The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-09-26
MAKING VINEGAR
ON SMALL SCALE
important for Housewife to Pre-
pare Her Own Supply for
0se This Year.
use SOUND and ripe FRUIT
Contain More Sugar Than When Green
or Underripe 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 COM
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,
or underripe and consequently produce
a stronger vinegar.
Cider Mill or Food Chopper.
For these reasons select sound, ripe
fruit. Wash thoroughly and remove
all decayed portions. Crush either in
machine made for this purpose, such
as a cider mill, or, for small quanti-
ties, run through O food chopper.
Squeeze out the juice in a press and
put into a clean barrel, keg or crock
for fermentation. If press is not avail
able, allow the mass to ferment for two
or three days and then squeeze by hand
through cheesecloth. More juice IS OBJ
To I'M In Chn
be taken to have all the utensils thor
oughly clean and to handle the fruit in
u clearly manner. If old kegs or bar
rels, especially old vinegar barrels, are
used, they should be cleansed thor
oughly and all traces Of the old vinegar
removed. If this is not done, the old
vinegar will interfere with the alco-
holic fermentation and possibly spoil
the product. After the juice has been
squeezed out, add 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 it
thoroughly. Cover with a cloth to
keep insects away and allow to fer
ment The best temperature for fer
mentation is between 80 and 90 degrees
f. Do not put in a cold cellar, as
is the custom in many localities, or the
fermentation will be too slow. At so
to 80 degrees F. alcoholic fermentation
will usually be complete in from three
to four days to a week. In other
words, 1t will stop working" as indi-
Gated by the cessation of bubbling. 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!
ton (bubbling) stops, 1t will be found
advantageous to add some good, strong,
fresh vinegar In the proportion Of one
gallon of vinegar to three gallons of
fermented Juice.
Instead of the vinegar one can add
a good quantity of the so-called moth
err" If 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 dark place be-
-