This vinegar tastes like summer. It has the distinctive flavor of strawberries with an added tanginess from the lactic acid bacteria which converts the sugar into vinegar.
It can be used in salad dressings, added to smoothies, made into tangy tonic drinks or used just about anywhere you would use vinegar.
Equipment:
- Kitchen knife
- One quart glass jar
- one piece of cotton cloth with an elastic band
- Cheese cloth
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of strawberries
- One cup of sugar
- Filtered water
Instructions:
Wash the fresh strawberries thoroughly as they are some of the most sprayed crop at the grocer there is. When preparing the strawberries cut the top off as the green stem adds a grassy flavor to the vinegar.
Make sure that there is no visible mold on any of the strawberries. If a strawberry has mold on it discard it, do not try to cut the mold off.
Slice the strawberries in half and put them in the jar. Add the sugar and fill the jar up with filtered water leaving one inch or so of headroom (a little more is good as you are going to have to stir the mixture daily for 10 days or so).
You can use any type of sugar including honey, coconut or caster sugar but I like it best using ordinary cane sugar.
Cane sugar does not add any flavors to the vinegar making it a pure strawberry flavor uncluttered with other flavors competing for attention.
Fresh or frozen strawberries can be used just be sure that if you use frozen that they do not have any preservatives on them as it will get in the way of the fermentation.
Stir the mixture thoroughly and then secure the cloth on the top of the jar with the elastic band.
Stir the mixture twice a day morning and night for 7-10 days depending on the temperature in the house. After a few days there will be bubbles which rise to the top. This is good and what you want. Once the mixture takes on a pink color and the strawberries are softish it is time to strain the strawberries out of the liquid. You can use a cotton cloth or a cheese cloth for this.
Pour the strained liquid into the same jar or another jar large enough to hold all the liquid. Place the cotton cloth back on top of the jar and secure with the elastic again.
Place the jar in a warm location out of the sun and forget about it for a while. The strawberry flavored sugar water will slowly acidify as the lactic acid bacteria produces lactic acid.
Often the vinegar will grow a mother or scoby on its surface. This is normal.
After about two weeks begin tasting the vinegar. As it ages it will slowly become less sweet and more acidic. Once it is how you like it pour it into a vinegar bottle and start using it.
Just remember that it is a living food and will continue to change as time passes. This is a wonderful thing about this type of food as it is always new and interesting.
If you are ambitious you could make a large batch of this vinegar and keep a log whenever you decant some. Keep track of how it changes and matures.