Vinegar season

[blissful]

The two buckets are foaming and delicious smelling, going from fruit to alcohol right now. These are like kombucha. (https://www.culturedfoodlife.com/how-to-make-bubbly-fruit-flavored-kombucha/)
I took a glass of the peach/pear one and it was delicious, sparkling, fruity. It wasn't clear, I didn't strain it. It's too sweet for me, but that sugar is the fuel that the bacteria/yeast are using to create the alcohol. The full alcohol amount will be done when the foaming is done. This will be like a wine (that is not aged) or a hard cider.

I won't strain it until the fermenting of the fruit is done, probably next week some time. My good friend calls it the prison wine stage.

Then from there on I'll only need to stir it once a week as the alcohol turns to acetic acid, or vinegar. That will take another month or so. Then I'll strain it again and bottle it.

 

[blissful]

Report on these last two buckets of future vinegar. I stir them everyday. The apple and pear cores kept their shape but the bananas are almost nothing. The banana bits are less than dime sized, mostly nothing. The pear slices only have a little fiber and the peels left. All that carbohydrate is fermented and changed to alcohol. Then I taste tested the liquid. It was not sweet anymore. It tasted like wine. If I was going to drink it (which I won't) then I'd add a little sugar for taste and I'm more of a fan of dry wines over sweet wines. There isn't much foaming going on anymore.

I'm going to try to corner mr bliss and see if he can help me strain it through cheese cloth tomorrow and into a clean bucket. He's in the middle of trapping season (muskrats) and gets home near 1 pm. Also more importantly, the banana aroma and taste, there isn't any reminder of it at this point. I'll check it again for the smell and taste in a few months when it is vinegar to see if I can detect it.

 

[blissful]

We strained the two buckets of future vinegar into clean buckets and then I covered with towels. The liquid is cloudy. I'll keep them covered and stir once a week, watching for mothers forming.

 

[larry_stewart]

I got two jars going down stairs that I forgot about , thanks for the reminder. Ill have to check on them.

 

[blissful]

The vinegar for 2023 is done, 4 gallons plus a little. Two buckets. The first was the banana apple vinegar and it had 2 mothers in it. There was no smell of or taste of banana in it. The color is a light yellow. The second was the peach pear vinegar and it had 1 mother (probably less natural sugar) and it had more must in it. We strained them through cheese cloth and put them in vinegar bottles and labeled them. Yay, we are good to go for winter and spring, maybe longer.
I would use bananas in making vinegar again, they have so much sugar in them and they were so inexpensive compared to many other fruits. The fruit broke down quite fast.
@larry_stewart how's your vinegar doing?

 

[larry_stewart]

I had 2 jars, a half gallon and a gallon. The half gallon was good and ready, so I brought it up from the basement. Until reading this, I forgot about the other ones so thanks for reminding me . I'll check on it tomorrow, but I'm sure it's just about ready. Mine are both apple, byproducts from when I made apple cider. The first one has a mild apple flavor, which I love. A slight yellow/ orange color, slightly cloudy.

 

[larry_stewart]

The vinegar for 2023 is done, 4 gallons plus a little. Two buckets. The first was the banana apple vinegar and it had 2 mothers in it. There was no smell of or taste of banana in it. The color is a light yellow. The second was the peach pear vinegar and it had 1 mother (probably less natural sugar) and it had more must in it. We strained them through cheese cloth and put them in vinegar bottles and labeled them. Yay, we are good to go for winter and spring, maybe longer.
I would use bananas in making vinegar again, they have so much sugar in them and they were so inexpensive compared to many other fruits. The fruit broke down quite fast.
@larry_stewart how's your vinegar doing?

How ripe did you let the bananas get before you used them for vinegar ?

 

[blissful]

How ripe did you let the bananas get before you used them for vinegar ?

Some were getting brown skin, some were medium ripe, some were very starchy. I mashed them with my hands as I put them in.

 

[Kathleen]

I have apple peels in the freezer for attempting vinegar. Y'all just reminded me that I meant to do that!