@markeii Oh, you don't need vinegar. I added that bit of refinement over the years but it is not necessary at all to get those greedly little vinegar flies to leave the bacteria you want. You see the yeast on the banana turns some of the sugar to alcohol which attracts the flies with acid bactar which turns the alcohol to vinegar.
@EatTheWeeds Would it be worth trying to catch them with some parsnips wine from last year instead? Might be interesting... It smells sweet, and has alcohol in it?
@healthjunkie1 On my website -- which is being update to another site -- I say the vinegar is just for aroma, to attract the flies. A teaspoon is fine. You will still get a mother.
Hey! Love your videos. I really want to try to make vinegar but I feel a bit squeamish about the bacteria-from-flies method. How can you be sure that there aren't other sorts of bacteria or fungus growing in or around the mother that could contaminate the vinegar? Would the acid eventually kill off other kinds of bacteria? Thanks for any help you can give me!
@bencharles87 Well... all vinegar comes from the dirty feet of scat visiting flies. I can't change reality. however, one bacteria does come to dominate.
@donahutch It is the beginning of a song I wrote a few years ago modified to be an introduction. If I use my own material there is not copyright hassel.
Enjoy your videos. When you added vinegar to you banana mix in the beginning, didn't you already start the mother prosess? I thought vinegar always had some mother in it even if it is inactive (unfeed)?
@md50md No, commercial vinegar is either heated or sulfided to kill the acid bactar. Some vinegars found in health food stores still have active baceria, however, and can be used to make vinegar.
I'm making my first batch of cider and I only used 'Youngs Yeast nutrient ' but no specific yeast.Should I be concerned about my final product? After 2 weeks the cider smells quite harsh/sulphuric and not at all palatable.Ive been told that this could be normal as the cider was racked only recently from its primary fermentation stage.S.G=1.000 .
I have added honey to the mix now and will leave it in a warm place for a month and then will place it in a cold place, any advice?
@MrThommo1971 Well... you are making something different from my video. Racking, specific gravity, et cetera, is for long term wine/cider making. Once a must/wine gets past a certain age is must sit for a long time to mellow to the point it is a pleasure to drink. That is why my recipe takes only a fews days and is low in alcohol. To make a quick, drinkable product rather than waiting one or two years.
amazing video ...I knew about the concept of 'mother' ...I used to make Kombucha ...but the flies ...ew! ...anyways I better get over it 'cause I like to make my own material for ingestion ...so now I understand (at least a little more) better how the process works
thanks for sharing and what's more is ...you made it seem easy : )
Are you familiar with KOMBUCHA TEA ? It uses a mother and well sweetened black tea which is then left for about 4 weeks and can then be drunk with some amazing health benefits. I let my mother die some years ago. I'm wondering whether maybe this is a good way to create a new mother ?
@madang007 From what I understand Kombucha tea is tea vinegar. The tea leaves are allowed to ferment, making alcohol. The mother is a vinegar mother and makes the mild alcoholic beverage into a mild vinegar. I have no doubt the mothers have been selected and bred for flavor and the like but it is essentially the same process. It is the Oriental version of apple cider and vinegar for your health.
@EatTheWeeds I was just wondering... does a higher alcohol lvl help make a stronger vinegar? Or does it just depend on the bactar? thank you this is my second time viewing your vids from A-Z & it's to hot for me to go foraging now but this fall I will be getting some exercise thanks to you : )
@EatTheWeeds Hey Deane, I wonder if you could pass on a little info on how to make beer, wine, or hard spirits without the use of bought yeasts. Every recipe I have says yeast, yeast, yeast. I know alcoholic beverages had to start at one time without being able to buy yeast. I'm sure they had to grow it in a very similar way to making vinegar. Could you tell me how to create my own beverage yeast?
@EatTheWeeds A very good friend of mine makes kombucha tea by using a similar process but doesnt always let it ferment. She says it tastes pretty good. I dont know I'm just getting into the more modern ways of homesteading.
@EatTheWeeds I love your videos, I will never look at my enviroment the same way again. Growing up, the only edible weeds in our garden was the dandelion and miner's lettuce. Everything else was trash. You have made me look at my garden/yard with fresh eye's. Thank you. BTW the only "mother" I had ever heard of was from the kombucha...now I know two :)
When checked my herbal vinegar jars this morning I noticed that a mother had formed in the dandelion flower vinegar and one in the peppermint vinegar. At first I thought they had gone mouldy, but I now know what it is. You learn something new every day. I'm guessing this is due to acid bactar on the herbs or maybe a few dead flies in the potion :-) none of my other herb vinegars have a mother and they are all about 4 months old now. I am going to make some apple cider vinegar using some mother..
I asked local Garden Expert ( Dan Gill - he's been helping many in this area, TV, radio, newspapers, on YouTube too) , he told me 3 choices first one being the most likely one which it was! RED VINE! Since it's reddish at the young tips.
Doesn't deserve it's pic taken! lol
Dan sent me site to learn more ways to kill nuisance vines, you guys are so nice, thank you very much.
Will this kill the " Kill bush vine" ? Not sure if the name is correct but it's a tough sucker that runs about a foot a day, just barely underneath the ground. Worked hard getting rid of it in a field next to us.
Waiting to hear of it's medicinal or other use?
Long wait, I believe, lol
White vinegar and clippers is what I've been using, but would like to know of alternative, non-chemical weed killers?
But I would think a lot of harmful bacteria is also in that mother. There is an easier way of making the mother, where you simply add (raw unfiltered) vinegar to apple cider, and let it ferment at 26C / 80F, until the mother is visible as described in the vid.
yes i have a question.. in the video you say you need to add vinegar to make vinegar? so if your making vinegar for the first time where do you get the vinegar in the first place?? the mother comes from mixing the juice with vinegar so how do you make the vinegar to make the mother???? So my question is... how do you make vinegar without already having vinegar??? thanks clogart
Looks like you are on your way. I would filter it and dump the liquid into some warm flat beer and put it in a warm, dark place. You should see a mother in few days. And mother you find in the bug parts is also useable.
Thank you. I used to train public speakers. I certainly would like a formal show. Convincing others of that is the rub. However, I should be appearing on an English show on National Ductch Radio this week. You never know who might be listening.
Hey, can I do this now in October? Its cool here in N Arkansas but I have a dieing poke patch that is home to legions of grasshoppers, bees, mosquitos and flys. I was going to wait till spring to try this but I thought maybe this would work.
Dude! I put the bottle out yesterday, today its a fly condo! This deal would do what fly strips do to an nth degree without the sticky mess. Just wait till the bottle is full, cap it and chuck it.
Anyway, it seems to be working and the 10 day forecast is favorable @40-75 degrees. Thanks for the info...
Its really hard to see in there, the bottom is white (sugar) about 2 inches of water above that looks brownish but you can still easily see the banana and the two inches of mostly flys on top.
I got sick of looking at all those bugs. I strained the muck through a t shirt and I have a pink/brown liquid that smells like vinegar with a touch of a wine smell. I put it in a miller beer bottle and its quite a sight and conversation piece. I dont know if I did it right but it sure smells good.
Then in a week to 10 days you should start to see a white skim forming on top of the beer. If you jiggle it -- don't -- it will sink to the bottom and start over. But, that floating plug means you do have a mother.
Hey Dean, I'm at the stage where I am going to be putting my vinegar mother into 4L of some homemade beer. Do I pour the whole can with the vinegar mother into the 4L or just the vinegar mother itself? Thanks.
I tried your method and I think it has worked wonderfully. (smells wonderful anyway) There is no vinegar mother visible as of yet, and it has been 2 months, but I am attributing this long time frame to the cool spring months of the Puget Sound where I live. I would like to allow the current batch to produce a mother since it smells as good as it does. Am I on the right track here with this line of thinking?
Great! Sounds like you are doing all the right things. If a mother does not develop you might add a little more of the original material to give it some alcohol to eat.
As for heating the 1 gallon/ however much you make, do you boil it right up then bottle once cooled? Also, how long is the shelf life of the vinegar and have you ever used it for doing some home pickling?
I make hard cider and am currently somewhat frustrated trying to make some homemade vinegar out of it. I've read that you can just put some hard cider in a wide mouth jar and cover it with cheesecloth, and that this will facilitate the turning of the cider into vinegar. If so, isn't it possible to make vinegar without the flies? Does the cheesecloth let the (airborne?) bacteria without letting the flies in?
It is the bacteria on the feet of flies that is important. They can land on cheese cloth and the bacteria can fall through to make the mother. This can work but it can take a long time and be frustrating. Also, it opens up the opportunity for mold. Whereas if you collect the bacteria first then inoculate the hard cider you get vinegar sooner and with a water lock can keep out mold (The bacteria do, however need oxygen to make vinegar so the lock has to be removed and replaced now and then..)
Thank you for this information. I guess then that it's time to make friends with the flies. Anyway, what a wonderful resource to tap into.
Interesting idea with the water lock to keep out mold. I guess geography and season probably complicate this question, but as a rule, can the cheesecloth method also work well for vinegar production? We've already purchaced a whole bunch if 1 gal pickle jars, and would prefer to stick to this method if it has a reasonable success rate.
There's nothing "wrong" in setting out jars of an alcoholic beverage with cheese cloth to have one, some or all develop a mother and turn to vinegar. What can happen is you will get different bacteria. Some acid bactar throw a good taste, some do not, so there is a luck of the draw, It is also less controlled, read mold can be an issue. You see, if you have a good bacteria it will make vinegar quick enough to discourage mold. Some times a bacteria will be too weak to do that.
Thanks again for the information. My thought here was to go ahead and grow a mother with a little help from the flies as you demonstrated in the video, and then use the cheesecloth method to make the vinegar (instead of the water lock method). Based on what you've told me, it seems that this would be fine.
No, it is teaming with bacteria, which is how vinegar is made, all vinegar. It is essentially no different than the vinegar from a health food store. Commercial vinegar is sterilized so it will stay clear sitting on your shelf. As for shabby... I hope that is a compliment now days.
I get my apple cidar vinegar and there is the mother in parts of it. Could I make my own vinegar from that? Put that apple cidar vinegar in some preservative free wine?? Would that work?
A mother can start to appear in just a few days but it take a couple of months to turn wine to vinegar, and as it does, the mother becomes a thick plug.
Man , this vid answers so many question for me. Making 5 gals of apple wine now. Often people advise to Never let flies into the mash bacause it will end up tasting 'Like' vinegar, when in reality it actually Is vinegar.
You can put in the mother or a little of the juice. It is the bacteria that each holds that is important rather than the medium the bacteria is in. Mother does not like light. It works best in dark warm places.
Also, are you saying to drop the entire (mason jar) mother mixture into the gallon of beer or just the white film stuff? Once the mother is in the gallon of beer, does this now go back to a warm dark place or do you sit it out on say, a counter in the kitchen? Sorry to be a bother. Thanks.
I'm a tad confused. I'm all good until it comes to putting the mother into a gallon of beer. Do you put the mother that is on top of the alcohol feed into the gallon of beer OR the mother that floated down to the bottom? Sorry if my question confuses you.
Thanks for the wonderful videos. I'm learning so much.
No problem. It makes no difference. Each is laced with the bacteria and each will go to the bottom in either case. Old mothers always sink and new mothers form at the top if undisturbed. You can knock a jar and have the mother sink, and a new one is formed. If you have a mother, just put it in regardless of whether it is floating or has sunk. A mother is a mother is a mother.
Any beer without preservatives,,, it depends on what flavor you like. I used plain old millers while experimenting because it was inexpensive and light flavored so I could tell over a variety of bacteria how vinegary it was.
The best guide will be a local one, for you it could be on the plants of New England. A stand by that most foragers own is the Peterson Guide to Edible Plants in North America. It's a good place to start but if you can find a more local book that is better. Ask an old librarian, she'll know one.
Once you've made your vinegar you can use your mother to make more. However, the vinegar you put in bottles can also develop mother unless your sulfide them, heat them, or keep them quite cold. I don't know anything about kombucha tea.
It would only form mother if one doesn't use up all (or the vast majority) of the alcohol, right?
Great episode by the way. It certainly does seem gross, but whenever I learn more about where food really comes from it grosses me out.
Now, I know we consume all sorts of organisms we don't intend to whenever we eat, but in this case we're intentionally letting large colonies develop. Do you know of any dangerous situations which've arisen from doing this sort of thing?
What usually happens is the mother will form a floating plug -- as in the picture on my web site. You drain off the vinegar and start a new batch with part of the mother (and try to give the rest away.) The mother will keep on growing as long as it is fed alcohol.
Why do you want to sulfite or heat it? With regards to enzymes, it seems like a good idea to keep it going if you can. (Do you know if this is the same way Kombucha tea is made?)While somewhat gross, it is fascinating at the same time, I am definitely intrigued and tempted to try my hand at it! Thanks
Does anyone have any general idea of the ratio of good mothers to awful? I tried doing this same process earlier this year and my vinegar tasted really, really foul. I'm curious as to whether I was unlucky or most people have to try multiple times to get a decent mother.
Hmmmm... a tough time of year here....about the only fruit -- other than early grapes -- are maypops... maybe I'll try that... if I can find enough... To bad I can't enter my pindo palm video, it was about jelly. One problem I have had is making jelly out of my strawberry guava... it really does not like to jell.. tis a challenge....
great information, thanks! But i have a question tho. What if you have no vinegar at start ? what do you use to get a mother vinegar to start ?
Peace
markeii 5 months ago
@markeii Oh, you don't need vinegar. I added that bit of refinement over the years but it is not necessary at all to get those greedly little vinegar flies to leave the bacteria you want. You see the yeast on the banana turns some of the sugar to alcohol which attracts the flies with acid bactar which turns the alcohol to vinegar.
EatTheWeeds 5 months ago
@EatTheWeeds Would it be worth trying to catch them with some parsnips wine from last year instead? Might be interesting... It smells sweet, and has alcohol in it?
theanvilcracks 1 month ago
i noticed you put some vinegar to start it off. what would happen if you did not put the vinegar to start it off? would you still get the mother?
healthjunkie1 5 months ago
@healthjunkie1 On my website -- which is being update to another site -- I say the vinegar is just for aroma, to attract the flies. A teaspoon is fine. You will still get a mother.
EatTheWeeds 5 months ago
ive been wondering how to make vinegar for months, but i never remember to youtube it, and i randomly came across this, awesome video
never want to use vinegar again lol but awesome video
so theres no other source of this bacteria from anything non dead insect involved"
dramey03 6 months ago
beer does contain a preservative in hops, so i'm guessing that a super hoppy beer like an india pale ale wouldn't work to make a malt vinegar?
jordanartuso 6 months ago
@jordanartuso The hops can't be much of a preservative if it let the beer ferment. If the yeast can live through it the acid bactar can.
EatTheWeeds 6 months ago
@EatTheWeeds good point! good channel!
jordanartuso 6 months ago
@jordanartuso at it's very chemical basics vinegar = beer which hasn't been kept sterile during fermentation.
Beer is brewed with an air-trap which keeps it from turning to vinegar.
mryellow123 5 months ago
I didn't know that dirty fly feet made my vinegar. I look at it differently now :/
Discernaoftruth 7 months ago 2
Never thought of making vinager out of beer, i've just been doing wine.
flubno 7 months ago
@flubno Malt vinegar on fish and chips is a classic.
EatTheWeeds 6 months ago
Hey! Love your videos. I really want to try to make vinegar but I feel a bit squeamish about the bacteria-from-flies method. How can you be sure that there aren't other sorts of bacteria or fungus growing in or around the mother that could contaminate the vinegar? Would the acid eventually kill off other kinds of bacteria? Thanks for any help you can give me!
bencharles87 10 months ago
@bencharles87 Well... all vinegar comes from the dirty feet of scat visiting flies. I can't change reality. however, one bacteria does come to dominate.
EatTheWeeds 10 months ago
@EatTheWeeds Ain't nature grand? =)
FletcherHabit 6 months ago
@EatTheWeeds
thats a great reply
does that mean that if you use the sample too early, before the "mother" dominates that colony, will it be possibly non edible?
dramey03 6 months ago
@dramey03 Hmmmm... perhaps more non-tast than non edible.
EatTheWeeds 6 months ago
Awesome video! what song was used in the intro ?
donahutch 10 months ago
@donahutch It is the beginning of a song I wrote a few years ago modified to be an introduction. If I use my own material there is not copyright hassel.
EatTheWeeds 10 months ago
Your mother will keep on growing as long as you keep on feeding her... lol
daffodyllady 11 months ago
@daffodyllady Ha ha... never thought about that....
EatTheWeeds 11 months ago
Great stuff! thanks for the information I will be returnign often.
ForexStrategySecrets 11 months ago
Thank you for doing these wonderful Videos
Please be more specific on how to stop the bacterial action ---- If heat what temperature?
If you just put Bragg unfiltered vinegar into a bottle of wine -- would that work?
mtmorris25 1 year ago
@mtmorris25 You can warm it to around 180F, or sulfide it. You can also just bottle it, but in time it could develope a mother in the bottle.
EatTheWeeds 1 year ago
Enjoy your videos. When you added vinegar to you banana mix in the beginning, didn't you already start the mother prosess? I thought vinegar always had some mother in it even if it is inactive (unfeed)?
md50md 1 year ago
@md50md No, commercial vinegar is either heated or sulfided to kill the acid bactar. Some vinegars found in health food stores still have active baceria, however, and can be used to make vinegar.
EatTheWeeds 1 year ago
Thanks for the swift response. So all may not be lost for me yet? Using the yeast nutrient only should pose no problems then?
MrThommo1971 1 year ago
@MrThommo1971 When making alcohol yeast nutrient is just fertiizer.
EatTheWeeds 1 year ago
Hi Green Deane,
I'm making my first batch of cider and I only used 'Youngs Yeast nutrient ' but no specific yeast.Should I be concerned about my final product? After 2 weeks the cider smells quite harsh/sulphuric and not at all palatable.Ive been told that this could be normal as the cider was racked only recently from its primary fermentation stage.S.G=1.000 .
I have added honey to the mix now and will leave it in a warm place for a month and then will place it in a cold place, any advice?
MrThommo1971 1 year ago
@MrThommo1971 Well... you are making something different from my video. Racking, specific gravity, et cetera, is for long term wine/cider making. Once a must/wine gets past a certain age is must sit for a long time to mellow to the point it is a pleasure to drink. That is why my recipe takes only a fews days and is low in alcohol. To make a quick, drinkable product rather than waiting one or two years.
EatTheWeeds 1 year ago
amazing video ...I knew about the concept of 'mother' ...I used to make Kombucha ...but the flies ...ew! ...anyways I better get over it 'cause I like to make my own material for ingestion ...so now I understand (at least a little more) better how the process works
thanks for sharing and what's more is ...you made it seem easy : )
gaiagale 1 year ago
@gaiagale It is easy once you know how to get the acid bactar.
EatTheWeeds 1 year ago
As usual, you share a wealth of knowledge through your video. Thanks!
RonRay 1 year ago
Your my hero.
quikjustin 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
What a fun project. I'll try it and see if I can come up with a better mother than the one I harvested from raw apple cider vinegar.
terryleebo 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
What a fun project. I'll try it and see if I can come up with a better mother than the one I harvested from raw apple cider vinegar.
terryleebo 1 year ago
What a fun project. I'll try it and see if I can come up with a better mother than the one I harvested from raw apple cider vinegar.
terryleebo 1 year ago
Very cool..idk if I will be doin this anytime soon .but its super neat to see how vinegar is actually made!!
Definatly subscribing to your channel!
elegantmacabre 1 year ago
Are you familiar with KOMBUCHA TEA ? It uses a mother and well sweetened black tea which is then left for about 4 weeks and can then be drunk with some amazing health benefits. I let my mother die some years ago. I'm wondering whether maybe this is a good way to create a new mother ?
madang007 1 year ago
@madang007 From what I understand Kombucha tea is tea vinegar. The tea leaves are allowed to ferment, making alcohol. The mother is a vinegar mother and makes the mild alcoholic beverage into a mild vinegar. I have no doubt the mothers have been selected and bred for flavor and the like but it is essentially the same process. It is the Oriental version of apple cider and vinegar for your health.
EatTheWeeds 1 year ago
@EatTheWeeds I was just wondering... does a higher alcohol lvl help make a stronger vinegar? Or does it just depend on the bactar? thank you this is my second time viewing your vids from A-Z & it's to hot for me to go foraging now but this fall I will be getting some exercise thanks to you : )
Knightreignz 1 year ago
@Knightreignz It does depend upon the bacteria. I've tried making vinegar out of vodka and failed miserably.
EatTheWeeds 1 year ago
@EatTheWeeds Hey Deane, I wonder if you could pass on a little info on how to make beer, wine, or hard spirits without the use of bought yeasts. Every recipe I have says yeast, yeast, yeast. I know alcoholic beverages had to start at one time without being able to buy yeast. I'm sure they had to grow it in a very similar way to making vinegar. Could you tell me how to create my own beverage yeast?
Caveman0713 1 year ago
@EatTheWeeds A very good friend of mine makes kombucha tea by using a similar process but doesnt always let it ferment. She says it tastes pretty good. I dont know I'm just getting into the more modern ways of homesteading.
Caveman0713 1 year ago
keep the mic closer to your mouth and speak more clearly!
marcjtdc 1 year ago
@marcjtdc It is a $149 Flip camera with the microphone built it. I can't move it closer. I'll work on my mumbling.
EatTheWeeds 1 year ago
@EatTheWeeds I love your videos, I will never look at my enviroment the same way again. Growing up, the only edible weeds in our garden was the dandelion and miner's lettuce. Everything else was trash. You have made me look at my garden/yard with fresh eye's. Thank you. BTW the only "mother" I had ever heard of was from the kombucha...now I know two :)
smellycat249 1 year ago
@EatTheWeeds everyone on youtube is an armchair keyboard video policeman, I got alot out of your video and thank you for taking the time to share!
TheInvincibleHERPO 1 year ago
@marcjtdc hes talking pretty clearly and loudly you need to turn up you volume
tristanshigh132 1 year ago
When checked my herbal vinegar jars this morning I noticed that a mother had formed in the dandelion flower vinegar and one in the peppermint vinegar. At first I thought they had gone mouldy, but I now know what it is. You learn something new every day. I'm guessing this is due to acid bactar on the herbs or maybe a few dead flies in the potion :-) none of my other herb vinegars have a mother and they are all about 4 months old now. I am going to make some apple cider vinegar using some mother..
andrewwilliams76 1 year ago
@andrewwilliams76 Let's hope it throws a good flavor. The bactar can't make vinegar without alcohol present.
EatTheWeeds 1 year ago
well that was awsome =) ty
Shuhnyxia 1 year ago
I asked local Garden Expert ( Dan Gill - he's been helping many in this area, TV, radio, newspapers, on YouTube too) , he told me 3 choices first one being the most likely one which it was! RED VINE! Since it's reddish at the young tips.
Doesn't deserve it's pic taken! lol
Dan sent me site to learn more ways to kill nuisance vines, you guys are so nice, thank you very much.
LaMomB 1 year ago
@LaMomB What the botanical name?
EatTheWeeds 1 year ago
Will this kill the " Kill bush vine" ? Not sure if the name is correct but it's a tough sucker that runs about a foot a day, just barely underneath the ground. Worked hard getting rid of it in a field next to us.
Waiting to hear of it's medicinal or other use?
Long wait, I believe, lol
White vinegar and clippers is what I've been using, but would like to know of alternative, non-chemical weed killers?
LaMomB 1 year ago
I can't find any botanical name for Kill Bush Vine so I dont' know what vine you are referring to. Got a picture or a description and location?
EatTheWeeds 1 year ago
Great advice!
But I would think a lot of harmful bacteria is also in that mother. There is an easier way of making the mother, where you simply add (raw unfiltered) vinegar to apple cider, and let it ferment at 26C / 80F, until the mother is visible as described in the vid.
meisisme 2 years ago
That would work, but that is not collecting your own from the wild.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
yes i have a question.. in the video you say you need to add vinegar to make vinegar? so if your making vinegar for the first time where do you get the vinegar in the first place?? the mother comes from mixing the juice with vinegar so how do you make the vinegar to make the mother???? So my question is... how do you make vinegar without already having vinegar??? thanks clogart
clogart 2 years ago
One does not have to add vinegar the first time. However, it will attract more vinegar flies if you do add a little.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
@EatTheWeeds This works for Pickling, correct? and do you know if there are vinegar flies in Florida?
MockStoneLLC 2 years ago
If the vinegar is strong -- taste will tell you -- it can be used for pickling. And yes, the flies are here because I am in Florida.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
OK Thanks! I will check out the bugs too.
gscarecrow 2 years ago
No, all of it is cloudy Should I just filter it as it still smells like vinigar?
gscarecrow 2 years ago
Looks like you are on your way. I would filter it and dump the liquid into some warm flat beer and put it in a warm, dark place. You should see a mother in few days. And mother you find in the bug parts is also useable.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
My vinigar mother is flakey and not slimey is there something wrong?
gscarecrow 2 years ago
Your voice is is fantastic and you have great cadence. You should consider a formal show.
guajirro23 2 years ago
Thank you. I used to train public speakers. I certainly would like a formal show. Convincing others of that is the rub. However, I should be appearing on an English show on National Ductch Radio this week. You never know who might be listening.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
Hey, can I do this now in October? Its cool here in N Arkansas but I have a dieing poke patch that is home to legions of grasshoppers, bees, mosquitos and flys. I was going to wait till spring to try this but I thought maybe this would work.
straightjacket4sale 2 years ago
If its not freezing yet, sure, give it a try. The warmer the spot the better.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
Dude! I put the bottle out yesterday, today its a fly condo! This deal would do what fly strips do to an nth degree without the sticky mess. Just wait till the bottle is full, cap it and chuck it.
Anyway, it seems to be working and the 10 day forecast is favorable @40-75 degrees. Thanks for the info...
straightjacket4sale 2 years ago
Good news... let's hope the surgar ferments in time
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
Its been 2 weeks, and there is about 2 inches of flys in the bottle. Should I intervene?
straightjacket4sale 2 years ago
Can you see anything that looks cloudy in the liquid?
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
Its really hard to see in there, the bottom is white (sugar) about 2 inches of water above that looks brownish but you can still easily see the banana and the two inches of mostly flys on top.
straightjacket4sale 2 years ago
16 days-
I got sick of looking at all those bugs. I strained the muck through a t shirt and I have a pink/brown liquid that smells like vinegar with a touch of a wine smell. I put it in a miller beer bottle and its quite a sight and conversation piece. I dont know if I did it right but it sure smells good.
straightjacket4sale 2 years ago
Then in a week to 10 days you should start to see a white skim forming on top of the beer. If you jiggle it -- don't -- it will sink to the bottom and start over. But, that floating plug means you do have a mother.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
This stuff taste like pure sugar water so Im wondering how successful it was. Will see...
straightjacket4sale 2 years ago
I look forward to watching all of your videos, Dean! They are always excellent!
surrealpol 2 years ago
¡Gracias!
I'm trying to do homemade vinegar since April and have never obtained the "mother". I never suspected the flies were a must in this.
Your video is really instructive
donbeto4 2 years ago
Glad you liked it... as I said... I tried for year to collect a mother and couldn't then one day I stumble upon how to do it.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
(Don't tell her that ALL vingar bacteria starts out the same way.) If the must has alcohol and no preservative or sterilizer in it you can use it.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
Hey Dean, I'm at the stage where I am going to be putting my vinegar mother into 4L of some homemade beer. Do I pour the whole can with the vinegar mother into the 4L or just the vinegar mother itself? Thanks.
FishBrew21 2 years ago
Just the mother will do, or even just a couple of tablespoons of the mother juice. It all works once you have a mother.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
I tried your method and I think it has worked wonderfully. (smells wonderful anyway) There is no vinegar mother visible as of yet, and it has been 2 months, but I am attributing this long time frame to the cool spring months of the Puget Sound where I live. I would like to allow the current batch to produce a mother since it smells as good as it does. Am I on the right track here with this line of thinking?
zipmont 2 years ago
Great! Sounds like you are doing all the right things. If a mother does not develop you might add a little more of the original material to give it some alcohol to eat.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
does it have to be a banana peel? or would another fruit work as well?
Thanks
Love the vids
kardea71 2 years ago
Thanks. I don't know what else might work, but I know for certain a banana peel does work.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
Actually, heating it to around 170 should do it. I've got some vinegar I made in the 90s that is still good. I have not used it for pickling.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
As for heating the 1 gallon/ however much you make, do you boil it right up then bottle once cooled? Also, how long is the shelf life of the vinegar and have you ever used it for doing some home pickling?
FishBrew21 2 years ago
I make hard cider and am currently somewhat frustrated trying to make some homemade vinegar out of it. I've read that you can just put some hard cider in a wide mouth jar and cover it with cheesecloth, and that this will facilitate the turning of the cider into vinegar. If so, isn't it possible to make vinegar without the flies? Does the cheesecloth let the (airborne?) bacteria without letting the flies in?
zipmont 2 years ago
It is the bacteria on the feet of flies that is important. They can land on cheese cloth and the bacteria can fall through to make the mother. This can work but it can take a long time and be frustrating. Also, it opens up the opportunity for mold. Whereas if you collect the bacteria first then inoculate the hard cider you get vinegar sooner and with a water lock can keep out mold (The bacteria do, however need oxygen to make vinegar so the lock has to be removed and replaced now and then..)
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
Thank you for this information. I guess then that it's time to make friends with the flies. Anyway, what a wonderful resource to tap into.
Interesting idea with the water lock to keep out mold. I guess geography and season probably complicate this question, but as a rule, can the cheesecloth method also work well for vinegar production? We've already purchaced a whole bunch if 1 gal pickle jars, and would prefer to stick to this method if it has a reasonable success rate.
zipmont 2 years ago
There's nothing "wrong" in setting out jars of an alcoholic beverage with cheese cloth to have one, some or all develop a mother and turn to vinegar. What can happen is you will get different bacteria. Some acid bactar throw a good taste, some do not, so there is a luck of the draw, It is also less controlled, read mold can be an issue. You see, if you have a good bacteria it will make vinegar quick enough to discourage mold. Some times a bacteria will be too weak to do that.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
Thanks again for the information. My thought here was to go ahead and grow a mother with a little help from the flies as you demonstrated in the video, and then use the cheesecloth method to make the vinegar (instead of the water lock method). Based on what you've told me, it seems that this would be fine.
Thanks again. This is priceless stuff.
zipmont 2 years ago
can you use 90% - 99% alcohol instead of beer and wine???
cjunk351 2 years ago
I don't think so. I tried making vinegar out of vodka once and it didn't work. It would also be an expensive way to make vinegar.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
This is Such an interesting video.. Now my wife gags every time I eat cucumbers and vinegar.
Shes not at all interested in anything with vinegar in it anymore.
Chriswitahawk 2 years ago
so... when you want to be left alone...Commercial vinegar is made the same way, except it pasteurized and filtered.
EatTheWeeds 2 years ago
thanks for teaching me! i cant wait for the post apocoliptic world so i can find a reason to try this :D
mywootgarden 3 years ago
You're welcome....Things will be easier if you learn it before you need it.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
Mannnnn your videos are so useful.Thanks
LeJoker888 3 years ago
Thank you.. making vinegar is not something folks tend to talk about.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
Thanks for sharing your knowledge. 5 stars
M0LONLABE 3 years ago
Today's sterile obsessed peeps are so naive when it comes to where most of our food comes from. Bacteria are way more good than bad out there.
TreyNitrotoluene 3 years ago
Wow, I never knew making vinegar was... well, kinda nasty, heh heh. Very interesting to learn though.
This is an awesome series. Thanks for sharing your videos on YouTube!
WritingForYourWealth 3 years ago
Thanks.... And... you don't want to know where the vinegar flies got the bacteria to start with ...
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
wow your shabby,is this vinegar sterile?
christianz2010 3 years ago
No, it is teaming with bacteria, which is how vinegar is made, all vinegar. It is essentially no different than the vinegar from a health food store. Commercial vinegar is sterilized so it will stay clear sitting on your shelf. As for shabby... I hope that is a compliment now days.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
you don't know what shabby means?
christianz2010 3 years ago
It is usually an insult. I was hoping it was young slang for good.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
no no i meant it as u know how to make something from nothing
christianz2010 3 years ago
Thank you.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
umm hi how would you know if the alcohol is already vinegar?
theowelman 3 years ago
The liquid will give off a strong vinegar odor, and also taste like vinegar.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
so if its still smell like alcohol its not yet ready?
theowelman 3 years ago
Correct. At some point the vinegar aroma will become stronger than the aroma of the original liquid.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
thank you very much
theowelman 3 years ago
I get my apple cidar vinegar and there is the mother in parts of it. Could I make my own vinegar from that? Put that apple cidar vinegar in some preservative free wine?? Would that work?
avaleila 3 years ago
Yes, that should work very nicely.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
how long do you think it would take? Or could I put the mother in some organic apple juice??
avaleila 3 years ago
A mother can start to appear in just a few days but it take a couple of months to turn wine to vinegar, and as it does, the mother becomes a thick plug.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
wont it attract maggots? I don't think i'm game
avaleila 3 years ago
No, there is nothing for the maggots to eat.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
How many days would you think the beer would turn into malt vinegar?
SoraUchiha909 3 years ago
It takes months.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
Man , this vid answers so many question for me. Making 5 gals of apple wine now. Often people advise to Never let flies into the mash bacause it will end up tasting 'Like' vinegar, when in reality it actually Is vinegar.
jojo808 3 years ago
Is that you playing the piano in the beginning?
sedghammer 3 years ago
Yes, it is the introduction to a song I wrote.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
You can put in the mother or a little of the juice. It is the bacteria that each holds that is important rather than the medium the bacteria is in. Mother does not like light. It works best in dark warm places.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
Also, are you saying to drop the entire (mason jar) mother mixture into the gallon of beer or just the white film stuff? Once the mother is in the gallon of beer, does this now go back to a warm dark place or do you sit it out on say, a counter in the kitchen? Sorry to be a bother. Thanks.
SherrieAllen 3 years ago
I'm a tad confused. I'm all good until it comes to putting the mother into a gallon of beer. Do you put the mother that is on top of the alcohol feed into the gallon of beer OR the mother that floated down to the bottom? Sorry if my question confuses you.
Thanks for the wonderful videos. I'm learning so much.
SherrieAllen 3 years ago
No problem. It makes no difference. Each is laced with the bacteria and each will go to the bottom in either case. Old mothers always sink and new mothers form at the top if undisturbed. You can knock a jar and have the mother sink, and a new one is formed. If you have a mother, just put it in regardless of whether it is floating or has sunk. A mother is a mother is a mother.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
Any beer without preservatives,,, it depends on what flavor you like. I used plain old millers while experimenting because it was inexpensive and light flavored so I could tell over a variety of bacteria how vinegary it was.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
What kind of beer?
Josiah531 3 years ago
Yes, cane sugar is fine....that is what I used in the video.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
can I use cane sugar?
lady7nichole 3 years ago
It will live quite a while without some alcohol but one should feed it every month or so.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
"The mother will keep on growing as long as it is fed alcohol." -ETW
So does that mean the mother will die without more alcohol or can you coax it back if it has eaten up all the alcohol in your bottle?
Great video;-)
ohdababa 3 years ago
The best guide will be a local one, for you it could be on the plants of New England. A stand by that most foragers own is the Peterson Guide to Edible Plants in North America. It's a good place to start but if you can find a more local book that is better. Ask an old librarian, she'll know one.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
could you suggest any books on edible plants?
s2001t 3 years ago
I can, where do you live, generally speaking?
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
Great stuff Sir, thanks :)
Ninjaburger77 3 years ago
Once you've made your vinegar you can use your mother to make more. However, the vinegar you put in bottles can also develop mother unless your sulfide them, heat them, or keep them quite cold. I don't know anything about kombucha tea.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
It would only form mother if one doesn't use up all (or the vast majority) of the alcohol, right?
Great episode by the way. It certainly does seem gross, but whenever I learn more about where food really comes from it grosses me out.
Now, I know we consume all sorts of organisms we don't intend to whenever we eat, but in this case we're intentionally letting large colonies develop. Do you know of any dangerous situations which've arisen from doing this sort of thing?
Thanks for the vid!
Khono 3 years ago
What usually happens is the mother will form a floating plug -- as in the picture on my web site. You drain off the vinegar and start a new batch with part of the mother (and try to give the rest away.) The mother will keep on growing as long as it is fed alcohol.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
Why do you want to sulfite or heat it? With regards to enzymes, it seems like a good idea to keep it going if you can. (Do you know if this is the same way Kombucha tea is made?)While somewhat gross, it is fascinating at the same time, I am definitely intrigued and tempted to try my hand at it! Thanks
MonicaLewandowski 3 years ago
very cool.
NBMonkey 3 years ago
Awesome Green Dean!
yardsnacker 3 years ago
Does anyone have any general idea of the ratio of good mothers to awful? I tried doing this same process earlier this year and my vinegar tasted really, really foul. I'm curious as to whether I was unlucky or most people have to try multiple times to get a decent mother.
nhpr 3 years ago
It's been two good, three bad for me...well, one of those bad tasted fine but it was weak, two were foul. Two were good.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
wow a dirty job, never knew....
odin422 3 years ago
I'm sure it is all sanitized in the lab these days...
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
what a shame, good food ALWAYS=A Mess
Peace and thanks for the inforamtive and fun videos
odin422 3 years ago
my wife just tell me ,, she make vinegar from coconut vine or coconut juice, home in philippines,,,,,,,,
hobbexp 3 years ago
Killer vid man! Hey I hope you get in on my cooking contest!! Check out my last vid 2 see whats up...
5/5
MadBadVoodo 3 years ago
Hmmmm... a tough time of year here....about the only fruit -- other than early grapes -- are maypops... maybe I'll try that... if I can find enough... To bad I can't enter my pindo palm video, it was about jelly. One problem I have had is making jelly out of my strawberry guava... it really does not like to jell.. tis a challenge....
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
Five Stars!!
MadBadVoodo 3 years ago
Thanks... I have to do something other than plants now and then...
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago
we gonna try it,,,
hobbexp 3 years ago
Let me know...you can get some great and horrible tasting vinegar this way but you will, sooner or later, have your own vinegar.
EatTheWeeds 3 years ago