Yield 1 gallon.
Supplies
- 5 large apples, preferably organic – if using scraps, use from 10 apples
- Filtered water
- 1 cup organic sugar
- 1-gallon glass wide-mouth jar
- Glass weight
- Tightly woven cloth cover (no cheesecloth)
- Rubber band
Recipe
- Wash the apples to remove any pesticides or wax and coarsely chop.
- Place chopped apples, stems, cores and seeds into a 1-gallon, wide mouth glass jar.
- The apples should fill the jar at least to halfway. If not, then add more apple pieces to the jar.
- Completely cover the apples with filtered water, leaving a couple of inches at the top.
- Stir in sugar until dissolved.
- Add a weight to keep all of the apple pieces submerged.
- Cover the jar with a cloth cover (tightly woven cloth keeps the bugs out) and secure with a rubber band.
- Keep the jar on the counter and gently mix 1-2x a day for 1-2 weeks. Expect bubbles to form (the microbes making magic!) and for the smell to change. It will be mildly alcoholic. Push all pieces below the surface after mixing to prevent mold from growing.
- When the scraps and pieces no longer float and collect on the bottom of the jar, strain and pour the apple cider into a clean jar. Even if they don’t all sink, if it smells alcoholic at 2 weeks, go ahead with this step.
- Cover the liquid with a tightly woven cloth cover and secure with a rubber band.
- Allow it to ferment at room temperature for another 3-4 weeks. During this time, the ethanol created will transform into acetic acid thanks to the organisms on the skin of the apple. A “mother” similar to a Kombucha SCOBY may or may not form.
- Taste after 3 weeks. If still too sweet, then let it go longer. If it has a pleasant tang, then bottle and store in the pantry away from direct sunlight.
