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Floating Fruits in Vinegar Mash

hikouki am 19.08.2022 20:52:21 | Region: United States

Hello,


I'm a complete novice when it comes to vinegar making. I've started with a book's recipe (not one of your books) for a blackberry vinegar. This recipe calls for mashing blackberries with sugar, covering with water, adding some yeast, and then topping it off with vinegar. So far, I've been stirring the mixture without any problems... until today (Day 5).


Almost all of the blackberry drupes have floated up to the top of the container. This has been accompanied by a considerable amount of bubbling and foam when stirred, and the result is that a relatively dry surface of fruit has reached the top of the container, coming in contact with the cheese-cloth covering (I left a 2 inch gap at the top of the container when originally filling). The dilemma here is that the recipe I'm using says "Make sure the mashed berries stay submerged; otherwise they can become a host for undesirable opportunistic bacteria."


When I stir the berries back in, it takes less than half an hour for the problem to reappear. The recipe indicates that bubbles are a good sign at this point. However, the recipe also says that the fruit mash should stay in the jar for about 2 weeks.


What are your thoughts? Should I strain out the berries? Transfer some of the mixture to another container? Is it OK to just let everything go without stirring every half hour?


If you have any questions, please ask and I'll share what I can. I don't what went wrong and so I don't know exactly what to share.



Thanks!

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RE: Floating Fruits in Vinegar Mash

Schmickl am 20.08.2022 07:33:42 | Region: Carinthia

I don't know the book you've followed, but I don't want to promote it
here anyway. However, as described thoroughly and understandable for
novices in all our books on fermenting vinegar, you should not (!) mix
the two different fermentations:

- frist: alcoholic fermentation to produce alcohol from sugar

- second: acidic fermentation to produce vinegar from alcohol

As you've obviously shown, you're alcoholic fermentation has already
started. This produces the bubbles due to the CO2-Gas. To solve the
problem with foaming over, just pour the the whole content into a (much)
bigger container. Close the container with an air lock (fermentation
lock). You cannot avoid floating the solid parts on the top. Stir /
shake the container once every three to four days. After fermentation
has finished (no foam, no solid parts on the surface anymore), start the
second, acidic fermentation by adding a small piece of
mother-of-vinegar and cover the container with a cloth, sheet of kitchen
paper or similar. After another estimated two to three weeks, your
vinegar should be ready. Good luck!


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