Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar

I came by this idea of making your own apple cider vinegar this past spring.  I tried it in a quart jar and loved it!  

I actually ended up drinking most of it mixed in one of my many daily glasses of water {about 1 tbsp per day}.  If you are going to drink apple cider vinegar for the benefits or just because you like it; you should be drinking Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother.  

The homemade vinegar is overall much more enjoyable and not quite as "shocking" as drinking even the store bought ACV {apple cider vinegar} with the mother.  I found it much milder and it was almost like putting lemon in your water.  

There are a ton of uses for ACV, see 10 Amazing Facts About Apple Cider Vinegar which tells you how to use it on your hair, your skin, as a wart remover, as a sun burn remedy, etc.

Plus, making your own ACV is fun {at least for me, I get a kick out of things like this} because you get to use all of the left over pieces of apple; like the cores and the peelings the kids decide they don't like to eat.  

An additional benefit to this is that if you have chickens, you can feed them the apple pieces once you've completed the process and they are good for them too!  Otherwise you can also add the apple pieces to your compost pile.

I have a gallon of this stuff brewing right now that I started last week!  Looking forward to using it!

Ingredients for 1 Quart:
-peels and cores from 6-8 apples
-2 tbsp honey
-water

Process:
1. Place all of the apple peels and cores into a glass or plastic container.
2. Cover the apple pieces with water and top with the honey.  Stir as best you can {I actually put a lid on the jar and shook it to mix it well}.

3. Place a paper towel on top of the jar and secure it with a canning band or a rubber band.

4. Let the mixture sit for 2 weeks {I think my first batch actually sat for about 3 or 4 weeks}.  I just put my jar on a shelf in a closet near my kitchen, where it wouldn't get messed with or tipped over.
5. Strain out the apple pieces.
6. Return the liquid to the jar and cover it again with a paper towel and a band.
7. Leave it for 4 more weeks {the original recipe, which I don't know where I found it says to stir it daily, but I didn't}.

Taste it to see if it is the acidity you like.  If it does, transfer it to a covered bottle or container for storage.  If not, leave it in the jar covered with the paper towel and band a little longer, checking every few days until you like the taste.

Enjoy!