Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1912-11-28
CIDER VINEGAR AND ITS MAKING
(By p. ]. O'Gara, Pathologist in
Charge.)


l. In order to make wholesome
vinegar only clean fruit should be
selected. Rotten fruit will be sure
to injure the final product. If fruit
is dirty, wash it before crushing.
2. The fruit should be well
ground or crushed before putting it
into the press. AS far as possible
the cells should be broken so as to
release the contents. If the crushing
and pressing are well done, box of
apples weighing so pounds net
should yield from two to three gal
Ions of juice. This juice or must
will contain II per cent sugar, and
with proper handling should yield 5
to ) y per cent vinegar.
8. The juice should be allowed to
remain for a few days in a vat or
barrel so as to permit the solid mat
ter held in suspension to settle. All
containers should be thoroughly
cleaned with boiling water. Live
steam may be used to good effect.
Never put the juice into a dirty bar
rel, nor into a barrel containing vim
egar or mother-of-vinegar. Only
wooden containers should be used.
1t must be remembered that alco-
holc fermentation cannot take place
in the presence of acid of Y per cent
or over.
4. When the apple juice or must
has been put into clean barrel or
cask, add one cake of compressed
yeast for every five gallons of the
juice. The yeast should be first dis
solved in lukewarm water. ELL the
container to about two-thirds it's ca
pacity. The openings should not be
closed. 1t is best to place a var
nished wire screen over them so as
to admit air and keep out vinegar
flies. The yeast plants will set up
alcoholic fermentation, which should
be completed in two or three months
if the juice is kept at a temperature
of Go degrees to - degrees F. When
the sugar has been converted into
alcohol, the specific gravity of the
liquid should be about that of water.
This can be ascertained by means of
hydrometer.
5. When alcoholic fermentation
has been completed draw off the
clear liquid and thoroughly cleanse
the barrels or casks. Then put the
liquid back into the containers and
add a gallon or two of good vinegar
to each so gallons of liquid so as to
acetify it. Mother-of-vinegar or a
pure culture of the vinegar germ
may then be added so as to hasten
the process of acetic fermentation.
The same temperature should be
maintained as in the case of the al
coholic fermentation. Do not COM
pletely fill the containers. Permit
the free access of air by leaving
openings in the heads of the barrels.
The free access of air is important
and will hasten the process very ma
terially. At the end of three or four
months, depending upon tempera-
ture conditions, degree of areation
and the quantity of alcohol present,
the vinegar fermentation should be
finished. Starting with II per cent
sugar in the must, the resultant
| product should contain to y per
cent acetic acid 1t should easily
contain 1.6 per cent solids.
6. When acetic fermentation has
been completed, the contaner should
! be completely filled and tightly
| bunged so as to prevent destructive
fermentation of the acetic acid, and
then placed in a cool cellar. If de-
sired, the vinegar may be filtered
and bottled for the fancy trade.
(Note.-In the forthcoming bulle-
tin the methods of making vinegar
will be given in greater detail. Care
full instructions and illustrations will
show how to make vinegar on a large
commercial scale, using apples,
grapes, prunes, honey etc.