This is practising to be my apple cider vinegar... I have made some each year with my own apples, but this year I was early enough to pick up apples from the wild (and free), although you can purchase apples from the greengrocers when they have left overs on the cheap tray. You will still be ahead.
HOW TO:
In this jar (which I bought at Kmart): 2 cups of water and two tablespoons of sugar. I dissolved the sugar in the water whilst I was chunking up the apples. Peel and cores can both go in. Put the apples in the jar and pour over the syrup making sure it is well covering the apples.
THIS IS THE TRICKY BIT. I fill a small glass jar with water and place it into the jar to weigh the apples down so they don't pop above the water. If they do they will go mouldy.
1. Leave it for approximately 3 weeks. Check on it every few days to make sure the apples are staying under the water and to make sure no mould is growing. Give it a stir. Repeat every day for a week, then you can leave it.
2. After 3 weeks, it will still smell fairly sweet. Strain the apples pieces out and return the liquid to the jar. Compost the scraps.
3. Recover and put the jar back in a dark spot for another 3-4 weeks, stirring every few days.
4. When your vinegar has reached the "tartness" you like you can put a lid on it or transfer it to a different jar or bottle with a lid and start using it!
NOTES
This recipe is for a litre size jar of apple cider vinegar. If you are making a larger jar, just make sure your apple scraps fill the jar ¾ of the way and are covered with sugar water.
When your vinegar is finished you can save "the mother" (the fungi as you would see on kombucha) that has floated to the top, or just a small quantity of the finished apple cider vinegar to start a new batch that you can add it to so it will ferment more quickly.