How to Make and Uses of Vinegar

Vinegar has a variety of uses outside of cooking and can be bought cheaply. If you grow your own fruits, such as apples, pears, grapes and berries, you can make it for even less than store costs. You can even use a 10% sugar solution.

The strength of vinegar is dependent on the sugar content of the fruit that you use. That's why sweet apples are usually better than tart or sour apples. If using cider or juice instead of using fresh fruits, don't use any juices that have peservatives. That will prevent the sugars from fermenting.

Fill a one gallon jug, preferably glass, with whatever juice you are using. You will need an airlock on the jug. You should search for a wine and/or beer making supply store to obtain an airlock. You could possibly use a rubber glove with a needle prick in one of the fingers to do the same job, but it's not reliable as a real airlock. You could also punch a hole in a corn cob and attach a rubber hose where the other end is submerged in another jar of water. The goal is not to allow oxygen to get to your batch but still allow for the escape of carbon dioxide from the fermentation process.

It's not necessary to use yeast to get the fermentation process going. Wild yeasts should already be present. You should start to see a grey foam on top in a couple of days, which is showing the yeast is doing their job. This first fermentation process should last about four to six weeks, which at that time the bubbling should start slowing down and then come to a stop. When it comes to a stop, the fermentation is done. You now have cider.

The first fermentation took place within the liquid. The second will take place more on top. This time we want to expose the batch to oxygen. We want as much surface area on top of the batch as possible. You can do this by splitting the batch in two different jugs or by pouring the batch into a pan. Let the batch be exposed to air for a couple of hours and then cover with a cloth. You want air to get to the batch but not bugs and dust. You want to keep the batch around 70 to 80 degrees. Too cold, spores will go dormant; too hot, spores will die off. The second fermentation can last from three to six months depending on the surface area of the batch.

Home-made vinegar is going to be stronger than store-bought. You may want to dilute it with water.

Once you have your vinegar, you can put it to all sorts of uses. Vinegar is a great window cleaner. You can also use it to clean counter tops, stove tops, and anywhere else that you would normally use a store-bought window cleaner. Vinegar can be used to take of stickers, labels, and decals.

Placing open bowls in a room can eliminate cigarrette smoking odors. Vinegar can also be used with your laundry rinse cycle to leave them soft and sweet smelling. If you have sticky or smelly hands, such as after cutting onions, washing your hands with vinegar will reduce the smell and wash away the stickiness.

For sediments and build-ups on your shower head, coffee pot/maker, tea kettle, etc., dipping or washing them with vinegar will make them look new again. With the shower heads (metal not plastic), boil them for 15 minutes in a half-and-half solution of vinegar and water. The same half-and-half solution can be ran through your coffee maker as if you were making a pot of coffee. This can also be done with your iron (don't use on clothes).

When poaching eggs, use a few drops of vinegar to keep the whites together. You shouldn't notice any taste difference.

Vinegar can also be used for medical uses. You can use it to cool off sunburns and help prevent infections. For tooths aches, vinegar rubbed on the tooth and gums give a short pain relief.

As you can see, vinegar is easy to make but yet time consuming. It can also be used for many different purposes. Make sure you stock up on some and be prepared for any home emergency.