I have an elderberry vinegar that I started on August Just juice from steam juicing. I did notice a few bubbles early, but not like what I see when my wine ferments.
Now, weeks later and one new grandbaby later , I notice that it smells like vnegar. I tasted it and yes, I think it tastes like vinegar. I was working with only about 3 cups of juice, so not a lot. Maybe that helps speed things up??? Yes, smaller amounts of juice will ferment much quicker because there are less sugars for yeasts to consume.
Let me know if you have any questions! I saw this when you were on Melissa K. This method fascinated me. I started Elderberry juice 3 days ago and now I see some spots of fuzzy mold. So sad. I also see bubbles starting. I extracted juice with my steam juicer and covered it with a coffee filter. Hi Mary Ellen! Yes, skim the white mold off. Break the seal every day and once the juice has moved thru the alcohol phase, cover the jar with a breathable cover to finish its fementing phase.
Also make sure your home temps arent above F. Sometimes this can contribute to mold. Good luck and feel free to email me if you have more questions! Hi Autumn! I have a batch of plum and a batch of sea berry vinegars on the go — on the plum I am getting mold — every few days?
My sea berry seems to have quite a bit of sediment? Do you just leave that in there for now?? They have been going for about 4 weeks now.
Next time, try using a lid for the first days, until the proper yeasts take over. I give you lots more trouble shooting details in my book as well. Sediment is normal. After your liquid turns into vinegar, you can siphon off the clear stuff I also cover this in my book. Thank you for this article. I have been making homemade vinegars or attempting to by using fruit scraps or mashed whole berries, grapes, and plums with water.
A small amount of sugar is added to jump start the process, which I understand is consumed by the bacteria. Does it need to be fresh, raw juice or can I use my steamer-juicer to extract the juice for vinegar-making?
We have about a dozen very old apple trees and many plum trees. Blackberries grow wild along one side of our garden and blue elderberries are just a short drive up the road, so I have a LOT of fruit to work with in the summer and fall. I think you and I would get along just fine! I love your blog and website, Autumn. Blessings to you!!! You can use a steam juicer or any other method of juicing! Whit sugar will create the classic amber-colored vinegar.
Neither of these steps are crucial, but choosing one or both of them will give your ferment a nudge in the right direction, acidifying it faster, and leaving less of an opportunity for spoilage organisms to take hold.
Some recipes also call for the addition of live apple cider vinegar, or a vinegar mother, either during the initial ferment, or after it has progressed for 3 weeks. This can be beneficial if you wish the vinegar to progress more rapidly; we recommend adding the raw apple cider vinegar, or a mature vinegar mother, after the initial alcoholic fermentation. Too much acid in the initial alcoholic fermentation can impede the action of the yeasts that create alcohol.
NOTE: Because Acetobacter are present all around us, they will end up in your fruit scrap vinegar, no matter what you do. They are the final result of almost every kind of fermentation. However, some of the wild yeasts and bacteria that might colonize your ferment before the Acetobacter and yeasts take over can result in off-flavors that might impact the final flavor of your vinegar.
Adding a vinegar mother culture, or Champagne Yeast, or a wild-fermentation approach—all of these are viable options. Choose the one that feels best to you. Molasses can be used in place of sugar; doing so will increase the available nutrients in the finished vinegar, although it will also create a slightly darker color. Ensure that the fruit is beneath the level of the liquid. If necessary, use a weight to keep the apple scraps submerged.
Cover the top of the fermenting vessel with cheesecloth , or paper towel, and secure it with a rubber band. Access to air is important to the developing vinegar, so make sure it is breathable, while keeping out any unwanted dust.
Place the fermenting vinegar in a warm, dark place, out of direct sunlight. You will see bubbles on the surface that indicate the yeasts are at work. Allow the mixture to ferment until bubbles are readily visible on the surface, about 2 weeks. Strain the solids from the liquids, and return the vinegar to its warm, dark spot to continue fermenting. As the vinegar ferments, it may become cloudy; this is natural, and nothing to be concerned about; it will clear somewhat as fermentation slows again.
A SCOBY will form on the surface of the liquid, indicating that the bacteria and yeasts are doing their work. A little cloudiness in the finished vinegar indicates a thriving microbial community. This is a good thing. The idea here is to use your nose and tongue, to determine when all of the alcohol is gone from the liquid.
You may continue to ferment it for another month, or as long as 6 months. The flavor and acidity of the vinegar will change over time, as is usual with a living culture. Enjoy the changes! While the vinegar is acceptable for use in salad dressings, cooking, and the like, at any point after the fermentation is complete, the final acidity of this product varies widely. It is therefore not suitable for canning purposes, and should only be used for flavoring.
When the vinegar has a flavor to your liking, you may consider it done. Storing your vinegar is the next step. The liquid is kept in a dark, fairly warm environment 77 F , untouched. For months, the Acetobacteraceae metabolizes alcohol into acetic acid and over time, the harshness reduces, producing an all-round mellow-flavored vinegar. In my research and experimentation producing vinegar, I wanted to understand the whole process deeply.
I have produced vinegar from leftover wine and beer but was compelled to start from scratch. I started off with a number of fruit wines, from apple-scrap cider to pineapple and blackberry wine.
I began with a very traditional, wild approach, simply adding sugar and water and allowing the mash to ferment anaerobically until I had visually noted the fermentation ceasing. I, of course, produced alcohol. I did experiment, even knowing the taste, to see how this would translate through the second fermentation. I wanted good vinegar. So back to it. I found a good basic formula for fruit wines, adding water, sugar and turbo yeast to really kickstart the first fermentation process.
It is crucial to bolster many of these fruits with sugar as they have low attainable ABV. Using this process, I found the alcoholic fermentation to pick up very quickly indeed. I was keen to shake the mash regularly to avoid any unwanted bacteria from growing and taking hold, as well as using a fermentation lock to release gas.
I measured the brix percentage of sugar every day, noting the level of sugar decreasing as the yeasts consumed them, converting to alcohol. This would kill any yeast left in the mash and any bacteria present.
Once I had secured a mother of vinegar through each trial, I was able to use that instead. Between two and three months later, a well-rounded vinegar with a mellow, aromatic fruit flavor and a bright and tolerable acidity level was made. Each vinegar was poured off leaving any residual sediment at the bottom of the vessel, strained through cheesecloth and stored. Who knew making vinegar was so interesting? I took a good look at wild fermentation, conventional and high grade mashes and compared results.
I much prefer high grade mash adding sugar and turbo yeast to bolster the fermentation and increase the ABV.
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