Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-09-10
In Vinegar Making.

Temperature plays an important
part in the making of vinegar. Some
of our best vinegar makers declare
that the best temperature for this
work is between 68 and sc degrees.
The cider should not be permitted to
reach a higher temperature than 80
degrees nor should 1t be allowed to
drop below so. This rule is not In
keeping with the practice of those
that permit their vinegar to freeze
slightly before removing it to the eel
lar or other storage place. The mat
ter is of importance, showing that we
have as much reason to watch the
temperature in vinegar making as IN
butter making. The old systeE OF
vinegar supply of the farm that had
small orchard was to make a bar
rel of cider each year and let it ripen
for over two years before beginning
to use it, estimating that the barrel
made one season would be used dur
ing the third season from its making
1t was generally believed that two
year-old vinegar had about the right
strength for the best service. Accord
ing to the present makers Of vinegar,
this was a useless waste OF time. In
those days the barrels were left out
of doors till freezing time came, when
they were bunged up and rolled into
the cellar, being again taken out the
next spring and the bung removed to
permit the entrance of air. On many
a farm there was one place by the
| side of fence on one side of the
farm house yard, where two or three
vinegar barrels were always to be
seeA in summer time, the barrels be.
ing on their sides and end to end.
Moss of the work of the bacteria acct
was done during the summer months.
Now the vinegar maker puts his
cider into barrels and stores 1t in a
warm room long before the cold gets
to 1t, taking care to see that the tenn
perature is not much under seventy
degrees. Very often now the cellar is
not used for this work at all, at least
not the cellar that is used for the
storage of farm vegetables and roots
1t used to be believed that the eel
lar that was suited to the keeping
Of potatoes, apples and roots was
| also suitable for the storing OF
cider in process of changing in
to vinegar. But. this is no longer
believed. We need, for the keeping
of vegetables, the temperature of the
cellar to kept as near the freezing
point as possible, while for the max
of first-class vinegar we need tenn
perature OF 40 degrees higher or there
abouts.
/ The man that has small orchard
and wants to make single barrel o.
vinegar will not find 1t advisable t
have a room specially heated for tn,
ripening of his vinegar. He can, how
ever, utilize the family kitchen. If h,
can spare the space for key or small
barrel, but hardly for two. However
in such a temperature the ripenini
process goes on so rapidly that yea
will give vinegar of the desire,
strength. The barrel should not b.
air tight, but should be uncovere,
enough to allow the air to reach II
The mother" will then form rapid,
and the process of ripening will b,
accelerated. All farmers have seel
what is known as mother" but few
understand its province. This mothe
is mass of threads of bacteriun
aceti held together by a peculiar jelly
These bacteria are all the time draw
ing from the cider its alcohol an,
from the air its oxygen and combiu
ing them to form acetic acid, which 1
then discharged into the liquid. |
will therefore be seen that the mothe
is not to be skinned of but care
fully retained, as the process of soul
ing win not go on without 1t.