Step 1

Fill the glass jar ¾ of the way with the apple peels and cores.

Step 2

Stir the sugar into the water until it’s mostly dissolved, and pour over the apple scraps until they are completely covered. (Leave a few inches of room at the top of the jar.)

Step 3

Cover loosely (I recommend a coffee filter or fabric scrap secured with a rubber band) and set in a warm, dark place for around two weeks.

Step 4

You can give it a stir every few days, if you like. If any brownish/greyish scum develops on the top, simply skim it off.

Step 5

Once two weeks has passed, strain the scraps from the liquid.

Step 6

At this point, my vinegar usually has a pleasantly sweet apple cider smell, but is still missing that unmistakable tang.

Step 7

Discard the scraps (or feed them to your chickens!), and set the strained liquid aside for another 2-4 weeks.

Step 8

You’ll know your apple cider vinegar is complete once it has that unmistakable vinegary smell and taste. If it’s not quite there yet, simply allow it to sit a while longer.

Step 9

Once you are happy with the taste of your vinegar, simply cap and store it as long as you like. It won’t go bad.

Step 10

If a gelatinous blob develops on the top of your vinegar, congratulations! You have created a vinegar “mother”. This mother can be use to jump-start future vinegar batches. You can remove it and store it separately, but I usually just allow mine to float around in the vinegar as I store it.

Step 11

Use your homemade vinegar just like you would storebought vinegar– for cooking, cleaning and everything in between!