DIY Vinegar

The process of making vinegar is fairly straight, but getting it at the correct strength for pickling is sometimes a little harder.

The first step to making vinegar is converting sugars into alcohol using yeast. This yeast occurs naturally everywhere, so just squishing up fruit and sugar will allow the process to start, but using a known type of yeast will give better results.

The second step is to use a bacteria that digests the alcohol (yeast's waste), and gives off it's own waste, vinegar.

From there you can make a pickling solution by mixing 3 quarts of 5% vinegar per 1 gallon of water and 1 cup of salt.

Amazingly, Apple Cider Vinegar just happens to contain the 5-6% of acetic acid to preserve food, so we will want to start there. The only down side of Apple Cider Vinegar is it can stain foods brown.

If you want to make pure distilled white vinegar like you buy in the stores, you need to start by distilling alcohol (which in itself is surprisingly easy), but any time you start distilling alcohol, you run into the problem of determining the correct amount of alcohol to make the 5% acetic acid.

There are tests to determine the amount of acidity, but they are too difficult and expensive to do at home. As a rule of thumb some people say 5% alcohol by volume converts to to 4% acetic acid, but I have to test this out.

ABV is easier to measure, as you just need a hydrometer. You put it in
your solution before and measure the sugar level, then again after you finish fermentation and it will tell you the alcohol level.

If you are looking to start making your own vinegar, check out: Making-Vinegar