One last catch-up post!

In the middle of when our internet went wonky and I couldn’t upload photos, I was able to move on to the next step in making cider vinegar with our crab apples.

You can read the first part here. (link will open in a new tab)

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When I first started these, I used a small jar as a fermentation weight. However, as I checked on it over the next few days, I noticed that the apple pieces at the top were not immersed in liquid. The liquid level had dropped, but the jar fit into the opening so well, it couldn’t drop with it.

So I dug around and found a smaller jar and sanitized it. It was a bit too small, though. The weight of the jar displaced enough liquid to immerse the apple pieces, but I was concerned it would sink right to the bottom.

My solution was to fasten it to the coffee filter with an elastic, then fasten the filter around the mouth of the canning jar, so the filter itself would keep the jar from sinking.

It worked.

As you can see in the photos, the filter got damp.

Here you can see that as it fermented, it bubbled up to the top of the jar, before settling again.

Rather icky looking.

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In straining the apple pieces out, I found I had just under 2 cups of liquid.

The apple pieces went to the compost bucket, but my instructions said to pour the liquid back into the same jar.

Uhm. Really?

No.

I got a fresh jar and sanitized it.

I might have lost some precious bacteria in the process, but hey, it’s the first time I’m doing this, so it’s a learning experience!

At this point, my instructions say to leave it for 3-4 weeks, stirring daily, until it reaches the strength of flavour I want.

At the moment, it just tastes like… well… lightly fermented apple juice. Almost, but not quite, alcoholic in taste.

I’ll let you know how it turned out, in a few weeks!

The Re-Farmer