Wash and chop the apples into chunks, or gather collected apple scraps and add them to your jar or large fermenting vessel until it is halfway full.

Pour lukewarm filtered water over the apples into the container until it is almost full, and measure/note 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 from forming on top.

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, maintaining darkness.

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

Once it is 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 and unusual flavor or appearance.