You CAN Homestead

You CAN Homestead


Making Vinegar From Fruit Scraps, Beer, Coconut Water, Interview with Gregg Cole And More Herbs YCH#17

February 24, 2013

The wonderful world of vinegar!


Vinegar can easily be made from any fruit or even old wine or beer.   You can easily make it from fresh apple cider, or fruit scraps.  Here are some ideas:  Recycling fruits for vinegars:


Pineapple vinegar – to 1 pineapple peeling chopped add 1/4 cup sugar and about a quart or liter of water.  Cover with cheesecloth to keep flies out.  After about 1 week it will darken.  At this point strain.  Let it age at least 2-3 weeks more.


Think also about apples – peels and cores, bananas, grapes, berries, pears, plums, peaches.  Think about blueberries or black berries.  Same recipe 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar to 1 quart water over fruit scraps!


Switchel (vinegar based soft drink) : 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup molasses, 2 inches grated gingerroot.


How about a blackberry vinegar?

1.  Stir 2 cups blackberries and 2-3 TBL sugar together in a non-reactive pan and heat

on low .

2.  Pour berry-sugar mixture into a glass jar or bowl.  Add 2 cups vinegar.

Stir and mash to combine ingredients and release juice from berries.

Cover bowl completely with plastic wrap or cheesecloth

3.  Stir the mixture once every two or three days.

3.  In two weeks, stir the mixture and then strain the mixture through a

cheesecloth or sieve (to remove seeds).

Then strain again through coffee or tea filters (for a very clear vinegar).

Keeps up to a year in the fridge.


Here is an idea just for fun; coffee vinegar: http://frombellytobacon.com/2012/10/25/coffee-vinegar-and-kombucha/


Hmmm, isn’t kombucha just a fermented (vinegar) tea….


I noticed a lot of recipes for fruit vinegars were just simmering fruit in white vinegar.  I’m sure these taste fine and are probably great for salad dressings and marinating meat.  However, I would like to make mine with “the Mother”.  This way you also get all the probiotic goodness.


I interview Gregg Cole (AKA Gregg Carter) and here is a link to his blog:www.theruraleconomist.blogspot.com


More on herbs:


Chamomile, cleavers, comfrey and crampbark.


Dog urine removal link: http://www.dogchatforum.com/dog_urine_odor.htm#.USpiC8Ao7LQ


I keep forgetting to mention this:In answer to question: sauerkraut salt to cabbage ratio.  For 5# cabbage add 3 TBL salt.