Apple Cider Vinegar Adventures: First Fermentation Finished! Thoughts and Photos

I admit, I foolishly threw out two of my three apple cider vinegar ferments because of kahm yeast, which I thought was just mold a the time. The third one had the best fermentation weight improvisation so it stuck around and sat in my pantry for 6 weeks. I looked at it a few days ago and it looked like the photo above, clearly ready.

To be honest, I was a little worried about this one. Especially when the coffee filter was soaked for days on end, I didn't want to disturb it for fear of ruining it completely. I had done some research learning that I probably ruined the other ferments by dumping them. They might not have tasted very good, which is the main negative consequence of kahm yeast, but they would have been fine and perfectly usable for the main thing we use raw vinegar for, the water for our chickens. It helps them when they're sick and helps keep their guts healthy, as chickens notoriously have gut problems.

So that coffee filter is all weird looking because I filled the jar too high, which caused it to foam over big time when the ferment really got active, about 2-3 weeks in. I did good by leaving it alone because it soon formed the thick mother you see, protecting it further from the air and possible contamination.

I strained the vinegar into a smaller jar, yielding a lot less than even I expected. I spread the now mushy pieces of apple among my chickens, as well as the mother which they LOVED. The jar with the vinegar is sitting for a few more weeks. It's usable now but most recipes I found for apple cider vinegar suggested a few weeks sit in a jar with a filter on top to allow it to mature a little and another mother will form in this time. These are very similar to scobies, as they're formed by the acetobacteria. Kombucha contains a pellicle or the thing I called the mother of vinegar, but also contains yeast globules from it's other half. Apple cider vinegar is a bacteria only ferment, but it still produces the mat.

This has only gotten me more excited, as I had success with one of the notoriously harder ferments. I'm ready for the weather to cool down a little, as it does I will be posting a lot more about fermentation. I was always under the impression that the higher temperatures were desired, but I've found that even kombucha doesn't like hot weather; it takes a lot longer to brew than it did during the colder season.

I realistically got a tiny amount for my efforts, but what I learned was priceless. I could have harvested more had I pressed the apple pieces and I probably will next time I make this, which is hopefully going to be soon.

See the white stuff at the water line? That's kahm yeast, totally harmless but it does often affect the taste of what you're fermenting. You can make the call to start over or continue to use for all sorts of purposes, like cleaning. I wish I would have held on to those ferments, just separated them to another place. Next time I encounter kahm yeast I won't be so quick to throw it away!

Watch out for a photo only post showing all the photos I didn't show in this post!

Check out some of my other recent posts!
Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Cake Recipe
Bacon Butter Garlic Tilapia Hot Spinach Salad Recipe
Fumed Green Black and White Spoon Pipe Practice Photo Shoot
Farm Update: Finished Terraces and Happy Birds

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Here's the first part of this post, if you missed it!!

Apple Cider Vinegar Adventures: Starting my First ACV Ferment!