This may seem obvious, however, it was not until the early 19th century before anyone made the connection between the mother of vinegar and a living organism. If you don’t do this, the last bits of vinegar … Some bacteria and yeast do poorly with oxygen exposure, like when making sauerkraut or wine. Our Favorite Apple Cider Vinegar: Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar With the Mother, $12.50/2 bottles; amazon.com What an interesting question! A vinegar mother is technically a scoby too as she is formed of the same stuff; good bacteria and yeast. The mother of vinegar is a product of living organisms–the acetic acid bacteria that convert alcohol into the acetic acid that is the primary ingredient of vinegar. A vinegar mother is a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast that work together to make yummy vinegar happen. A kind of bacteria in the mother, known as acetobacter, attack the alcohol and sour it into vinegar, a word that comes from the French vin aiger, or soured wine. The mother of vinegar is a rubbery, slick mass that will work for you again and again. Put the affordable, low-calorie flavor-booster to terrific use in these sweet and savory apple cider vinegar recipes to get your dose in a healthy and delicious (and tooth-friendly!) Apple cider vinegar is made from crushed apples that have actually been fermented. Photo by Tim Nauman. way. Strain your newly-made vinegar and reserve the mother of vinegar to use in the next batch. According to Michael Harlan Turkell, author of the excellent and authoritative book Acid Trip: Travels in the World of Vinegar, balsamic was a crucial part of a young woman's dowry in the 19th century. Think of it as a vinegar starter, which can be added to wine or other alcoholic liquids in order to produce vinegar. The vinegar was largely kept within the region, and highly prized within it. I did find the topic addressed by Elizabeth Andress Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in the Making Apple Cider fact sheet. How do I save "vinegar mother"? She states "While vinegar is fermenting, a jelly-like layer forms on top that is called the mother of vinegar.The mother is trapped and removed during the straining. To maximize the benefit of each spoonful of vinegar, gently shake the vinegar bottle to distribute the mother, so there will be a bit of it in every serving. The idea behind the detox is that raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar still has “the mother” in it. The fully formed “Mother” is actually a rather disgusting looking thing and looks more like something you ought to throw away and wash your hands after touching it. Wikipedia describes vinegar mother as “A substance composed of a form of cellulose and acetic acid bacteria that develops on fermenting alcoholic liquids, which turns alcohol into acetic acid with the help of oxygen from the air.”. The mother contains good bacteria for the gut, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. 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