Expert: Paul Wagner - 10/14/2008

Question
Hi there, I have been given lots of strawberries and would like to make vinegar. I have sourced some vinegar yeast and now am not sure as to the exact steps to produce a good vinegar. Could you please help me?

Answer
Hi Linda

You will first want to try and juice the strawberries, and then add the yeast.  Breaking up the fruit by juicing it will make the whole process a lot easier.  

If you have a true vinegar yeast, you need to make sure that it will both ferment the sugar and also convert the strawberry wine into vinegar.  If not, buy a wine yeast to start the fermentation, and then add your vinegar culture afterwards.   It will take a week or more to ferment the sugar...and another couple of weeks or more to turn into vinegar.  

When you  are done, you should have something that has no sugar left, and is pretty sour smelling. and yummy.

PW