Vinegar

How to make Apple Scrap Vinegar

A raw cider vinegar made from apple cores and peels, sugar, and water, fermented in two stages. Expect about 10 minutes of active work, then 1-2 weeks of a bubbly first ferment and 2-4 more weeks to turn sharply sour.

Quick answer

Submerge the apple scraps in sugar water and cover the jar with a cloth. After 3 days, stir daily while the sugar water ferments into a boozy, bubbly liquid. After 14 days, strain out the scraps and let the liquid ferment on into vinegar. After 42 days, when it is sour enough, bottle the vinegar and store it.

Difficulty
Beginner
Total time
42 days
Ingredients
3
Steps
4

Safety

  • • Keep the scraps submerged and stir daily during the first ferment to prevent mold.
  • • Use non-chlorinated water and unwaxed apples for a more reliable ferment.
  • • A thin film or a gelatinous mother is normal. Fuzzy or coloured mold means the batch should be discarded.
  • • The smell moving from boozy to sharply vinegary is the sign it is working, not spoiling.

Step-by-step

Day 0

Step 1: Mix and cover

Submerge the apple scraps in sugar water and cover the jar with a cloth.

  • Set up clean equipment Wash the jar, weight, and cloth cover before you start.
  • Combine scraps and sugar water Dissolve the sugar in water, add the scraps, and weigh them down.
Day 3

Step 2: First ferment

Stir daily while the sugar water ferments into a boozy, bubbly liquid.

  • Stir daily Stir the scraps under the liquid once a day for 1-2 weeks.
  • Check the scraps Keep the scraps submerged and watch for any surface growth.
Day 14

Step 3: Strain and sour

Strain out the scraps and let the liquid ferment on into vinegar.

  • Strain out scraps Strain off the apple scraps and return the liquid to a clean jar.
  • Ferment to vinegar Leave it for 2-4 weeks, tasting weekly, until it turns sharply sour.
Day 42

Step 4: Taste and bottle

When it is sour enough, bottle the vinegar and store it.

  • Bottle the vinegar Strain and bottle the finished vinegar once it tastes sharp.

What to look for

  • • Day 3-7: The liquid bubbles and smells yeasty and lightly boozy. That is the first ferment turning the sugar into alcohol.
  • • After straining: The boozy smell slowly sharpens towards vinegar. Air and time turn the alcohol into acetic acid, which is the vinegar.
  • • 5-6 weeks: It smells and tastes sharply sour and clean. That sourness means the vinegar is ready to bottle.

Troubleshooting

  • Mold grows on the surface. Scraps floated above the liquid or were not stirred often enough. Discard the batch and start again, weighing the scraps down and stirring daily.
  • It never turns sour. The room is cold or the jar was sealed airtight, so no air could reach it. Keep it cloth-covered for airflow, move it somewhere warmer, and give it more time.
  • A slimy blob forms in the jar. This is a vinegar mother, a colony of the bacteria making the vinegar. Nothing is wrong. Leave it in, or move it to a new batch to speed things up.
  • The vinegar is very harsh. It is young and raw. Let it mellow in a sealed bottle for a few weeks, or dilute it for milder uses.

Storage

Strain and bottle the vinegar once it tastes sharp, and keep it in a cool, dark place. It is raw and unpasteurised, so it keeps maturing slowly.

Shelf life: about 6-12 months in a cool, dark place

Serving suggestions

  • • Whisk it into salad dressings and vinaigrettes.
  • • Use it in marinades, slaws, and quick pickles.
  • • Stir a spoonful into water or a drink as a tangy tonic.

See the full recipe — free

Enter your email to unlock every step, the full timeline, and the troubleshooting guide. Unlocks all 47 recipes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Apple Scrap Vinegar?

A raw cider vinegar made from apple cores and peels, sugar, and water, fermented in two stages. Expect about 10 minutes of active work, then 1-2 weeks of a bubbly first ferment and 2-4 more weeks to turn sharply sour.

How long does it take to make Apple Scrap Vinegar?

Most batches of Apple Scrap Vinegar are ready in about 42 days, though exact timing depends on temperature and how the ferment tastes along the way.

Is Apple Scrap Vinegar hard to make?

Apple Scrap Vinegar is a great beginner project — no special skills required, just clean equipment and a little patience.

What do you need to make Apple Scrap Vinegar?

You'll need Apple scraps, Cane sugar, Filtered water.

How do I know when Apple Scrap Vinegar is ready?

Watch for these cues: Day 3-7: The liquid bubbles and smells yeasty and lightly boozy.; After straining: The boozy smell slowly sharpens towards vinegar.; 5-6 weeks: It smells and tastes sharply sour and clean..

How do I store Apple Scrap Vinegar?

Strain and bottle the vinegar once it tastes sharp, and keep it in a cool, dark place. It is raw and unpasteurised, so it keeps maturing slowly. Shelf life: about 6-12 months in a cool, dark place.