How to make a probiotic-rich pineapple vinegar using the leftover rind of a fresh pineapple.
I often have apple cider vinegar first thing morning with water to help kick-start my digestive system, or 30 minutes before meals to get my stomach juices flowing.
However, I recently saw an IG story by Plastic-Free Mermaid sharing a recipe for making pineapple vinegar from leftover pineapple scraps. I thought it was such a great way to reduce food waste, and helps the pineapple skin break down a lot faster when placed in the compost, as it has already been partially fermented. This process also gives use to the entire fruit, and is a fantastic way to get more probiotic-rich foods into your diet.
The Benefits of Pineapple Vinegar
This vinegar will liven up any salad dressing, stir-fry, veggie dish, marinade or sauce, and has many health benefits!
Pineapple vinegar has all of the same health benefits as that of eating fresh pineapple, no surprises there as it’s made from pineapple flesh and rind. It’s rich in bromelain, a well known enzyme famous for it’s anti-inflammatory properties and digestion-promoting effects.
Pineapple vinegar also contains a heap of gut-loving probiotics, and can help support and strengthen the immune system. It’s also been found to reverse liver damage in mice.
You can drink one teaspoon of this vinegar diluted in water each day (or 30 minutes before meals to promote better digestion), or you can use it as a replacement for recipes that call for other types of vinegar (for example, in salad dressings, tonics, etc.).
Use as a Natural Cleaning Agent
Pineapple vinegar can also be used as a natural cleaning agent. It’s a wonderful disinfectant and helps to remove odours – just avoid using vinegar on granite or marble surfaces.
When making your own homemade pineapple vinegar, always ensure you thoroughly wash and clean the skin of your pineapple with a vegetable brush before you start using it in any pineapple recipes. The rind can harbour bacteria and dirt which you don’t want getting into your vinegar. Ensure your jars have also been cleaned and sterilised beforehand. You don’t want any undesirable bacteria growing in your pineapple vinegar, just the beneficial kind!
When making this vinegar, you don’t want to cap your jar tightly as this cuts off air circulation which can kill the beneficial bacteria and yeasts fermenting your vinegar. Instead, place some cheesecloth or other breathable material over the top and affix it with a rubber band. This cover will help keep bugs out and still allow air-flow to your vinegar (though beware of ants). Stirring the vinegar gently everyday for 3-4 weeks will help to further aerate the vinegar and promote healthy fermentation.
After the 3-4 week mark, you can taste your vinegar to see if its reached your desired tartness, then just strain out the leftover pineapple pieces (you can compost them after this) and pour your finished vinegar into bottles. You may even find your pineapple vinegar has grown some vinegar “Mother” (it looks similar to kombucha SCOBY) which you can use as a starter for your next batch of vinegar! This “Mother” looks like a white-ish skin that sits at the top or bottom of the jar. Using the mother can speed up the fermentation process to just over a week. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s make our first batch of pineapple vinegar!
Before we get started in learning how to make this homemade pineapple vinegar, if you like what you’re seeing, subscribe to my email newsletter at the bottom of the page to keep up to date on the latest recipes, DIYs, gardening and health tips I share!!
Homemade Fermented Pineapple Vinegar
This pineapple vinegar is wonderful detoxifier, digestive tonic and anti-inflammatory!
Ingredients:
- Large glass jar, sterilised
- 4 cups filtered water
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- Scraps of 1 organic pineapple, chopped into small pieces
- Cheesecloth (big enough to fit over the mouth of the jar)
- 1 rubber band
To make:
- Cut up the pineapple scraps into small chunks.
- Mix the the sugar in with the water until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the pineapple pieces and sugar water to a sterilised glass jar, leaving 1cm of headroom at the top (the mixture will expand a little as it ferments).
- Cover the mouth of the jar with a cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band.
- Place in a dark cupboard or pantry and let it ferment for 3-4 weeks, opening the jar container to stir the vinegar daily to aerate it.
- Taste the vinegar after 3 weeks. If it tastes tart and acidic like vinegar, strain out the pineapple chunks using a cheesecloth or nut milk bag into sterilised bottles. If it still needs a little longer to ferment, let it go for another week.
- Store the vinegar in your fridge for up to one year (at room temperature the vinegar will continue to ferment).
Pineapple vinegar DIY
As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor before trying or using any new products. I am not a doctor. All opinions expressed are my own personal thoughts and feelings of the products mentioned. Check with your doctor or health practitioner if you are uncertain about trying out any of the products, recipes or tips mentioned in this post.
Have you made pineapple vinegar before? How did it go? Share in the comments below
Lots of love,
Vanessa
