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A gallon size glass jar with orange scrap vinegar sitting on the kitchen counter next to a coffee filter and rubber band.

Orange Scrap Vinegar

This orange scrap vinegar will make you feel like a hero for turning your orange scraps into something usable and healthy. Use it for cooking, cleaning, dishwashers, clothes washers, and even as a probiotic-rich drink such as shrubs!
Fermenting Time 30 days

Equipment

  • half-gallon glass mason jar
  • vegetable peeler (or zester)
  • chopstick (or butter knife)
  • fermenting weight (or small ramekin)
  • coffee filter (or scrap of cloth)
  • rubber band

Ingredients

  • 8 large oranges
  • ΒΌ cup cane sugar
  • unchlorinated water

Instructions

  • Zest and peel your oranges. (Save the zest in your freezer for future use.) Add the citrus peels to a jar until it's half full. Then add the sugar. Fill the jar the rest of the way with unchlorinated water. (Tap water left out overnight is unchlorinated.)
  • Use a chopstick to stir and dissolve the sugar. Top with more water, if necessary.
  • Cover with a fermenting weight to keep the citrus peels under the liquid. Cover the mason jar with a coffee filter and add a rubber band to secure.
  • Let it sit out on your counter (out of direct sunlight) and stir daily for a month to prevent mold. It'll ferment and turn into vinegar!
  • After a month, strain out the orange scrap peels, reserve the liquid vinegar with the mother, and put a lid on your mason jar.
  • Store your new vinegar in the pantry for 6 months to a year.