I’ve been wanting to play more with fermenting my own food, and home made apple cider vinegar (ACV) seems like a great place to start!

Apple cider vinegar is sort of a wonder food. From cooking to cleaning to medicinal uses, ACV is just plain good stuff. You can get ACV at the store, but the high quality sort can get a little bit pricey. What makes good, organic ACV different from the kind in a big plastic jug is the sediment, or “mother” that’s at the bottom of good quality ACV. The mother is full of good nutrients and beneficial bacteria.

Making Apple Cider Vinegar

I haven’t tried making my own yet, but I’ve been hanging on to a couple of apple cider vinegar recipes, so I thought I’d share one of them with you. Like any fermented food, the main ingredient in home made ACV is time, and I’m most intrigued with the recipe that uses apple scraps. What a fun project to do with leavings from making apple pie!

To make the apple scraps ACV, you just pile your scraps in a jar with some water, cover with cheesecloth to keep bugs away, and store in a warm, dark place for about a month. Easy peasy, right? It reminds me of how you make kombucha.

Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar

I mentioned that ACV is handy stuff to have in the pantry, so I thought I’d share a few of my favorite uses for the stuff. I’d love to hear other ways you guys are using apple cider vinegar!

Makes a great sports drink.

Add a tablespoon to a vegan cheese recipe for a little tang.

Finish off steamed or sauteed greens with a splash of vinegar.

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Simone Zucchelli