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How to Make Vinegar From Scratch

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March 5, 2020 by Autumn 12 Comments

Have you ever thought about learning how to make vinegar from scratch? The process is simple and the end result is tasty and unique. Almost anyone can learn! In this post, I’m going to show you how to create delicious, fermented fruit vinegar in your own kitchen!

Here’s how the process works!

Want to learn how to make vinegar at home? This tutorial will show you how!

 

How to Make Vinegar From Scratch

In order to create fruit vinegar, you need 1) fruit juice, 2) natural yeast and 3) acetic acid bacteria. The last two are naturally found in the air, so your job is to source 100% pure fruit juice!

 

Step 1: Source Your Fruit

If you live in fruit country and have access to a U-pick, or if you raise your own fruits and berries, the first step is easy! All you have to do is harvest your fruit!

Because berries are simple to work with and grow in both hot and cool climates, I’m going to use the example of raspberries (for northern dwellers) and blackberries (for you southerners). The following directions apply to both types of fruit!

Harvest sun-ripened berries (black or rasp) when they’re at their best: not under-ripe and not so over-ripe that mold spores may be forming. Take the fruits indoors and pick through them, being sure to remove bugs, stems and any sort of debris.

This accomplished, it’s time to create your juice!

 

Step 2: Extract Juice from the Fruit

There are numerous ways to extract fruit juice from berries. For the sake of keeping things simple, I’ll give you the easiest one today.

Line a large bowl with a cotton cloth. I like to use these ones here, but any type of cotton will do! Pour the berries into the cloth-lined bowl and grab an old school potato masher. Vigorously break up the fruit, until it becomes a thick, mushy mess. Gather up the 4 corners of your cotton cloth, tie them together and hang your homemade cloth bag so it drips into the bowl below.

When the dripping stops, you’ll have a beautiful collection of raw, extracted berry juice in the bowl below, ready for fermentation!

 

Step 3: Pour Juice into a Food-Safe Container

You’ll want to use a food-grade container to hold and ferment your juice in. It could be a wide mouth glass jar, stoneware crock or a (food grade) plastic bucket. For berry vinegar, I prefer to use 2 quart (1.8 litre) glass jars. To keep dust bugs at bay, you’ll want to cover the mouth of your container with a cloth or paper towel. It should be tied down with a string, elastic or canning band.

Why can’t you use a lid?

There are two reasons you shouldn’t use a lid: fruit flies and acetic acid bacteria. Let’s talk about fruit flies first.

Fruit flies will be drawn to the smell of your fermenting fruit juice. And they’re capable of creeping through the tiniest spaces. If your lid isn’t a perfect fit, you’ll soon find hundreds of tiny, white maggots swimming in your fruit juice.

A cover for your fruit as it ferments into vinegar

The other reason is this: if your ferment is sealed off without airflow, airborne acetic acid bacteria won’t be able to flourish and grow. Let me explain how it works!

 

Step 4: How the Fermenting Process Works

The first stage of fermentation is a result of natural yeasts. These yeasts are airborne and can also be found on the skin of your fruit. It’s likely they are already present in your juice!

As your juice sits in a warm room (60-80F or 15-26C), these yeasts will become active and feed on the juice’s natural sugars. As they feed, they convert sugars to alcohol, releasing carbon dioxide. If you see bubbles on the surface of your liquid or the sides of your container, it’s a sure sign natural yeasts are in action!

This first phase of fermentation is called the “alcohol” phase. Because of, you know, the alcohol.

But it doesn’t stop there. While these natural yeasts are busy consuming and converting the sugars to alcohol, an air-borne bacteria slips in to do its job. That’s right! This is why you can’t cover your fruit juice with a lid! If you seal it up, it will remain in alcohol form.

The air-borne bacteria takes the alcohol produced by the natural yeasts and slowly, converts the alcohol to acetic acid. That’s right! The very thing that makes vinegar what it is!

 

Step 5: The Length of the Fermenting Process

If you are fermenting no more than 2 quarts (1.5 litres) of berry juice, the first stage of fermentation will take anywhere from 3-4 weeks, a time during which your ferment will omit a light alcohol-like aroma.

Not so with the second stage! When acetic acid bacteria arrive on the scene, you’ll notice a distinct, pungent, vinegar-like aroma wafting up from the liquid. This aroma will continue to grow, until all the alcohol has been consumed!

And when it has? You’ll have nothing but a pure, raw fruit vinegar, ready to be put to use in the kitchen!

Strawberry vinegar makes a refreshing summer drink!

 

Step 6: Finishing Off Your Fruit Vinegar

Now that you’ve learned how to make vinegar from scratch, there are few things you need to be aware of when storing and keeping your fermented fruit juice!

 

Tip 1: Use Safe Storage Containers

When the time comes to bottle your finished vinegar, make certain you use food grade containers. Also see to it that your lids aren’t made of metal. Due to it’s acidic nature, vinegar can be corrosive and will eventually rust out metal lids, dripping unwanted metals into your fermented goodness!

If you are storing your vinegar in glass jars, I recommend using these white, wide mouth plastic lids.

In my home, I prefer to use glass bottles for smaller batches and glass gallon jugs for storing large amounts of vinegar. For lids, I like to use corks. They add an old-world feel to my kitchen. Plus, they’re eco-friendly, pretty and can be reused over and over again!

Should you be interested to browse through my favorite options, I have a collection of them here for you to view at your convenience.

But wait. Before you go, we have to talk about testing your vinegar before sealing it up!

 

Tip 2: How to Test Vinegar Before Sealing It Up

It can be difficult to tell exactly when the bacteria has transformed all sugars to acetic acid. As a result, you’ll want to display caution when it comes to sealing up your “finished” vinegar. You see, if it isn’t actually finished, it will still release small amounts of carbon dioxide. If you seal that up, the results can be explosive!

The best way to tell whether or not your vinegar is ready to be sealed up is to seal it up! That’s right! Put it under tight seal and then check it in 1-2 day’s time. Was there a release of carbon dioxide? If so, you know it’s not ready quite yet. Let it sit for another 14 days, then try sealing it up again.

Don’t tuck it away in your cupboard just yet!  If there wasn’t a release after day 1, seal it back up and let your fruit vinegar sit for 2-3 days at room temperature. No release? It’s ready to be tucked away in a cupboard for when you do need it!

 

Wrapping Up…

Now you know how to make vinegar from scratch! I wish I had space to give you troubleshooting tips, recipes and hand you more details on how to use fruit vinegar in the home. But I’m afraid this post is too long already!

If you want to learn more, you may be interested in buying my 60+ pg, beginner’s guide e-book: “The Beginner’s Guide to Creating and Using Traditional Fruit Vinegar.” It’s jam-packed with information and contains far more detail than I could fit in one single blog post!

All the best as you venture into the world of traditional fruit vinegar! And if you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments below! Also be sure to check out my IG account where I share videos, stories and such on the vinegar-making process!

 

Learn to create fruit vinegar in your own home, without additives or special equipment!

 

Filed Under: DIY Culinary Fruit Vinegars, Kitchen Tagged With: Fermenting, fruit vinegar, vinegar

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brian says

    January 4, 2021 at 9:55 am

    Does light affect the process? Should I keep it away from sunlight or artificial light while it ferments? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Autumn says

      January 4, 2021 at 12:29 pm

      I never keep my juice out of the light when I ferment it. But you can! I don’t think it will matter too much, either way!

      Reply
      • Brian says

        January 11, 2021 at 1:00 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
  2. Mary Ellen Hoybook says

    October 17, 2020 at 7:26 pm

    I ordered your e-book tonight. It seems very interesting and really easy to understand. I now have a renewed interest in making vinegars. Thank you. I have an elderberry vinegar that I started on August 24. Just juice from steam juicing. I did notice a few bubbles early, but not like what I see when my wine ferments. Now, weeks later (and one new grandbaby later), I notice that it smells like vnegar. I tasted it and yes, I think it tastes like vinegar. I put a tight lid on about a cup of it, and I’ll check in a few days if it is building pressure. I think I’m curious if I could really have vinegar after only about 7 weeks. I was working with only about 3 cups of juice, so not a lot. Maybe that helps speed things up???

    Reply
    • Autumn says

      October 18, 2020 at 9:35 am

      Congrats! Yes, smaller amounts of juice will ferment much quicker because there are less sugars for yeasts to consume. As a result, there’s less alcohol for acetic acid bacteria to convert. Let me know if you have any questions!

      Reply
      • Mary Ellen Hoybook says

        October 18, 2020 at 2:56 pm

        Thank you so much!!!

        Reply
  3. Mary Ellen Hoybook says

    August 5, 2020 at 3:46 pm

    I saw this when you were on Melissa K. Norris’ blog. This method fascinated me. I started Elderberry juice 3 days ago and now I see some spots of fuzzy mold. So sad. I also see bubbles starting. I’m thinking I need to scrap this because of the mold, right?? I extracted juice with my steam juicer and covered it with a coffee filter.

    Reply
    • Autumn says

      August 5, 2020 at 6:04 pm

      Hi Mary Ellen!
      Yes, skim the white mold off. And then (because of mold), I’d recommend covering the jar with a tight fitting lid. Break the seal every day and once the juice has moved thru the alcohol phase, cover the jar with a breathable cover to finish its fementing phase. Also make sure your home temps arent above 80-85F. Sometimes this can contribute to mold. Good luck and feel free to email me if you have more questions!

      Reply
  4. Anne says

    July 17, 2020 at 9:53 am

    Hi Autumn! I have a batch of plum and a batch of sea berry vinegars on the go – on the plum I am getting mold – every few days? It’s sitting on my kitchen counter – good air circulation – covered with cheesecloth? My sea berry seems to have quite a bit of sediment? Do you just leave that in there for now?? They have been going for about 4 weeks now. Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Autumn says

      July 17, 2020 at 11:00 am

      It’s hard to troubleshoot when I don’t know which techniques you used to extract the juice? If you’re getting mold, I assume you still have fruit pieces in your jars?

      If so, fruit should have been removed after 7-10 days.

      If that’s not the case, your sugar content may have been too low or else your home may have lots of mold spores. Next time, try using a lid for the first 7-10 days, until the proper yeasts take over. I give you lots more trouble shooting details in my book as well.

      Sediment is normal. After your liquid turns into vinegar, you can siphon off the clear stuff (I also cover this in my book).

      Good luck!

      Reply
  5. Michele says

    March 22, 2020 at 7:36 am

    Thank you for this article. I have been making homemade vinegars (or attempting to) by using fruit scraps or mashed whole berries, grapes, and plums with water. A small amount of sugar is added to jump start the process, which I understand is consumed by the bacteria. My success rate has been less than splendid – about 50%. Sometimes they mold, if I neglect the twice-daily stirring, and sometimes they taste “off.” I never thought to use juice! Does it need to be fresh, raw juice or can I use my steamer-juicer to extract the juice for vinegar-making?

    We have about a dozen very old apple trees and many plum trees. Blackberries grow wild along one side of our garden and blue elderberries are just a short drive up the road, so I have a LOT of fruit to work with in the summer and fall.

    We live on a 3+ acre rural homestead in southern Oregon, USA and raise chickens for eggs, have a pair Mallard ducks and a pair of French Toulouse geese, and a few rabbits, along with a starter herd of painted Desert sheep. I think you and I would get along just fine! Our kids are now grown and starting adult lives of their own, so I am a homemaker/homesteader, too, home full-time for now after working part-time.

    I love your blog and website, Autumn. You’re giving such incredibly valuable and important information and encouragement. Blessings to you!!!

    Reply
    • Autumn says

      March 22, 2020 at 12:22 pm

      You can use a steam juicer or any other method of juicing! You can use frozen fruits as well. I’ve had a very high success rate when using pure juice. If you’re interested, I have an e-book that goes in depth on this particular topic.

      Sounds like you have a happening place with all your farmyard creatures! So glad you enjoyed my little blog! 🧡 Autumn

      Reply

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My name is Autumn and I'm a wife and homemaker who is all about simple living, natural homes and real food. I'm here to help you create a healthier home and family!

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