How to Make Apple Cider Vinegar...and How to Use It

Recently I bought a big box of apples at the amish store to dehydrate into Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Chips. I also made a few pints of applesauce. I could have composted the cores and peels, or used them to make jelly or maybe gotten a small amount of juice out of them, but instead I decided to try to make my own apple cider vinegar. 

Basically, you just take all the scraps- peels, stems, cores, all of it (except any diseased spots- which you won't have to worry about if you get yours from the grocery store) and submerge them in water in a container you can easily cover with a towel or cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Ideally the scraps will keep under the water completely, but usually they float to the top. Don't worry too much about that.

Sprinkle about a tablespoon of sugar over the top for every quart or so of water and cover lightly- the mixture still needs to get oxygen so the yeast will stay alive and do its job. Leave it in a dark warmish place for a week. I keep mine on top of the fridge since that seems to be the warmest place in my kitchen.

After a week, strain out and compost the scraps and keep the water.Pour it back in the jar and cover it lightly again and put it again in a dark place- wrap a towel around it or put it in a paper sack. It will continue to grow the "mother" for a few weeks. It will start to smell vinegary and that is good. 

After a couple of days you will probably start seeing a filmy thing floating on the top- that's the mother. The mother is the important part (aren't all mothers?) It is full of living enzymes that are super good for you.When its done, you can use the mother to start a new batch and it won't take as long, The mother will get thicker as the weeks pass.

Keep checking on it if you're a nerd like me and get excited about weird things like this, or don't and just leave it be. When about 4-6 weeks have gone by, pour off the mother into a clean jar, along with some of the vinegar and all the sediment on the bottom. Keep it for when you start another batch with fresh apple juice or scraps. Use the new vinegar the same as you would store-bought. 

How to Use Apple Cider Vinegar:

as a facial astringent

as a conditioning rinse after washing your hair with baking soda- it promotes shine and hair growth and is anti-dandruff

as a mouthwash- it is antiseptic and also helps keep bad breath away

as a detoxifying daily drink ( mix a couple of tablespoons with water or regular apple juice)- the probiotics help with all kinds of tummy troubles

as a swelling reducing rub

as a sinus decongestant

as an insulin regulator- it is anti-glycemic

as a sunburn remedy

as an arthritis relief- the potassium helps block calcium build up in joints

Trash to Treasure: Green Onions

Did you know you can grow green onions from the bulbs you would normally throw away? I have garlic(on the left) and onions on my windowsill and both are doing very well.  I was pretty skeptical, but today I "harvested" about 1/3 cup, just about what I could buy at the store. I left the stalks in the jar to see how much more I can get from them. I froze the onions in a baby food jar for later.
I've read that you can cut off the garlic stems just like the onions and use them in place of garlice cloves, or you can plant the cloves in soil, cut off the green tops, and that the clove will use its energy to grow a new head of garlic. Pretty interesting. I will have to get some soil and see if it's true.

Not bad for free. And they taste great.



Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

This is a really easy, quick, and inexpensive cleaner that works well and is safe around kids. I use it everywhere- in the kitchen, in the bathroom, on windows and mirrors ( it doesn't leave streaks or cloudiness).
There are lots of store-bought cleaners out there that work well, and some that I really like, but I don't feel comfortable having them around where my kids could get into them. Plus, they can really cut into the grocery budget.
I can make up a couple bottles of this one in no time and it stores very well.

Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner:

Water
Regular (white/distilled) vinegar
Rubbing alcohol

Fill a spray bottle about 1/2 full of water. (Doesn't have to be exact)

Fill the rest of the bottle with half vinegar and half alcohol.

That's it. So easy.

*You could also infuse the vinegar(for a more pleasant smell) by filling a clean jar with vinegar and adding apple, orange, etc peels and letting it set for 3-4 days or even longer, then straining out the peels, and using that instead of plain vinegar. I don't mind the smell of the vinegar, it seems to go away as soon as the cleaner dries, which is pretty fast.

Homemade French Fries

One thing I miss about not eating out so much is the french fries. I love french fries. Red Robin has some great ones, and Arby's curly fries are very good. And we can't forget the "world's best" - McDonalds. For some reason the store bought fries never seem to compare to the "real" ones, although Oreida's Fast Food Fries come close. But I don't like spending almost $5 on a bag that will last maybe 2 meals in our house, and only 1 if we have guests. Aldi's usually has their 10lb and 20lb bags of potatoes for .99 so I can make a lot of these very cheaply.
To make really good french fries, all you really need are potatoes, water, and oil. Plus whatever seasonings you like. They are very easy to make and I always get that nice little feeling of accomplishing some great task when I stack all those bags in the freezer.

Scrub and peel the potatoes. Cut to desired thickness longways.Let sit covered with water for at least 24 hours. However, the longer the better. I usually do 2 days. This helps leach the starch from the potatoes, and in the end will make them softer on the inside, crunchier on the outside. When you are ready to fry them, pour off the water and let them come to about room temperature. Get your oil ready. Peanut oil burns hotter and faster but you can use canola or vegetable oil just as well. 

 Get your tongs and grab a few fries. Lower them gently into the hot oil. ( to test oil, either use a thermometer or stick a fry all the way down to the bottom and if it sizzles, its ready) These will be your test fries. You don't want the fries to get too brown too quickly because they probably wont be done in the middle. And you dont want them to take too long to get brown. It's a delicate balance. It should take about about 1- 1 1/2 minutes, maybe 2 to get a nice general golden brown to the bunch. Of course some may be darker or lighter than others, but overall, they should look golden brown.

Grab them up with the tongs and spread them out on a wire rack so the oil drips off.

When they have cooled off, scoop them up into whatever size portions work for your family and freeze. To use, just spread out on a cookie sheet and season. Bake at 425 until hot throughout.