Mexico Missouri message., 1918-10-03
MAKING VINEGAR
ON SMALL SCALE
Important for Housewife to Pre-
pare Her Own Supply for
Use This Year.
Use SOUND and RIPE FRUIT
Contain More Sugar Than When Green
or Underrlpe and Consequently
Produce Stronger Article
Kegs Should Be Clean.

Since war industries are using great
quantities Of acetic acid, the acid pres
ent In vinegar, in the manufacture of
airplane wings, and in many other
ways in munitions Of war, the demand
on the commercial vinegar plants rem
ders the making of vinegar in the home
more important than ever before.
The directions given below are for
making vinegar on small scale for
household use. While the principle is
the same in manufacturing on a CONF
mercial scale, different methods are
employed in handling large quantities.
The fruit used for making vinegar
should be sound and fully ripe. Par
tally decayed fruit is no better for
vinegar making than for eating and
should not be used. Fruits, when ripe,
contain more sugar than when green
or underripe and consequently produce
a stronger vinegar.
Cider Mil or Food Chopper.
For these reasons select sound, ripe
fruit. Wash thoroughly and remove
all decayed portions. Crush either in
a machine made for this purpose, such
as a cider mill, or, for small quanti-
ties, run through a food chopper.
Squeeze out the juice in press and
put into clean barrel, keg or crock
for fermentation. II press is not avail
able, allow the mass to ferment for two
er three days and then squeeze by hand
through cheesecloth. More juice Is OBJ
tained In this way. Great care should
b. taken to have all the utensils thor
oLghly clean and to handle the fruit in
a cleanly manner. If old kegs or bar
refs, especially old vinegar barrels. are
used, they should be cIeansed thor
oughly and all traces of the old vinegar
ralnoved. If this is not done, the old
vinegar win interfere with the alco-
holic fermentation and possibly spoil
thd product. After the Juice has been
squeezed out, add a fresh compressed
yeast cake to every five gallons Of the
juice.
Work the yeast up thoroughly In
about one-half cup Of the juice and
add to the expressed juice, stirring 1t
thoroughly. Cover with a cloth to
keep insects away ana allow to fer
ment. The best temperature for fer
mentation is between 80 and 80 degrees
f. Do not put In cold cellar, as
is the custom In many localities, or the
fefmentatIon VIII be too slow. At 80
to 90 degrees F. alcoholic fermentation
will usually be complete in from three
to tour days to a week. In other
words. 1t will stop working" as indi-
Gated by the cessation of bubbllng, 1t
Is now ready for the acetic acid fer
mentation, during which the alcohol is
changed into acetic acid.
Add Some Strong Vinegar.
After the active alcoholic fermenta-
tlon (bubblingl stops, Il will be found
advantageous to add some goofN strong.
fresh vinegar in the proportion of one
gallon Of vinegar to three gallons Of
fermented juice.
Instead of the vinegar one can add
4 good quantity of the so-called ''moth-
er." II mother" Is used, however, one
should use only that growing on the
surface OF the vinegar, and not that
which has gone to the bottom. Vine
gar mother which has fallen to the
bottom Is no longer producing acetic
acid.
After adding the vinegar. cover with
cloth and keep In q dark place be.
H