In September, I went to Brookfield Orchards and bought apples to make Apple Butter/Apple Sauce. I will be cooking the apples just a little longer next time for a bit thicker “butter”. It came out delicious and I hope to get another batch or two done in the next couple of weeks. The recipe is Sweet Apple Cider Butter from the Ball Canning Book.

I cleaned the apples with cold water and vinegar before using them.

When I was done with the Apple Butter, I put the peels and some of the small pieces into a half gallon and a quart jar to make Apple Cider Vinegar. 

Fast forward to a month later and I removed the peels and pieces and strained the vinegar into two quart jars. It smells a little sweet and a little like vinegar and is super fizzy. I covered the tops with coffee filters and an elastic for the next stage. They need to sit in a dark, cool place for four more weeks to finish the vinegar process.

       

So many of these new processes I am learning take time and lots of patience, but the result is pretty amazing. Organic apple cider vinegar for free from scraps I used to just throw away or compost.

Stay tuned to for many more posts about what we have been up to. I haven’t written much since April, but I have all of our summer in photos and will be sharing it all in future posts.

Much Love,
Michele