Pineapple Scraps Vinegar with Mother is a traditional British recipe for a classic steamed pudding of a sponge-type mix with black treacle and fresh cranberries that's served with an almost solid sauce of butter, cream and sugar flavoured with vanilla. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Pineapple Scraps Vinegar with Mother.
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I buy a pineapple most weeks, as the peels can be used to naturally sweeten drinks like hibiscus tea. That still means there are lots of pineapple scraps left over (The bases, tops, cores and bits of the flesh). I hate wasting things so I've been using if for the preparation of home-made apple kombucha. I noticed that the natural sugars in the pineapple makes the kombucha ferment very quickly. So, I decided to test making a pineapple vinegar instead.
As this is a raw natural vinegar, a mother will start to form on the surface that looks like a kombucha SCOBY. The mother is a combination of bacteria and yeast, is light brown, opaque in colour and feels like jelly. You can save the mother and add it to your next batch of vinegar to cut down on fermentation time.
Ingredients:
pineapple scraps — enough to fill your jar ¾ of the way full (you'll need the scraps from 3 large pineapples)
1l filtered water
200g light brown sugar
2 whole cloves
Method:
Cut the pineapple scraps into large chunks. Mix the sugar in the water, stirring until the sugar combines.
Add the pineapple to a large jar (about 1.5l) then pour in the water and add the cloves.
Cover the mouth of the jar with a double layer of muslin (cheesecloth) and secure in place with a rubber band (or string).
Store in a cool, dark place (away from direct sunlight) for 3-4 weeks. Stir the pineapple mixture every few days to aerate it and prevent mould from growing on the surface. (If mould forms on the surface, scoop it out. Don't worry, the vinegar is still good.)
Taste the vinegar after 3 weeks. If it tastes sour and acidic like vinegar, strain out the pineapple chunks and bottle it. If not, let it continue fermenting for another week. Repeat until the liquid tastes like vinegar.
Store, stoppered, in a glass container or bottle in your pantry where it will keep for several months to a year.
