Lilac Vinegar Recipes

Steps:

• Pour most of the juice into a sanitized widemouthed gallon jar, add the blossoms, and pour in as much of the remaining juice as will fit. Stir well with a wooden spoon.
• Cover the jar with a basket-style coffee filter or a piece of unbleached cotton (butter muslin or tightly woven cheesecloth). Secure with a string, a rubber band, or a threaded metal canning band. This is to keep out fruit flies.
• If possible, place in an environment where the temperature is between 50° and 65°F. Wild yeasts like a cool temperature, so the closer you stay in this range, the better. Wild yeasts typically are slow to start, so don't expect to see bubbles in your jar for a couple of days or more.
• Stir once a day for the first 5 or 6 days. Unlike with most ferments, you want to get some oxygen in the mix. However, make sure the flower petals themselves stay submerged, otherwise they can become a host for undesirable opportunistic bacteria.
• Add the raw vinegar. Stir well and replace the covering.
• Place on your counter or in another spot that is 75° to 86°F.
• Check the vinegar in a month, when you should have nice acidity. However, it may take another month or two to fully develop, especially if your environment is cooler.
• Bottle the finished vinegar, saving the mother for another batch or sharing with a friend. Use immediately, or age to allow it to mellow and flavors to develop.

Steps:

• Pour the wine into a sanitized widemouthed jar. If the wine contains sulfites, stir in the hydrogen peroxide to neutralize them. Let sit for a minute. Stir in the water with a wooden spoon.
• Pour in the raw vinegar. Stir well; a little oxygen is good for getting the process going.
• Cover the jar with a piece of unbleached cotton (butter muslin or tightly woven cheesecloth), or a basket-style paper coffee filter. Secure with a string, a rubber band, or a threaded metal canning band. This is to keep out fruit flies.
• Place on your counter or in another spot that is 75° to 86°F.
• Check the vinegar in a month, when you should have nice acidity. However, it may take another month or two for the acidity to fully develop. Test the pH: It should be 4.0 or below.
• Bottle half the vinegar and replace with the same amount of wine for another batch. Or bottle it all and store the mother for another batch or to share with a friend. Use immediately, or age to allow it to mellow and flavors to develop.