Vinegar that Keeps Giving

Back in August I ordered a "Vinegar factory" from Green Living Australia. See that large glass jar to the left? Well that's what arrived via the post, snugly packaged in an air cushioned bag thankfully. Imagine a smashed jar of vinegar arriving at your post box!! Anyway, the jar contained 900mls of cider vinegar culture. You could see the culture (which is called the "Mother") floating around inside. Initially our culture was pretty stirred up....it had endured a plane ride after all. But after a couple of days everything settled and the liquid became clear.

To activate our new vinegar factory all we had to do was remove the cap and punch 3 holes in it, cover the jar with a piece of fabric (it came provided), screw the cap back on and then store the jar in a warm dark place for 8 to 10 weeks. I wrote a note on the calendar reminding me when to dig it out from the back of a cupboard!!

Can your see that white disk? That's the "Mother"

Well after 10 weeks we finally dragged the jar from it's incubation spot (at the back of the Tupperware cupboard, where things can get lost FOREVER). On first glance, what  impressed us most was the size of the "Mother" - it was HUGE. The liquid itself smelt and tasted quite strong, but guess what? It was vinegar. Using a funnel, Ben poured two thirds of the liquid into a bottle, leaving the "Mother" behind in the original jar ready for making the next batch. Our newly bottled vinegar is now aging (softening) in the pantry.

We then re-filled the original jar using two bottles of apple cider. We used some bottles of Strongbow that someone had left at our house yonks ago - waste not, want not. The "vinegar factory" has now gone back to the Tupperware cupboard for another few months. The process can now be repeated over and over again. And guess what, we can even change the vinegar type (wine, cider, sherry - the options and flavours are endless). The "Mother" will just keep on growing! Eventually we will be able to split it up and give it away to friends. Oh Merry Christmas!

We go through a lot of Apple Cider Vinegar. I add it to warm water when soaking grains, beans and legumes, we splash it on salads and I even use it on my hair as a conditioner. Before discovering the 'Vinegar factory', getting hold of a good quality non pasteurized vinegar on Norfolk has been impossible. Unfortunately I was forced to purchase it online and thus feel guilty for contributing to huge unnecessary food miles. But there's another big advantage for not having to buy it anymore - less rubbish. I'm always looking for ways to reduce what ends up in the bin.

Maybe I'll never have to buy Apple Cider vinegar again. You know, this little project cost all of $16.95 + postage.  Obviously down the track I'll have to pay for Apple Cider, but still, talk about economical!

If you like vinegar too, I recommend giving this a go!

A last note... Ben is currently in the process of making vinegar from kefir. If he's successful, we might be able to stop buying the gallons of cheap white vinegar which we use for cleaning purposes! I'll keep you posted...