I agree that many people tend to want a magic RX pill for everything. and often don't want to be active in managing their health with healthier lifestyle changes. However seeking out woo remedies or believing in the concept of good foods, bad foods super food pretty much the same type of thinking. There is one and only one cure for the common cold. Time. The vinegar is not magic. The magic is the hot drink (or really the steam from it) if you happen to like hot drinks. Honey is no more magical for soothing a throat than a lifesaver. It's sweet, it temporarily coats. So does a popsicle. I don't care for hot liquids as a rule so my body tends to crave spicy food when I'm ill. Maybe it helps to clear the sinuses or maybe I like it because my taste buds are dulled too much for bland foods. I don't overthink it. Unless I develope an infection the illness will go away in X number of day no matter what I do or don't do other than rest and stay hydrated. I'm sure not going to tell everyone that the spicy chili verde cured my cold. LOL

< I see that it doesn't give the amount of time to process. That is odd.> As I hinted at above that is only one of the common problems with these old, hand-me-down recipes. Vague measurements, faulty transcriptions, lack of prep and processing details, the variable acidity of vinegar then and now, and a disregard for the issues of pH and density are just a few of the reasons why the current guidelines recommend they be relegated to history rather than used. That is especially true when modern, well-tested recipes without those flaws for the same thing are available. Pear Relish But it is your choice. :) Dave PS: like Mary, I prefer cider vinegar but it is a personal taste thing so use whichever you prefer.

There have been a number of speculations on methods of making your own apple cider vinegar, many of which go from apples to cider to hard cider, finally to apple cider vinegar (ACV), a process that can be simplified. I'm not an expert on this, but did find information, and my small batches are well on their way, and smell wonderful. My first batch, in 2 one-quart canning jars, consisted of approx 3 apples per jar. I removed/trimmed the stem/blossom ends of the fruit, and washed them. These were cut into coarse chunk, skins and all, and packed lightly into cleaned jars, 2/3 or less full. If the jars are too full, you'll have overflow later as the apples ferment. Add enough non-chlorinated water to cover the apples, and add 2/3 tsp of sugar to each jar. Place a double layer of paper towel on each jar, and tie it on with twine or a rubber band. The apples will be obviously fermenting in a few days, and the apples should be pressed down/stirred a little at least daily for the first few weeks. I found it useful to "knock" the jars to get air bubbles to the surface and discourage overflow. The smell should be pleasant. If it's not, consider throwing this out and starting over. The apples, skins and all, will look like tan applesauce after a few weeks. Add more non-chlorinated water to bring the level back up, if necessary. The scent should be distinctly of vinegar. A 2nd batch I made used apples from a neighbor's tree, and these turned to 'mush' much more slowly than the others, but the progress seems the same. I'm half-way through this 12 week process, and stir the jars only once a week, checking to make sure no 'unfriendly' cultures or mold starts. Again, use the sniff test. The first batch of jars have 1/3 clear tan ACV over dense sediment. The 2nd batch only just finished losing its chunkiness, probably because the apples were granny smiths. This jar also has a somewhat solid disc of "mother', whitish and translucent, which I'm told is desirable. I press this down with a clean spoon every few days when stirring the mixtures, just to keep unwanted cultures from taking hold here. I'm guessing that at the 12th week, the jars should be strained through a coarse sieve, and the ACV bottled and saved. The organic ACV from the health food store has substantial mushy mother in it, so that's what I'll aim for. Any suggestions of what to do with the mother 'disc' from the later batch? Some of the solids after filtering will be used to inoculate new batches of ACV, and I guess the rest will go to compost? The organic ACV from the store was ~$5 for less than a pint--hopefully these batches at home will be worth the wait! The next batch will be in a much larger container. Has anyone used a method like this? I'm starting to ferment a lot in my quart jars--sourdough starter, yogurt, sauerkraut, etc. There's a trend here! --Rick in CT first batch, after 11 days:

I have a batch of ACV that I started about 10 weeks ago, and it finally smells like it's ready! It's actually 2 quart jars, started at the same time using organic macintosh, and the clear liquid is ~40% of the total volume: I would like to know the preferred method of draining it, and how to have a good part of the mother in the finished product. Cheesecloth? A sieve? I've used a plastic strainer lined with a coffee filter for draining curds before, but I would probably have to scoop a little of the solid remains into the finished product. Is there a use for the solids besides composting it? I'd love to hear what others do at this last stage of preparation. I have a 3rd jar that I started with apples from my neighbor's neglected yard and tree, and this has formed a solid translucent disc on top, which I understand is another form of 'mother', and desirable. This batch will be ready soon, so, same questions as before, and what to do with this disc, which looks nice and clean. When I first noticed it, I would stir the fermenting solids carefully so as not to damage the disc, and make sure that the surface was wet with the developing vinegar. I'm starting 2 more quarts today, maybe in a larger jar, and have considered transferring the 'disc' to the new batch, probably with a spoonful of the solids from the previous batch. I'm guessing this will help assure that I get the right fermentation/organisms going? (I had 1 batch that failed because it smelled bad.) I've been taking ~a tablespoon of Bragg's ACV almost daily 'just because', and have started fermenting other foods too--sauerkraut, yogurt, sourdough, etc. My kitchen smells great! Comments, please? Thanks! Rick in CT