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As you may have noticed, we always like
trying something different on our farm, and it is with this in
mind that we began to experiment in the making of cider vinegar
two years ago. Because of the nature of vinegar making, this is
a long-term project, and so it is only now that we have the
first completed batch, even though we started two years ago.
It all began with the apple harvest of 2001, which was a very
good one. In an effort to use some surplus apples, we set some
to ferment. This was done by juicing the apples, and putting the
juice in a tank with an air-lock. Because of the natural yeasts
within apples (and on their surface), they soon began to ferment
to cider. The reason for the air-lock on the tank was to prevent
an explosion, because the yeasts that make cider produce carbon
dioxide gas in the process, and this needed to be released.
After about six months all the sugar in the juice had converted
to alcohol, which meant that we had a cider with about 6%
alcohol (because each 1% sugar gives 0.5% alcohol, and apples
naturally contain about 12% fruit sugar).
Rather than drink this cider (which was a temptation), we then
added a special vinegar-making bacteria culture. These bacteria
live on alcohol, and utilise it in such a way that they convert
it to acid. Unlike the yeasts that make cider, vinegar-making
bacteria need plenty of air, and this was provided by keeping
the cider in an unsealed shallow tank. After a few months a “mother”
(gel-like substance) had grown on the surface of the cider, and
this was the culture which was at work converting the cider to
vinegar. Because these bacteria function best at temperatures of
about 30°C, and because we do not get such high temperatures in
Ireland, it took over twelve months for the bacteria to convert
the alcohol to vinegar. The result has been worth the wait
however, and now, almost two years after we began, we have a
nice vinegar bottled and ready for sale.
As many of our callers have already told us, cider-vinegar has
for many years been regarded as somewhat of a miracle cure.
Amongst other things, the particular bacteria used in its making
has anti-biotic properties, in that it can inhibit the growth of
undesirable bugs. Cider vinegar has also been attributed with
anti-arthritic properties and indeed, a number of books have
been written espousing its virtues. I am just happy to recommend
it as a nice salad dressing.
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