The difference is that apple cider is just that, apples smashed and then pressed to extract all their juices. It's a sweet drink. Vinegar has gone through several chemical changes, first you ferment the cider from the apples, just like you are making beer or wine. Then a "mother" is introduced. There is no good way to describe a mother. If you have ever had a batch of vinegar sit around and get a nasty looking snotty mass in it, then you have seen a mother. The mother eats the sugars and converts them to acid. Fresh cider is sweet, then after fermenting it contains alcohol (like beer or wine) and then the mother converts the whole thing to vinegar. Air is what vinegar needs. Beer and wine are sealed to keep out air, but for vinegar to happen you need air, so you usually make it in a wooden barrel or a container larger than you need. The only downfall with making your own vinegar is that you never know the percentage of acid. You can use it for cooking but not preserving. So you can make salad dressing but not pickles, just because you can't be sure that it is strong enough to keep bacteria from growing. If you search the web you will find directions of making vinegar, even buying a mother. I am just now getting into making my own wine etc, so I have only read about the process. Good Luck!! Tami

Just a bit of food for thought, the drug companies that are trying to get a "new" drug approved by the FDA are the same drug companies that are PAYING for that testing process. Quite frankly, I don't trust any of them. Plants were created for a purpose, many of them do have healing properties that those drug companies some people put so much stock in would go to any lengths to keep people from learning about or believing in. Tell me, what would happen if the world was to find out that ACV could help with Acid Reflux and/or chronic indigestion? *Grins* Exactly. They'd stop buying "the purple pill" and start buying ACV. Personally, I trust the products that God made before I'd trust those which are man made. ACV is made from apples. The "mother" mentioned in this thread are simply vital nutrients and minerals our bodies benefit from which are lost in the pasteurization process of the "grocery store" brands. ACV is acidic by nature, but when your body burns it, the ash created by the process of converting it to calories is "Base" in nature, which balances out the body's Ph. There ARE health benefits of ACV, many. But you'll never see a "clinical trial" of ACV. Why? Well think about it. Who pays the bills in a clinical trial? What drug company would want it proven clinically that ACV does the same thing as their "wonder pill?" Not to mention many prescription drugs are based after that which occurs naturally in nature. Personally, I have taken ACV for over 3 years now. I have gone from a jean size 24 to a jean size 8. But you must remember that no "weight loss" product, no exercise, nothing works overnight. It is a gradual process. My advice? If you're going to try ACV, then make a commitment to stay on it for at least 3 months. That's how long it took before I began to see results. The first thing I noticed was that my craving for junk food began to wane. I began to crave healthy food. I began to drink more water, I began to get full faster. I had more energy, I felt better. But I've also not been sick in 3 years. I've had kids with bad colds standing over me while I'm kneeling down at work and coughing right in my face, and not gotten sick. No stuffy noses, no sore throats, no flu. The only time I had a problem was when I stopped taking it for a few months. I didn't realize how much ACV doing for me until then. I was miserable, I just felt like crap. And within that 2 month time frame, I gradually began to go back to eating junk. Within a few weeks of going back on ACV, I felt much, much better. Most of the weight loss I experienced occurred during the first 6 months, mainly during a 2-3 month time frame. Within a few months, I'd noticed that my clothes were a bit big. 6 months after beginning, I went up and tried on clothes to find that I was a size 10. Concerned that there might be another reason for my weight loss I went to the doctor, and was told that I was in perfect...

I am trying the apple cider vinegar, garlic, and honey recipe, but I have a few questions. The recipe calls for 1 cup acv, 1 cup honey, and 8 cloves of garlic. Then it says to store in the refrigerator for 5 days and take 2 tsps daily. I have a container that holds 4 cups. this would leave the container half empty. Is this all right, even though it says the container should be air tight? Also, should I refrigerate it for 5 days before I start to take, and keep it stored it in the refrigerator while I am taking it? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

"driving my family crazy", LOL. They'll enjoy your hobby this winter! What matters is that the vinegar is 5% acidity. Which kind, distilled or cider, is totally up to you. Some prefer white vinegar for light pickles and relishes to maintain the brightest color. It also has a sharper flavor. Old-time farm cooks often chose apple cider vinegar, even if it did darken the product, because it has a softer, sweeter finish on the palate. So it's totally a matter of individual preference. You could always divide a batch and try some of each. (Just be careful about measurement if it's salsa you're dividing.) Carol