Cider Vinegar
As you may have noticed, we always like trying something different on
our farm, and it is with this in mind that we began to experiment in
the making of cider vinegar some years ago. Because of the nature of
vinegar making, this is a long-term project.
It all began with the apple harvest of 2001, which was a very
good one. In an effort to use some surplus apples, we set some to
ferment. This was done by juicing the apples, and putting the juice in
a tank with an air-lock. Because of the natural yeasts within apples
(and on their surface), they soon began to ferment to cider. The reason
for the air-lock on the tank was to prevent an explosion, because the
yeasts that make cider produce carbon dioxide gas in the process, and
this needed to be released. After about six months all the sugar in the
juice had converted to alcohol, which meant that we had a cider with
about 6% alcohol (because each 1% sugar gives 0.5% alcohol, and apples
naturally contain about 12% fruit sugar).
Rather than drink this cider (which was a temptation), we
then added a special vinegar-making bacteria culture. These bacteria
live on alcohol, and utilise it in such a way that they convert it to
acid. Unlike the yeasts that make cider, vinegar-making bacteria need
plenty of air, and this was provided by keeping the cider in an
unsealed shallow tank. After a few months a “mother” (gel-like
substance) had grown on the surface of the cider, and this was the
culture which was at work converting the cider to vinegar. Because
these bacteria function best at temperatures of about 30°C, and because
we do not get such high temperatures in Ireland, it took a couple of
years for the bacteria to convert the alcohol to vinegar. The result
has been worth the wait however, and now, quite a few years after we
began, we have a nice vinegar bottled and ready for sale.
As many of our callers have already told us, cider-vinegar
has for many years been regarded as somewhat of a miracle
cure. Amongst other things, the particular bacteria used in its making
has anti-biotic properties, in that it can inhibit the growth of
undesirable bugs. Cider vinegar has also been attributed with
anti-arthritic properties and indeed, a number of books have been
written espousing its virtues. I am just happy to recommend it as a
nice salad dressing.
You can buy cases of bottled Cider Vinegar or bulk Cider Vinegar on our
Online Shop