Apple Cider Vinegar-For (Nearly) Free and Easy!

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) has soooo many uses!  See this awesome post from Mama Natural to find 101 ways to use it.

Some of the most common ways we use it here on our homestead are:

• in the goat’s water
• as a natural conditioner in the shower
• for immune boosting during the season of ickies

We use it for other various things but those are the most regular usage of it in our home.

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So how do we make it???

It will be the easiest thing you do all week and it is nearly free! No, I’m not kidding.

All you need are 3 things.

• Left over apple cores and peels

• a jar

• water

Literally 3 things. With an optional 4th item being a glug of already made ACV. But it’s optional, seriously.

Are you ready for the instructions?

• Take a jar (we use these half gallon jars) and stuff it with as many cores and peels as you can.

•  Next, fill with water (add splash of optional vinegar here).

• Cover with a coffee filter, paper towel or flour sack towel.

• Place in a dark spot (i.e back of a cupboard) and leave for 3 months.

Yup. That’s it.  After the time is up, filter the vinegar into a new jar and store in the fridge. Compost or toss the cores and peels.

I would recommend weighing down the cores with something like this. If you don’t the top apples will get icky but it didn’t affect ours at all.  I just picked them off before I strained the vinegar. Also the vinegar may grow a scoby
(symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), don’t freak out. This is normal. Just pick it off before straining.

Our ACV turned out amazing. It smells and looks much more rich than store bought and is perfectly vinegar-y.  It is a beautiful color and just lovely. And it was free! Our cores were gifted to us but even if you bought apples to make something with, the cores could be put to good use in this vinegar instead of tossing them!

Ahh, I just love turning waste into something great.  Makes me feel all resourceful and such…

Anyway, have you ever made your own vinegar? What do you use it for? Do you have other ways you turn waste into something awesome?