Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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gardening-girl
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Cider Vinegar.We have just used a bottle of cider vinegar, but have kept the mother that was in the bottom of the bottle.
Question, If we put the mother in a jar with some local cider, will this eventually turn into vinegar?
Does it need oxygen to make it work.
We use `lots `of cider vinegar.
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sean
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Yes and yes. Use a container with a bit of muslin over the top to keep out undesirables.
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gz
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How long does it take until usable as cider vinegar?
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tahir
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Can't do it with apple juice can you?
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sean
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How long does it take until usable as cider vinegar? |
*Some* weeks, it's a bit variable, sometimes it goes like a rocket and sometimes it takes ages.
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sean
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Can't do it with apple juice can you? |
Dunno really. Vinegar's the end point for fermentation really. If you leave apple juice standing around it'll ferment and then eventually turn in to vinegar.
tahir
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Hmm. May have to give it a try
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Slim
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Apple juice will go to vinegar fairly quickly. If left with an open top (with the cheese cloth) the oxygen will keep the fun fermentation stage to a minimum
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gardening-girl
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Would a demi john allow enough air to get in? thinking quantity .
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Shan
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No, it needs more air. Better off with a food grade bucket and muslin over the top.
Also, if the liquid starts to smell like acetone, you need to incorporate more air. Remove the mothers (they reproduce faster than you think) and whisk the liquid to incorporate air. Do this daily util the acetone smell turns vinegary. Also, don't keep too many mothers in a batch.
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Slim
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Would a demi john allow enough air to get in? thinking quantity . |
These guys say yes, though I imagine cleaning is more difficult: http://www.pickyourown.org/AppleCiderVinegarRecipe.php
Shan
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Try getting excess mothers out of the Demijohn!
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gz
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What happens to the alcohol in vinegar making?
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sean
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It turns into acetic acid and water.
C2H5OH (l) + O2 (g) → CH3COOH (aq) + H2O (l)
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Nick
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What happens to the alcohol in vinegar making? |
They put labels on it.
dpack
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gardening-girl
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Well that worked really well
We used 4pts of local dry cider, and the original mother. Put it in a honey bucket with a muslin cover over it, and left it .
Today we have perfect cider vinegar with a smooth flavour, none of the catch the back of the throat stuff.
I have kept the mother in the bucket and just left it covered with the vinegar.
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tahir
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My apple juice has a skin of mould, no vinegar smell yet
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tahir
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Hello....
Where've I gone wrong?
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sean
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Dunno really. I think it's got to ferment first so that the acetobacter can do it's thing. Had the apple juice been pasteurized or sulfited?
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tahir
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Pasteurised, would that make a difference?
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sean
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Yep. That's what's done it I reckon. If you used fresh-pressed it would work. If it's been pasteurized it'll probably need yeast adding back in to get it moving. You could start a new lot and bung in a bit of bread yeast.
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tahir
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Doh! Should have realised, even when you mentioned pasteurisation I didn't twig!
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gardening-girl
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On to our second batch of vinegar, Mother is growing well.
Paid £3.90 for 4pts of local cider(took my own container). Organic cider vinegar is nearly £5 for 500ml in our local health food shop, so making our own way cheaper.
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tahir
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Worked fine, v easy, all I had to do was strain out a couple of fruit flies.
Thanks
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gz
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My Mother is growing well..it was a bit of a surprise when it first grew! I wasn't expecting that.
I've just started my third batch. How long do you think it will take this time of year?
I've sat it on the SE facing kitchen windowsill in the hope of getting a little more heat.
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