Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1919-12-05
THE HOUSEWIFE AND HER BUSINESS
Especial Information Service L. Department OF AgcutureJ
Make Your Own Vinegar
It's Cheaper Than Buying It
Directions Making Vinegar;
Many Wild Fruits
to FreshJ

. hold art. Those who have set up a
vinegar key or barrel, secure a SUI
perior product and at the same time
beat old High Cost of Living.
Vinegar is usually made with an
pies, although grapes and oranges
are also used to some extent. Ger.
tain other fruits, such as blackber-
ries. figs. peaches, watermelons
latter concentration of the juice)
sorghum and cane strip have been
used with good results. Many wild
fruits, such as the blackberry, elder.
berry. and persimmon, which fire..
quently are not completely or prop
erly utilized. will make excellent
vinegar, the United States depart
! ment of agriculture suggests. AS a
matter of fact. any wholesome fruit
or vegetable juice can be used for
vinegar making, provided it contains
sufficient sugar. Some fruits, such
as the guava or Kieffer pear. contain
only 5 to per cent of sugar. which
is not sufficient to make strong
satisfactory vinegar.
Fruit used for making vinegar
should be sound and fully ripe, for
ripe fruit contains more sugar and
consequently produces a stronger
vinegar. Partially decayed fruit is
no better for vinegar making than
for eating and should not be used.
Select sound, ripe fruit, wash thor
oughly, and remove all decayed por-
tons. Crush either in a machine
made for this purpose, such as a
cider mill, or for small quantities a
food chopper. Squeeze out the juice
in press and put into clean bar
rel. key. or crock for fermentation.
Great care should be taken to have
all the utensils thoroughly cleaned
and to handle the fruit in a Clearly
manner. If old kegs or barrels,
especially old vinegar barrels, are
used. they should be cleansed thor
oughly and all traces of the old vine
gar removed. If this is not done, the
old vinegar will interfere with the
alcoholic fermentation and possibly
spoil the product.
! After the juice has been squeezed
out add fresh yeast cake to every
five gallons of juice A good fer
mentation often results from chance
incubation with the wild yeast of
the air. This is the method ordina.
rily followed in making vinegar. Elk
periments have shown, however, that
much stronger vinegar can be
made by using yeast to start the fer
mentation. Work the yeast up thor
oughly in about one-half cup of the
juice and add to the expressed Juice,
stirring thoroughly. Cover with a
cloth to keep insects from it and
allow to ferment. The best temper
ature for fermentation is between
80 degrees to 90 degrees. Do not
put in a cold cellar or the fermenta-
ton will be too slow. At 80 degrees
to 80 degrees alcoholic fermentation
will usually be complete in from
three to four days to week, or
when working starts, as indicated
, by the cessation of bubbling. The
next step in the process is acetic acid
fermentation, during which the alco-
hol is changed into acetic acid.
! After the bubbling stops 1t will be
found advantageous to add some
good. strong, fresh vinegar in the
proportion of l gallon of vinegar to
or gallons of fermented juice.
Usually, however, no vinegar is add
ed and the incubation of the fer.
mented Juice with acetic acid bac-
terra is left to chance. This chance
incubation usually produces a more
or less satisfactory product, but IL
vinegar is added the results are
much better. Instead of vinegar one
may add good quantity of so-called
mother" If mother" is used
however, use only that growing on
the surface of the vinegar. Vine
gar mother which has fallen to the
bottom is no longer producing acetic
acid.
After adding the vinegar, cover
with a cloth and keep in dark
place between 20 degrees and 80 de-
grees. Do not disturb the film that
forms, for this is the true mother"
and do not exclude the air Taste
the Juice every week and when it
ceases to increase in acid or is as
sour as desired. siphon off and store
in kegs. Jugs. or bottles. Fill full
and stopper tight If this is not
done. the acid will gradually disap-
pear and the vinegar will turn to
water" The same bacteria that pro.