Currant vinegar, prepared independently, is an excellent substitute for a store product. It should be noted right away that it is not difficult to do.
It can not be said that currant vinegar is well obtained not only from black, but also from red berries. In addition, in such a sauce very often add leaves of cherry, raspberry and other fruit bushes and trees, which significantly improve the taste of the final product.
So how should homemade vinegar be made? Currant vinegar is prepared simply, but for a rather long time. Today we will present you some detailed recipes, using which you will no longer buy this product in the store, but will do it yourself.
Redcurrant vinegar: a step-by-step recipe for cooking
To make a sauce that can be easily used for cooking various dishes, you need to stock up on a small amount of simple and affordable ingredients. If you are an avid summer resident, and in your garden there are bushes with red healthy berries, then you can harvest currant vinegar at least every year. Indeed, with proper storage, this product does not lose its qualities for a rather long time.
So, we need:
- red currant (without branches) - exactly 500 g;
- medium-sized sugar sand - approximately 200 g;
- filtered water - about 2 liters.
Berry processing
Surely many people know that currant sauces always turn out to be very tasty and fragrant. However, not only gravy can be made from the presented berries, but also such a product as vinegar. It is good to soak meat, fish, add it to goulash, salads and even extinguish table soda while baking any product. But not everyone knows how to prepare currant vinegar. That is why in this article we decided to highlight this culinary theme.
First you need to sort out the red berry, separating it from twigs and other debris. As a rule, currants are not washed to prepare vinegar. But if it is very dirty, it is still recommended to rinse it in cold water, and then shake it very strongly in a colander.
Make syrup
How is redcurrant vinegar made? The recipe for this product requires the use of sweet syrup. To prepare it, pour sand-sugar into a large pot, and then pour 2 liters of ordinary water into it. Further, the ingredients must be put on fire, boiled and completely cooled.
Pulp exposure
After processing the berries and making the syrup, you should begin to combine them. To do this, crush red currants with a crush, put in a large glass jar, and then pour cooled sweet water. In this form, the neck of a filled container needs to be covered with a napkin, and then put it in a dark cabinet. By periodically mixing the pulp, it is necessary to ensure that the contents of the jar fermented intensively. At the end of this process, the vinegar will be completely ready. As a rule, it takes about 2-2.5 months.
How to store?
After the fermentation process is completed, the contents of the jar must be filtered through a multi-layer cheesecloth, bottled, tightly closed with a lid and put in the refrigerator. In this state, berry vinegar can be stored for several years.
Making vinegar from currant leaf and berries
Everyone knows the properties of currant bush leaves. That is why we propose to make home vinegar using this useful raw material. By the way, for these purposes, it is better to take recently blossomed young shoots.
So, vinegar from blackcurrant and leaves requires the use of the following components:
- young shoots of currant bush - about 500 g;
- fine granulated sugar - 1.5 cups;
- blackcurrant and raisins - a few pcs.;
- filtered water - about 2.5 liters.
Cooking basics
To make such a product, it is necessary to collect young shoots of blackcurrant in advance, and then finely chop them and place in a three-liter jar, filling it in 2/3 parts. Next, add some dark berries and raisins to the leaves. In conclusion, all components must be filled with sugar and filled with ordinary filtered water.
Aging process
After the jar is filled with all the ingredients, its contents should be thoroughly mixed with a large spoon. In this case, granulated sugar should melt almost completely. Next, the neck of the container must be covered with linen or cotton cloth, securing it with thread or elastic.
In this condition, the container must be placed on a pallet and sent to a dark cabinet, where it is desirable to maintain it for 4 weeks. Moreover, every day the resulting pulp should be mixed with a large spoon.
After the specified time, the contents of the jar must be filtered through a multilayer gauze, and then again poured into the same container, similarly covered with a cotton or linen cloth and put in a dark cabinet. This time, currant vinegar is recommended to withstand about 2 months.
Final stage
After the vinegar is ready, the gelatinous mass should be carefully removed from its surface, and the remaining liquid should be filtered through gauze. In conclusion, a clean and transparent product needs to be poured into glass bottles, well sealed and placed in a refrigerator. In the future, currant vinegar can be used for its intended purpose.
Making homemade vinegar using cherry leaf
Vinegar from red currants and cherry leaves is more aromatic than the product that was made only from berries alone. That is why during the independent preparation of this sauce we recommend additionally using young shoots.
So, we need:
- red currant (without branches) - exactly 500 g;
- cherry leaves - about 20 g;
- medium-sized sugar sand - approximately 200 g;
- filtered water - about 2 liters.
Cooking process
To make such a product at home, there is no need to devote a lot of free time to this process. After all, it is prepared quite easily and quickly.
First you need to sort through all the berries, and then rinse them lightly in cold water. After that, the processed fruits need to be put in a large bowl and crushed with a nibbler so that all the juice comes out. In the future, the resulting mass must be transferred to a glass three-liter jar. At the same time, spread the mashed berries should be in layers, alternating them with cherry leaves.
After the container is full, it is required to thoroughly dissolve the sugar sand in chilled boiled water. In the future, the resulting syrup must be poured over the entire currant mass. After that, the contents of the container should be well mixed with a large spoon and covered with multilayer gauze.
To mix this mass is recommended only the first week. The remaining 49 days you only need to make sure that the vinegar wanders intensively and does not spill over the edges of the dishes.
Finished product bottling
After the contents of the jar cease to ferment and become as transparent as possible, vinegar should be filtered through linen cloth. As such, it must be poured into dark glass bottles and placed in a refrigerator. Experienced culinary specialists who have repeatedly made this product at home, argue that currant vinegar can be stored without losing its qualities, up to 8-10 years.
Cooking homemade apple cider vinegar with currant leaves
Vinegar from apples and blackcurrant leaves is very healthy and aromatic. Such a natural ingredient can be used during the preparation of fish and meat dishes, as well as in the baking process of lush and tender flour products.
So, to make natural vinegar, we need:
- green apples with sourness - about 500 g;
- young leaves of blackcurrant - about 500 g;
- fine granulated sugar - about 200 g;
- filtered water - about 2 liters.
Ingredient preparation
Before making such a product, you should thoroughly wash the green apples, and then cut them into small cubes, while removing the seed box. It is also required to separately rinse young leaves of black currant. As for water and granulated sugar, it is necessary to make syrup from these ingredients, warming them up a little on the stove.
We keep the product in a dark place
After the fruits and currant leaves are processed, you should take a glass three-liter jar, put chopped apples there, alternating them with shoots of fruit shrubs. Having placed all the ingredients in a container, they need to be filled with the same completely cooled syrup. Next, the neck of the jar must be covered with gauze, fixing it with an elastic band. In this form, the product should be placed in a dark cabinet and kept there until the fermentation stops. This process can take from several weeks to several months. It all depends on the variety of apples.
How to store?
After the process of fermentation of the contents of the can is completely stopped, it must be filtered using a dense linen or cotton cloth. The resulting clear vinegar should be poured into dark glass bottles, corked tightly and placed in a refrigerator. According to many experts, such a product, made on the basis of apples, is stored much less time than the ingredient that is made from any berries. But in any case, ready-made home vinegar can be safely used for cooking various dishes and baking.
To summarize
Now you know that vinegar can not only be purchased at the store, but also made on its own. Using certain products, you can significantly change the taste of this ingredient, as well as its shelf life.