I got an email from my grandmother the other day that really sparked my interest. In it she said the following:
"I was thinking the other day how many things we made for ourselves instead of buying. Apple cider was kept in a crock jug until it became vinegar. I don't know how long that took. I just remember we always had a vinegar jug sitting just inside the door leading to the cellar. In later years, Mom bought vinegar when she was canning pickles. It took twelve days to do the pickles. You went to the grape vine and cut off leaves and layered them in a three gallon crock, followed directions of changing the water and etc. Those pickles were so good. Mom always served them when we had company."
I believe the crock jug must have looked something like this one. I have been searching for one of these and for a layering crock with a lid for some time at garage sales but they are very pricey so I have yet to purchase one.
"I was thinking the other day how many things we made for ourselves instead of buying. Apple cider was kept in a crock jug until it became vinegar. I don't know how long that took. I just remember we always had a vinegar jug sitting just inside the door leading to the cellar. In later years, Mom bought vinegar when she was canning pickles. It took twelve days to do the pickles. You went to the grape vine and cut off leaves and layered them in a three gallon crock, followed directions of changing the water and etc. Those pickles were so good. Mom always served them when we had company."
I believe the crock jug must have looked something like this one. I have been searching for one of these and for a layering crock with a lid for some time at garage sales but they are very pricey so I have yet to purchase one.
I called grandma and I started asking all kinds of questions about how long the cider had to sit, and if the cider was specially made in any way. What she said was that she remembers picking apples from the orchard, and the ones with surface blemishes or spots that could not be kept with the others (as they would turn the good eating apples bad quickly) were taken down the road to a man who had a cider press. Now, from what I can tell of our conversation, the cider was different from what you buy in the store today, it was more like raw pressed apple juice. The kind you would get if you used apples and a juicer as it is a cloudy variety that you do not pastuerize. Grandma said it wasn't cooked and no spices were added so that is why I believe this to be true. Grandma was unsure of how long the apple cider juice needed to sit but a quick google search revealed that the cider juice has to go through the process of turning into alcohol then on to vinegar which can be 30 days to 3 months. Grandma also mentioned the "mother" that forms on the top of the juice during this process, google had lots to say about keeping this organism of bacteria alive and transferring it to your next batch of cider vinegar to help speed up the process.
Ever the do-it-yourselfer I am intrigued. In lieu of a crock like above, I am going to use a 1/2 gallon mason jar to start and just keep it in a closet as you are supposed to keep it away from light. Since this is the time of year I am buying up bushels of apples to can and dry I will be giving this a go. I will post more when I know if I was successful!
Ever the do-it-yourselfer I am intrigued. In lieu of a crock like above, I am going to use a 1/2 gallon mason jar to start and just keep it in a closet as you are supposed to keep it away from light. Since this is the time of year I am buying up bushels of apples to can and dry I will be giving this a go. I will post more when I know if I was successful!
