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| Homemade Vinegar; Homemade Vinegar Info | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 30 2011, 01:34 AM (184 Views) | |
| Mommacat | Sep 30 2011, 01:34 AM Post #1 |
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I have recently become interested in making homemade vinegar. The process seems easy enough - in fact, I am fairly certain I have accidently made it with leftover wine. All the instructions I have found say to start with some sort of fruit/veggie scraps/peels and then you add organic vinegar or "mother" starter. That part I understand, what I can't find out and really want to know is whether or not the homemade vinegar has the correct acidity to use in home canning of pickles, eggs, meats, etc. Does anybody know the answer? Thanks for any info!
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| Raven | Oct 1 2011, 07:04 AM Post #2 |
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You can get acidity testers that are pretty acurate. Otherwise you can do a home-made titer. Directions can be found at http://www.ehow.com/how_6232179_test-amount-acidity-vinegar-fermentation.html I think that the $10 tester would be worth the hassle. In the old days they just taste tested it. I think that you do have some wiggle room for pickling or brining but I am not sure. Sorry I am not much help. |
| The truth is not for all men, but only for those that seek it. Ayn Rand | |
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| Mommacat | Oct 1 2011, 08:52 AM Post #3 |
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Actually, Raven that was very helpful. I think the $10 tester would be a good prep investment. In a SHTF world, it would be horrible to survive the collapse, only to succumb to some type of food poisoning! The instructions for testing the acidity with b. soda and cabbage water seem good, however, with no grocery store handy, I wouldn't want to waste that amount to run a test. I will attempt to do some more research to find out how a person can consistently achieve the 6% acidity that is recommended for home canning. |
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| Raven | Oct 1 2011, 09:10 AM Post #4 |
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Commercial vinegar usually runs between 4-5% acidity. According to The Craft of the Country Cook by Pat Katz, the only thing that you can use untested homemade vinegar for is pickling and canning. Untested acidity can cloud or discolor pickles and the flavor may be off. That being said, she states that pickled fruits with acidic propertys safe for boiling water bath will still be okay. She goes on to state that you can use the testers available to wine makers. She further swears by one recipe for home made vinegar as a good drink for energy especially on a hot day for sweaty people...it's called Switchel. You make it by using 1 cup vinegar (preferably unpasturized home made), 1/2 cup of molasses, 1/2 honey or brown sugar, 1 tsp powered ginger or 1 Tbsp grated ginger root...mix these in 1 to 2 quarts of cold water. We have never tried this but it would surely replace some of the nutrients that you would lose through sweat. |
| The truth is not for all men, but only for those that seek it. Ayn Rand | |
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| Mommacat | Oct 1 2011, 11:05 PM Post #5 |
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Thanks, again, Raven! That recipe sounds a bit like ginger beer - and reading the ingredients, I agree it would put back some of a person's "sweated out" nutrients. However, I'm not sure a person should drink vinegar on a daily basis or large quantities, as some recommend. I would worry about sclerossis of the liver; after all, it has some of the same properties as fermented wine. But, as a pickling agent or ingredient in salad dressings, etc. I think a person would be okay. |
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| Raven | Oct 2 2011, 11:26 PM Post #6 |
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When I took the Medical Corps class out east, there was a homeopath that also gave a talk. She didn't give classes which would have been very well recieved but she did say that vinegar should be poured on every salad and most veggies as it "cleans and disinfects" the food by the nature of what it is. She said that you body can take quite a bit. The idea behind the switchel wasn't that you drink it in volume but that you drink it along with water. They say that if you drink vinegar (the real stuff) every day that it will help with arthritis and other osteo type problems as well as clean your kidneys and liver. I have no personal experience with this however. I am fairly certain that the idea of any fermented food is about the same idea...Griz should start to aquire a taste for sourkraut!
Edited by Raven, Oct 2 2011, 11:28 PM.
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| The truth is not for all men, but only for those that seek it. Ayn Rand | |
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| HandFarming | Oct 3 2011, 03:41 AM Post #7 |
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We helped the neighbor can his 15 gallons kraut and wow-does the homemade kraut taste great compared to store-bought. There are even recipes that include ingredients like horse radish or white wine if you look for them online. I've changed my whole thinking about sauerkraut and now I love it. |
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All the instructions I have found say to start with some sort of fruit/veggie scraps/peels and then you add organic vinegar or "mother" starter. That part I understand, what I can't find out and really want to know is whether or not the homemade vinegar has the correct acidity to use in home canning of pickles, eggs, meats, etc. Does anybody know the answer? Thanks for any info!



4:33 AM Jul 12