Apple cider vinegar or ACV, is a type of vinegar made from cider or apple must and has a pale to medium amber color. Organic apple cider vinegar is antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal.
Its wide-ranging benefits include everything from curing hiccups to alleviating cold symptoms, and some people have turned to apple cider vinegar to help with health concerns including diabetes, cancer, heart problems, high cholesterol, and weight issues.
Carol Johnston, PhD, directs Arizona State University’s nutrition program. She has been studying apple cider vinegar for more than 10 years and believes its effects on blood sugar are similar to certain medications.
She explains that the vinegar blocks some of the digestion of starch. “It doesn’t block the starch 100%, but it definitely prevents at least some of that starch from being digested and raising your blood sugar,” Johnston says.
Like smoothies, lemonades and few pantry staples, turns out the best apple cider vinegar is homemade!
Homemade organic apple cider vinegar
Ingredients:
- 3 small apples (core and peel included, no stem)
- 3 tsp raw sugar (I used muscavado)
- filtered water to cover
Instructions:
- Wash and chop your apples into medium sized pieces. Place them in a clean, rinsed and sterilized wide mouth jar.
- Mix the sugar with 1 cup of water and pour on top of the apples.
- Add more water if needed to cover the apples.
- Cover the jar with a paper towel and secure it with a band.
- Place the jar in a warm, dark place for 2-3 weeks.
- Strain out the liquid and discard the apple pieces.
- Return the liquid to the same jar and cover it again (same paper or cheesecloth).
- Return the jar to the same warm, dark place and leave it do its thing for roughly 4 to 6 weeks, stirring with a plastic or wooden spoon every few days or so.
- After the first 4 weeks, you can begin to also taste your vinegar and once it reaches an acidity you like, you can actually transfer it to a bottle with a lid and begin using it.