Monday, April 9, 2012

Drunk mothers

I'm not much of a drinker.  I'll have a glass every now and again, but for the most part, alcohol is just not a part of my life.  As a result, we often end up with extra wine after a get together.  It used to sit in my basement until I tossed it.  Throwing things away drives me nuts.  After lamenting the price of white wine vinegar, I decided to take matters into my own hands.  It all started with the mother at the bottom of a bottle of apple cider vinegar.  You need the natural kind that has floaty bits in the bottom.

This is from Whole Foods, but I've also seen it from Spectrum, Eden and Braggs.

I poured about a half cup of the ACV with the little bits into a mason jar and then poured an equal amount of white wine into the jar.  Then I sat it on a shelf and let it sit.  After a week or so, a film formed over the top.

This is a new mother forming.  There was a distinct vinegar smell at this point.  I let it for a few more days until the mother got thicker and more powerful.  Meanwhile the kids and I danced around the kitchen screaming "We made a mother!"

Once I had a good strong mother, I filled the jar with another cup of wine and repeated the process.  I didn't want to overwhelm the mother.  Each time it formed another mother and became stronger.


This is the end of the process.  You can see the mothers at the bottom of the jar.  The remaining vinegar was poured into another jar to be used in dressings and the like.  I'll keep the mothers in a jar with some vinegar for the next batch.  Next up will be some red wine vinegar and this fall I'm hoping to make a big batch of ACV.  The chickens get vinegar in their water every day, so the cheaper I can get it, the better.  We also use a lot of vinegar in our food.  Since this was naturally fermented, it will be even better for us.

This post is part of the Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways blog carnival.  I will also be linking to Little Farm in the Big City Homestead Helps Wednesday.
Also Simple Lives Thursday at a Little Bit of Spain in Iowa.

18 comments:

Daphne Gould said...

I tend to cook with wine so I love left over wine. I don't think I could bear to part with it for making vinegar, but I do love my vinegar. I go through an amazing amount of it.

The Mom said...

Daphne, I know most people happily use up their wine. We just never do! It is however much cheaper to even buy a bottle of wine to make into vinegar. That stuff is expensive!

lorirrt5 said...

We are definitely not related as I woulD NEVER have any wine left over !


love ya sis !

The Mom said...

Lori, you know we don't drink! Have to find something to do with it.

Anonymous said...

This is amazing. I have two bottles of left over wine in my fridge now. one red, one white. I hate dumping them out and I don't use that much in cooking. I am going to try out both the white and red tonight! question: so after about two weeks, it should be ready? do you take the "mothers" out and put them in another jar and they can just sit until next time? How long will they last?

HappyMrsBass said...

Hmmmm...I found this post very interesting! I don't drink but the idea of making my vinegar is so intriguing. I'm stopping by from Homestead Helps Wednesday blog hop! Thanks for sharing!

The Mom said...

Anonymous, I have been keeping the mother in a jar with a small amount of vinegar over it. Keep it at room temperature. It's probably better if you feed it with more wine or apple cider every so often.

Mrs Bass, I'm not a real drinker either, but love wine vinegar. The price is crazy though!

Elise said...

Oh, I'm so glad I found this! I cook with wine every once in a while, and the leftover always goes bad. Then of course, I never have wine vinegar because it's too expensive to buy.
What a brilliant idea! I can't wait to try it!

Felecia Cofield said...

Hi Heather! Thanks for sharing this recipe! I just love making things from scratch that blow people away! Sounds very simple! Blessings from Bama!

Heidi said...

I might try this myself. We occasionally have leftover wine and you're right, the vinegars are really expensive. Good idea! I have a bottle of Bragg's ACV that I will keep the mother from.

The Mom said...

Elise, Bama Girl and Heidi, I'm so glad you liked it. Let me know how it turns out for you.

Chele said...

I wish I had seen this earlier. I had a mother that I did not know what it was and tossed it today, ACK! Mine was from making my orange vinegar for cleaning. I take orange peels and covered them with distilled vinegar. It had been sitting for nearly 3 or 4 weeks. I saw that thing on top and got nervous! LOL Now I feel foolish!

The Mom said...

Chele, you'll know for next time. I'm making the same orange cleaner. So easy. I can't wait to use it.

KylaGWolf said...

Well as long as the wine is closed properly and the bottle stored on it's side it won't go bad and can keep even after it has been open. We don't drink a lot here either so usually don't have a lot of wine running around the house. Although friend of ours brought over a sweet red wine that was absolutely wonderful. Don't think it would make good vinegar though.

The Mom said...

Kyla, you're right, it will keep for quite a while. In my house, it's usually better to find another use for it.

Leigh said...

Very interesting. I need to try this because I'm not only putting ACV in my chickens water but in my goats water as well. Great post! Thanks!

The Mom said...

Leigh, I'm glad you liked it. The price of vinegar has gotten crazy. Any way to reduce that price is good in my book.

Sammijosmom said...

I have to know... Why is there vinegar in thechicken's water?