Found ACV with mother

[MeggsyGardenGirl]

Though I wouldn't use ACV in a metal chicken waterer because it might leach out metals or corrode/destroy the waterer over time. Plastic or glass - yes. I don't use ACV, but I hear it's good for chickens and sure won't hurt them.

 

[Mickey328]

You're right Meggsy...it needs to be in a non-reactive container...plastic, glass, stainless steel or coated metal like enamelware...as long as the coating isn't cracked or chipped. I hunt the thrift stores for stainless steel pots and pans,remove the handles and use those for feed and water for all my critters.

 

[peteyfoozer]

now since you have the 'mother' you can propagate your own vinegar indefinitely.

 

[canesisters]

O.K.....what's mother?

Mary

"mother" is the sorta.. well, snot looking stuff that can be found floating in unpasturized Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). It's supposed to be good for the 'good bugs' in digestive tracts.


And.. crap! I just bought a metal water-er for my tractor... forgot ALL about not using ACV in them! geesh...

 

[journey11]

There is nothing to making ACV. Juice some fresh apples, preferably organic...don't wash them other than a quick rinse with cold water--don't peel them either, just juice them whole! Put it in a jar, cover with a cloth and let it sit in an out of the way spot on your counter or cubbard, out of direct sunlight. Stir it gently every day or so. It will ferment on it's own. You will first get hard cider, then it will gradually turn to vinegar. Different apples yield different types of flavor. I use my homegrown red delicious and gala.

Here's a pic of my dear "Mother". It does certainly look like snot. The raw ACV you buy in the store has mother too, but it is pretty much dead by that point. It needs just a little O2 to survive and needs to be handled gently. You can kill it by brisk stirring or shaking the jar too vigorously.

ETA: The store-bought raw ACV still has beneficial pro-biotics in it, but the mother itself is not in good shape and won't likely prime a new batch. You want the big blob of snot looking stuff...which is a living SCOBY.

 

[MontyJ]

Thanks journey! I think I will give it try. That is, if I get any apples this year. The county came through year before last putting in the city sewer and cut down the wild apple tree on the back of the property. It was a nice polinator for my Jonathan. So, I bought a Fuji and a spike buck came in this past fall and rubbed all the bark off the bottom of it. I doubt it will make it. When I saw they had cut down that apple tree, I was furious. I think there were even mumblings about a shot gun and bodies thrown over the hill.