Making vinegar is super easy!
All you need is fruit scraps, water, honey, a large jar, a paper towel and an elastic band. Last year I made vinegar from pear scraps and apple scraps. I will do apple vinegar again in about a month.
This is pear scraps in the big Tupperware bowl. I thought of posting this near the end of today's canning. It isn't enough for the 1/2 gallon jars I used, but you can make it in any size amounts you want.
This is four cups of water and three tablespoons of honey that is almost solid. Last year I used three cups of water and two tablespoons of honey. Most recipes I found used one tablespoon of honey to one cup of water. I seem to recall that the first recipe I found in a book, but I can't remember the book name, called for three cups of water and two tablespoons of honey. I don't think that the ratio of honey to water really matters much. Whatever you choose you need a 1/2 gallon jar to make it the way I am making it.
So again if you are confused: This is 4 cups of water with 3 tablespoons of honey. I stirred the honey to dissolve most of it. No stirring needed if your honey is liquid.
This jar contains the pear scraps that were in the bowl. This is not enough. You need to fill the jar to the neck.
Fold a paper towel in half and put it on top of the jar and secure with an elastic band. This will go into the refrigerator until I get more scraps tomorrow.
This is what I have from peeling and coring 21 quarts of pears. I do not use the stems. Now the three jars on the left need to go into a dark space for 3 weeks. Check weekly for mold or sour/vinegar smell. If there is mold then it is definitely ready for the next step. I did not get mold on any of the vinegar I made last year.
As you can see the nice dark place I use is under the bathroom sink. This cupboard is not opened often.
In three weeks or sooner if mold appears it is time for the next step. Skim off any mold and drain the liquid out of the jars into a temporary container. Now put the liquid back into the jars and cover the same way as before and place back into the dark place and let it finish turning into vinegar for 6 more weeks.
NOTE: I like to strain the liquid again before it goes back into the jars through many layers of cheese cloth to get rid of a lot of the sediment.
I'll post pictures as it is time for the rest of the vinegar making steps.
