* Choose apples that have a high-sugar content and that are fully ripe. Typically this includes Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Fuji and Jonagold. Pick only the best apples. They should be worm-free as well as blemish-free. * Cut the apples into small pieces. Crush them. Filter the juice through a piece of cheesecloth inside a strainer, or press them in a fruit and vegetable press. Put 5 gallons of apple juice into nonmetallic containers and set aside 1 qt. of juice. * Crumble one cake of yeast used in wine making into the 1 qt. of juice that you have set aside. Stir it until it dissolves. Add the yeast mixture back into the rest of the apple juice. * Fill the nonmetallic pots about two-thirds full. Cover them with cheesecloth and put them in a dark place. The temperature should be around 60 to 80 degrees at all times. * Stir the apple cider vinegar once a day for 3 weeks. After that, taste it. When the vinegar reaches the desired flavor, filter it once again through cheesecloth to remove the mother. That stops any more fermentation from taking place. * Pour the vinegar into a large pot. Cook it over low heat, stirring frequently, until the temperature reaches 140 degrees to pasteurize it. Remove the vinegar from the heat. * Use a funnel to pour the pasteurized vinegar into clean plastic or glass bottles. Put the lids on the bottles. Set the bottles into a hot water bath to further sterilize them. Allow the bottled vinegar to cool and store it in a cool, dark, dry place.
Vinegar has many uses, which we will discuss tomorrow.
~ Chef ~
