How to Make Your Own Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (Delicious & Healthy!) from Scraps!
STOP!!!
Don't throw away those apple scraps! If you are cutting up apples for a recipe, did you know you can use the peels and cores to make raw apple cider vinegar?
I've been buying Bragg's raw apple cider vinegar for many years because of its health benefits. If you're familiar with Bragg's (or other organic raw apple cider vinegar brands), their products are excellent, but the prices are rather steep.
If you are a frugal person on a budget, buying high-priced ACV may not be an option. What's a gal to do? Make your own!!! Here's how to make your own raw delicious apple cider vinegar from apple scraps! Never waste a thing, even those cores & peels—-and especially not money, as this stuff is practically free!
FTC Disclosure: There are affiliate links scattered throughout this article. If you click through and make any kind of purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Benefits of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
1) Helps heartburn and acid reflux
2) Promotes healthy cholesterol
3) May help with weight loss
4) Helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels
5) Includes antioxidants
6) Improves digestion and nutrient absorption
7) Provides an energy boost
8) Helps keep you well due to antibacterial properties
It's recommended to take about 1 tbsp a day. I like to add a generous amount to my drinking water bottle I take to work every day. That way it's there, I drink it throughout the day, and I'm getting my daily dose!
Try this for 60 days and see what happens! (One of my co-workers swears by it---he's hardly ever sick! Well, neither am I because I take herbs as well as raw ACV, but hey!? Who knows! The fact is, I do love my raw ACV!)
What Do You Need to Make Your Own Raw Apple Cider Vinegar?
It's pretty amazing how easy it is to make raw apple cider vinegar. It takes these few things: organic apple scraps (or apple pieces), honey, filtered water (we just use our well water), a glass container & cheesecloth, and some time! That's it!
Steps to Make Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
(Pictures of the steps below)
1) If you are cutting up apples for a recipe, don't throw away those scraps! Fill up a half-gallon or a gallon (the jar pictured here is a gallon size) jar about half-way full of apple scraps. This is easy to do if you are making a pie, applesauce, etc. You can use pieces of apple too!
2) Now pour 1 cup of honey to a one gallon size jar of apple scraps. For a half-gallon, use a half-cup, and a quart size jar--you'd use a quarter cup of honey.
3) Be sure the apples are under the liquid. I use a little jelly jar filled part way with water, and this usually works great! This is to help prevent mold.
4) Cover with cheesecloth--a few layers---and secure with a rubber band.
5) Let this sit for 2 to 3 weeks. You'll see it bubbling away, and it will smell wonderfully "yeasty." This is the hard cider stage. You can drink it now, and it will have some alcohol content, but not sure how much.
6) After 2 to 3 weeks, strain out the apples. Cover with the cheesecloth again (some say a lid--I actually tried a combo of both and the cheesecloth was the better option for "vinegarizing" the solution), and let sit for another 2-3 weeks.
7) Keep taste-testing and smelling. When you like where it is, just bottle it up (cap it) and store/use. It will continue to ferment and acidify the longer it sits. We put one container (the narrow-necked one) in the cupboard for immediate use, and the wider necked one in our store room. The "mother" will keep the fermentation process going, even in a cool environment. It will just be more slow. It's a good idea to "burp" your bottles once in awhile to allow any gases to escape.
NOTE: A note about our results---We LOVE how our ACV turned out. It's lighter, less acidic, and a little more sweet than the Bragg's (which is a 5% acidity level). I think ours may be about 3%, but we didn't actually measure it. As it continues to ferment, the acidity level will continue to increase, but right now, we are just loving the taste so much! It's great in salad dressing, and we add it pretty liberally to our water to drink as well.
I hope you'll give making your own raw ACV a go! It's been worth it for us! I'm looking forward to next Fall and more apples! Let me know what you think! :-)
Hugs and Self-Reliance!
Heidi
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Resources:
DavidWolfe.com: ACV for 60 Days Eliminates These Health Problems
Mamavation: 25 Ways Apple Cider Vinegar Will Change Your Life
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