Next Up

The first challenge was bread, then pasta, butter came along at some point but that's easy, so now I'm going to try my hand at something new...vinegar.

Like most things, I randomly came across a Washington Post article the other day on how to make vineger. Fortunately, it seems a lot easier than making bread. The downside is that takes at least two months.

From the Washington Post...

Though you aren't going to drink the leftover wine, it could have a second life. With a little time, leftover wine can become some of the best vinegar you've ever tasted -- or cooked with. Better, in fact, than all but the most expensive bottles in the priciest shops.

That's because nearly all of the vinegar available in stores is made through very rapid industrial processes that have the advantage of speed and high volume but produce thin and comparatively flavorless results. Rich, complex, full-bodied vinegar that reflects the quality of the wine (or beer or cider) from which it was made takes time. In other words, it takes the Orleans method.

Named for the city of Orleans, France, it is far, far slower, more labor-intensive and less profitable. That's why, even in Orleans, there are scarcely any traditional producers left. Luckily, however, you can do it at home. All you need is a suitable container, some wine, beer or hard cider and a "mother of vinegar."

I'll let you know how it goes, just give me a couple months...for balsamic I'll need 12 years.