Add raw unpasteurized vinegar containing "mother of vinegar".
Top off the crock within an inch & a half of the top with raw unpasteurized vinegar containing “mother of vinegar” (Braggs or equivalent).
Cover with a lid that is not 100% air tight but provides a barrier that gnats & flies cannot penetrate. The mother needs ample oxygen to fulfill its primary function of converting alcohol to acetic acid.
Within a few weeks the vinegar will be ready for taste testing or testing PH with a meter or litmus paper.
Use the spigot at the bottom of the crock to sample its contents. Avoid disturbing the mother floating on the top. It is not uncommon for many months to pass before a visible mother is observed floating on top of the liquid, but the mother exist within a few weeks in its earliest stages of development & does fulfill its primary function. It is important that the entire batch to be used for any particular application be mixed and tested for acidity, as the acidity inside the crock may vary from top to bottom. This may be of little to no importance if the vinegar is to be used as a salad dressing or something else that is consumed immediately, but a PH reading is quite vital for food preservation processes.
*High acidity levels can irritate the skin, eyes, nasal passages, & various other organs in humans and animals. Exercise reasonable caution.
“Real vinegar” can have a cloudy appearance due to the presence of the mother. This is not the appearance known by the common consumer, but is harmless nonetheless. In fact, there are many health benefits associated with the consumption of raw vinegar.
Raw vinegar can be filtered by many processes. Particulate filtration provides clarity, while carbon filtration can produce a crystal clear product. A fine mesh strainer (100 mesh or finer) will remove most particulate, while filtering through “bone black” (finely pulverized bone charcoal) will remove all color and produce unrivaled clarity.
*Information on the production of “bone black” and other charcoals can be found on this website.
Once the process is initiated, the mother works perpetually so long as the resulting vinegar is partially drained off periodically & replaced with alcohol atop the mother. This process will yield highest when the ambient temperature remains relatively constant (around 60°F to 75°F), but can still be productive with varying temperatures.
Ideally this process would take place in a cellar or basement, but if all you have is a table in a barn, by all means give it a try.
