Fermented apple scraps
About a month ago I started making apple scrap vinegar, and I can report that the process is going well. The idea was to find a use for apple peel and cores rather than simply putting them on the compost heap (although that is not a bad use in itself). By making vinegar, however, I am able to obtain an additional yield and still have compostable material… three outputs from one resource!
The strained liquid – each jar holds three litres
It’s good to be deliberately making vinegar – I have done it inadvertently in the past, in the days when I used to make my own wine! Having added some sugar-water and allowed the scraps to ferment naturally for a few weeks, yesterday I strained the liquid off and put it in a couple of large glass jars. It’s fascinating that the mixture had not gone mouldy, but naturally occurring yeasts had caused the fermentation (you don’t add any brewers yeast). I could have allowed it to ferment for a bit longer, but I need the space that the bucket was occupying, so I decided to move on to this next stage of the process.
Covered with loosely-woven fabric and ready for the next stage – vinegar formation
I covered the large jars with cloth squares (lovely colour because these are off-cuts from the kitchen curtains) and transferred the jars onto the dresser to allow the liquid to continue its progression towards apple vinegar. Apparently I can now leave it for between two weeks and two months before it’s ready for filtering through a fine cloth and then it can be used directly or pasteurised to allow me to store it. The fermented apple scraps cannot be fed to the chickens (I really don’t want a drunken ‘hen party’ outside my bedroom window), so they have gone straight onto the compost heap. In fact the girls have not been missing out as they’ve had lots of scraps whilst I’ve been processing more apples for the freezer… there’s a limit to the amount of apple vinegar that a girl can make use of!
The Snail of Happiness 
Andrea
/ November 17, 2013We must have started our batches at around the same time as I also strained one of mine yesterday. I must admit that I did give the fruit to the chickens, but there hasn’t been any drunken singing yet …. 😉
LikeLike
The Snail of Happiness
/ November 17, 2013Just you wait until tonight!
LikeLike
davidprosser
/ November 17, 2013The most important question in the world….Does it go with chips ?
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
LikeLike
The Snail of Happiness
/ November 17, 2013Everything goes with chips! xxx
LikeLike
katechiconi
/ November 17, 2013I’m not a great fan of things vinegary, pickled or fermented, but even so, my apple scraps don’t go to waste; the worm farm swallows them up and returns a different kind of liquid, much favoured by my baby fruit trees… I’ve fed fermenting fruit to chickens before; it was hard to tell the difference, to be frank!
LikeLike
The Snail of Happiness
/ November 17, 2013I’m also not a big vinegar or pickles fan but I do use cider vinegar in dressings and sauces, so I though it would be worth making some. I’m looking forward to finding out just how vinegary it becomes with my pH meter!! (every girl should have one).
I just don’t want to encourage the girls to start raiding our fridge for a glass of chardonnay!
LikeLike
gentlestitches
/ November 17, 2013I have noticed people do the “chicken dance” when drinking too much…….?
LikeLike
The Snail of Happiness
/ November 17, 2013Perhaps I should do some experimentation… !
LikeLike