🍎 DIY Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) Recipe
Making your own apple cider vinegar at home is simple, low-cost, and a great way to use up apple scraps instead of throwing them away.
🫙 What You’ll Need
Apple peels, cores, and scraps
Sugar
Water
Glass jar
Cloth + rubber band
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
1️⃣ Fill the jar
Fill a glass jar about ¾ full with apple peels, cores, and scraps.
2️⃣ Make the sugar water
Stir sugar into water until mostly dissolved. Pour over the apples until fully covered. Leave a few inches of space at the top.
3️⃣ Cover and store
Cover loosely with a fabric cloth secured by a rubber band. Place in a warm, dark spot for 4 weeks.
4️⃣ Stir daily
Give it a stir every day — this part is important for proper fermentation.
5️⃣ Strain the mixture
After 4 weeks, strain out the apple scraps from the liquid.
6️⃣ Don’t waste the scraps
Discard them (or feed them to chickens if you have them!).
7️⃣ Continue fermenting
Pour the liquid back into the jar. It’s vinegar now, but it still needs time to develop flavor.
8️⃣ Let it age
Place it back in the cabinet and let it ferment for another 4 months for that classic ACV taste.
9️⃣ Bottle and store
Once it tastes right to you, cap it and store. It won’t spoil.
🧫 Bonus: The “Mother”
If a gelatinous blob forms on top — congrats! That’s the vinegar “mother.”
♻️ You can use it to start future batches
🫙 Store it separately or let it float in the vinegar
🍽️ How to Use
Use your homemade ACV just like store-bought:
Cooking
Dressings
Cleaning mixes
Food preservation
Simple, practical, and a great homestead skill to have.