Today I'm over at Not Dabbling in Normal with instructions for making your own extracts. Though I didn't want to take away from that post, I did want to share a few other odds and ends that I'm brewing here at home.

In addition to the vanilla extract and mint extract that's steeping, I’ve also got several batches of vinegar brewing. Cider, raspberry, blueberry, and red wine vinegars are going to town in different cabinets in my kitchen. See this previous post I’d written about making cider vinegar from peels and scraps. 

For the berry and wine vinegars I took a shortcut. You can do the same by topping your washed fruits with chlorine-free water, adding some living vinegar (from previous batches of cider vinegar or you can use Braggs raw vinegar) to get your “mother” started. I did this so my mixture didn't need to "catch" a wild strain of vinegar. Be sure to cover your jars with a cloth or coffee filter to keep fruit flies out while letting the air in. Stir your vinegar every day for two weeks so that bacteria or mold doesn't settle in. After a couple of months, the sugars should be consumed by the mother and your vinegar will be ready to use. Wine-based vinegars already have a head start, and will be fully fermented in about a month. If it smells like wine, give it a couple more weeks. ALWAYS be sure to use sterile utensils and containers.

When your vinegar is done fermenting, you can pour it into a nice jar and seal it tight. Removing the source of oxygen will allow the vinegar to go dormant so a new mother doesn't form.

Enjoy!