Help! What did i do wrong with my ACV?

[PunkinPeep]

I started my ACV in May.

Today, i got it out of its hiding place, and it definitely smells like ACV, but there's hardly any there! It all evaporated!

Did i miss something that would have prevented this? I used a whole bag of apples to make maybe a cup of vinegar!

Oh, also, i'm not sure that what's in mine is a mother. It just looks like super tiny little apple particles.

 

[FarmerDenise]

Oh, oh.

How did you store it? Did you bottle it up at some point? Did you strain the solids out? The mother looks like a clear loogie (sp?) (gross but it's the best I could come up with ) it should be floating on top. After straining, and letting it sit in a bottle, you should have a nice golden transparent liquid with sediment on the bottom and possibly some mother floating on top.
I bottle mine and seal it once it is clearly vinegar. But I also check it regularly for a while to make sure no pressure is building up for whatever reason.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Oh dear.

Thanks for responding.

Clearly, i missed a step.

I've had it in jars with t-shirt cloth over the top, in a closet since May.

At what point was i supposed to bottle it?

Could i still bottle it now and try to develop a mother?

 

[FarmerDenise]

I am pretty sure yours simply evaporated as you stated. Since it does smell like acv, you could save it and use it to start another batch when you can get more apples. As long as you don't have mold, you should be ok. I don't know if it will develop a mother at this stage. What have you got to loose?

I bottled mine probably within a week of starting it. I left the bottle uncapped (but covered with cloth)until it definitely smelled like ACV. I used a gallon bottle. Once it smelled right, I filtered it (saving the mother in a jar with the sediment and some of the juice)and put it in smaller bottles and put the screw cap on it. I checked it for a while after that to make sure it wasn't going to expland on me. Then when I am ready to use it, I have learned to check if there is mother on top...it is awfully gross to find it in your salad dressing.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Hehe

O.k. thanks for your help.

Maybe if there had been a smaller hole at the top, less of it would've evaporated? I used mason jars. Big wide hole.

I also wonder if i would've had better results if i had had a cooler place to keep it. This is Texas, so there are only so many places.

I guess i'll seal up my jars and see if i get a mother.

Thanks again!

 

[Beekissed]

It must have been the heat or maybe even the type of apples you used...maybe they were a little watery?

I've had a similar topped jug (paper towel for me) sitting in my bedroom since this time last year and it hasn't evaporated....and it sits behind my chimney! It has went down a little but not by much.

 

[journey11]

Since May... That's what happened. It shouldn't take more than 3 weeks or so. Bummer! Hope you'll want to try again--it's worth it!

 

[PunkinPeep]

three WEEKS?! i thought it was three MONTHS!!!

 

[ORChick]

three WEEKS?! i thought it was three MONTHS!!!

If you started with fresh juice only than 3 months is not unusual. If you had a mother or some starter vinegar in there then you might have got vinegar in 3 weeks. Most likely evaporation is what happened for you. I would think that a Texas summer might have been too hot for it. I'd try again now that Autumn is starting.

I just tossed out a batch that had been sitting on my counter for several months. It was in a stoneware crock, and I think that it wasn't as clean as it should have been (though it was as clean as I could get it ), and it molded pretty badly. In future I'll only use glass.

 

[PunkinPeep]

three WEEKS?! i thought it was three MONTHS!!!

If you started with fresh juice only than 3 months is not unusual. If you had a mother or some starter vinegar in there then you might have got vinegar in 3 weeks. Most likely evaporation is what happened for you. I would think that a Texas summer might have been too hot for it. I'd try again now that Autumn is starting.

I just tossed out a batch that had been sitting on my counter for several months. It was in a stoneware crock, and I think that it wasn't as clean as it should have been (though it was as clean as I could get it ), and it molded pretty badly. In future I'll only use glass.

Oh Thank you!!!

ORChick, i'm planning to do it just to see, but what do you think will come of it if i put it in a sealed bottle now? Will it grow a mother that i can use to make vinegar more quickly? Mine doesn't appear to have any mold on it or anything, but i don't see a mother either.



Oh, yes, i started with just a bag of apples to make this stuff. I didn't have any starter.