🙂
Montana Homesteader
That’s wonderful you have some fresh picked apples to use and try making your first batch of ACV- good luck!!
Mark
What about evaporation duting the process.? Do you add more water?
Trey
I am also curious about this?
Lidia
I tried making ACV in a small mason jar and topped it off with a coffee filter, noticed the water evaporated and also mold. What am I doing wrong?
Kim Traucins
Stir every day until the apples sink. I am not sure if it is still good if it molds. I would research this if I were you.
HARMONY
Don’t use if mold. Start over.
JOAN
I have a lot of wild apple trees where I live. sour taste to them .
Can I use them instead of store bought?
Cathy
Can I just use tap water, or will the chlorine in the water kill the friendly bacteria?
Angela
Use dechlorinated water. Google seems to come up with lots of ways to get the chlorine out of the water. I believe you can just leave it sit for 24 hours and the chlorine evaporates.
Samantha
This is great! I can’t wait to start my own!!!
Joan
Does homemade pear cider vinegar have the same healing properties as apple cider vinegar?
Kim
Hi I am new to all of this. I have access to ,a very large amount of apples. After I make the ACV, how long will it store? What is the best way to store it? Should or can I can it? Thank you for helping me out!
Alice
I have 2- 1/2gal jars of apple cider juice and some Bragg’s acv that I put back to ferment 9/5/2017, it’s now 9/28. I don’t have the mother on top yet but do have chunky looking pieces on the bottom of the jar in both. Did the mother just sink? It does smell good like vinegar. So is that chunky monkey looking stuff at the bottom still the mother?? Thanks for your help.
Montana Homesteader
One batch of my homemade ACV has little bits of mother floating around and another batch I made has a huge chunky mother that sits near the bottom of the jar because it is heavier than the little bits of mother. I can’t say 100% sure if yours is a mother without seeing it but it sounds like it could be. The chunkier mother in my ACV looks a bit like a gelatinous chunk slightly darker than the liquid in the jar.
Aimee Delavan
What are some of the historical fiction books based in the pioneering homesteader days that you have read? I would love some examples.
Thanks for all of the info on your site!
Jackie Marshall
So about that experiment with apricot vinegar…..any news??
Montana Homesteader
I ended up doing two batches and the second one turned out quite delicious! (The first batch had grown a little mold so I chose to scrap it) It was a little sweeter than the ACV so it was great in a homemade salad dressing
Farah
I started my ACV 7 weeks ago. I see some residual stuff at the bottom of the jar but no mother. The taste isn’t quite vinegary yet, is that normal? I have read in winter ACV can take longer to ferment. I have been stirring it every couple of days. Is there something I can do or should I wait patiently? I have it on the kitchen counter tucked in the corner which gets no light. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you.
Annie Bernauer
Since you started it, have you ever seen any bubbles in it which would indicate fermentation is occurring? Does it smell vinegar like at all yet? I have also read and learned from experience that ferments can take longer in cooler temperatures. Maybe you could try moving it to a slightly warmer, but not hot, location to see if that helps speed up the fermentation?
Farah
Yes, I saw a lot of bubbles when i had all the apples in, since i strained it and removed the apples there is just some residual stuff at the bottom of the jar but no mother forming. I will try to find a warmer place maybe a unused kitchen cupboard? it smells a little vineagary but it is not strong at all. In your experience, how much longer does it take in cooler temps compared to warmer temps, just an approximation would be helpful since this is my first time making ACV. Thanks Annie for your help.
Morgan
Have you used any of the vinegar mothers to brew Kombucha?
Laura Faulkner
Mine seems to have fruit flies in it every time I open up the cheese cloth to stir it but it is bubbling is it bad should I just throw it out how come I got fruit flies
lina
cheese cloth doesn’t help with fruit flies for me either!
MARG
I think they are vinegar flies. They are tiny enough to get through cheesecloth. Try doubling or quadrupling the cloth.
MARG
It last for years. Keep in cool dark place.
Jessica
Hello,
I know this is an old post, but just now trying homemade acv. You said put it in a dark place. Does the area need to be cool, warm or does it matter? Thank You!!