Wash and chop the apples into chunks or gather collected apple scraps. Add them to your jar until filled about halfway.

Pour lukewarm filtered water over the apples into the container until it is almost full. Measure the total amount of water added.

Stir in sugar in ratios of 1 tablespoon of sugar per cup of water added, or for larger batches, 1 cup of sugar per gallon of water added.

Optional: Add a splash of finished organic apple cider vinegar to inoculate the culture and encourage fermenting.

Stir combined ingredients until thoroughly mixed, and cover with breathable material.

Store in a dark location around 70 to 75 degrees F for two weeks to ferment, stirring every day to prevent mold.

After two weeks, strain and reserve the liquid into a similar-sized container and cover again. Compost the spent fruit.

Move the covered container of liquid to a location that is out of the way to continue long-term fermentation. Maintain darkness.

After one month, sample the vinegar to see if it is finished fermenting and tart to your liking. If needed, continue to ferment for a total of two to three months.

Once fermented to your desired flavor, transfer the apple cider vinegar into bottles with lids. Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Properly fermented apple cider vinegar should stay good for over a year, as long as it does not have visible mold or a strong unusual flavor.