Comments on: Oh Mother! http://www.kerrysgarden.us/2009/05/25/oh-mother/ The trials and tribulations of one Kentucky gardener... Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:56:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: kerry http://www.kerrysgarden.us/2009/05/25/oh-mother/comment-page-1/#comment-97760 kerry Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:41:06 +0000 http://www.kerrysgarden.us/?p=409#comment-97760 Ron, I w0uld definitely try to make vinegar with the wine unless it is corked. If it has just started to turn to vinegar then you are already on your way. The blob you see is the mother that I had removed from the barrel. The red layer of cellulose was created when I fed the vinegar a large amt of red wine. The whole blob is the mother's cellulose matrix. There is also mother bacteria back in the vinegar that I left in the barrel. I remove the blob when I harvest to help keep the spigot from being plugged. Ron, I w0uld definitely try to make vinegar with the wine unless it is corked. If it has just started to turn to vinegar then you are already on your way.

The blob you see is the mother that I had removed from the barrel. The red layer of cellulose was created when I fed the vinegar a large amt of red wine. The whole blob is the mother’s cellulose matrix. There is also mother bacteria back in the vinegar that I left in the barrel. I remove the blob when I harvest to help keep the spigot from being plugged.

]]> By: Ron http://www.kerrysgarden.us/2009/05/25/oh-mother/comment-page-1/#comment-97753 Ron Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:11:46 +0000 http://www.kerrysgarden.us/?p=409#comment-97753 Oh, I see. We have several bottles of "bad" muscadine wine. So do you think it can be salvaged for something? In that picture, what is that darker red blob underneath the mother? And where is the vinegar? Did you already siphon it off and everything in that bowl is now compost, or is some of it "starter" for the next batch? This is obviously not my department: my wife, Patty does pretty much all the food preservation/fermenting, etc. Maybe you could just point me to an earlier post or "Vinegar 101" website. Thanks! Oh, I see. We have several bottles of “bad” muscadine wine. So do you think it can be salvaged for something? In that picture, what is that darker red blob underneath the mother? And where is the vinegar? Did you already siphon it off and everything in that bowl is now compost, or is some of it “starter” for the next batch? This is obviously not my department: my wife, Patty does pretty much all the food preservation/fermenting, etc. Maybe you could just point me to an earlier post or “Vinegar 101″ website. Thanks!

]]> By: kerry http://www.kerrysgarden.us/2009/05/25/oh-mother/comment-page-1/#comment-97752 kerry Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:09:13 +0000 http://www.kerrysgarden.us/?p=409#comment-97752 If you have never tasted homemade vinegar you haven't lived. It is kind of like the difference between store bought tomatoes and the ones from the garden. A good vinegar is not harsh like the stuff you buy in the store. It is acidic to be sure but it has a flavor is so much more than just acidity. I use it in recipes, salad dressing, give it to friends and family etc. I don't pickle with it as the acidity can fluctuate too much. It is a great way to use up the rest of the half emptied bottles of wine that might otherwise get tossed. Vinegar happens when wine is 'innoculated' with the bacteria that makes vinegar. This can happen accidentally 'failed wine' or on purpose by using a starter or mother. You can also get vinegar by setting wine out and letting fruit flies get to it. A little too gross for me. I preferred to buy the organic unpasteurized vinegar and use that as the starter. The glob is the cellose matrix created by the bacteria. It is kind of a protective covering that sits atop the vinegar. I pull it out of my barrel every time I harvest a batch. The red coloring comes from the red wine that was added at the time that layer was created. If you have never tasted homemade vinegar you haven’t lived. It is kind of like the difference between store bought tomatoes and the ones from the garden. A good vinegar is not harsh like the stuff you buy in the store. It is acidic to be sure but it has a flavor is so much more than just acidity. I use it in recipes, salad dressing, give it to friends and family etc. I don’t pickle with it as the acidity can fluctuate too much. It is a great way to use up the rest of the half emptied bottles of wine that might otherwise get tossed.

Vinegar happens when wine is ‘innoculated’ with the bacteria that makes vinegar. This can happen accidentally ‘failed wine’ or on purpose by using a starter or mother. You can also get vinegar by setting wine out and letting fruit flies get to it. A little too gross for me. I preferred to buy the organic unpasteurized vinegar and use that as the starter.

The glob is the cellose matrix created by the bacteria. It is kind of a protective covering that sits atop the vinegar. I pull it out of my barrel every time I harvest a batch. The red coloring comes from the red wine that was added at the time that layer was created.

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