XOVKMBKR, 1920 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



TUEN refuse 

 honey into 

 profit by 



making honey 



vinegar " is a 



suggestion most 



beekeepers will 



do well to inves- 

 tigate. Properly 



ni a (1 0, h n e ^v 

 vinegar contains from 50 to 100 per cent 

 more acetic acid than commercial cider vin- 

 egar and has a ilavor and "bouquet" that 

 cannot ho duplicated. As the vinegar is 

 about the same color as the honey used, any 

 color is possible from water white to dark. 

 It is the sugar content only which is con- 

 cerned in the transformation of honey into 

 vinegar, and refuse honey of any kind can 



PROFIT IN HONEY VINEGAR 



New and Valuable Kinks in Mak- 

 ing this 'Vinegar as Taught by the 

 Michigan oAgricultural College 



By Russell H. Kelty 



This yeast and 

 the one used in 

 making vinegar 

 are not the 

 same. 



When yeast 

 and barrel are 

 ready, the 

 honey and wa- 

 ter are mixed 

 together. By experiment it has been found 

 that the best proportion of honey to water is 

 one and one-half pounds of honey to a gallon 

 ot water. Soft water is perhaps perferable, 

 but tap water can bo used. Heat at least 

 j)art of the water to dissolve the honey 

 l)roperly. The amount of honey necessary 

 to make a barrel of vinegar will vary with 



. , ,^ ^'^^ ^^^^*^ °*" t'^f* barrel. It is necessary to 



be used, and so sold as vinegar tor from 40 leave an air space in the top of the barrel 

 to 75 cents a i)ound. and 50 pounds of honey added to 36 gal- 



The directions are comparatively simple ^ — -^ - — '--- • ^ . . ~ 



but must be followed faithfully to insure 

 success. Carelessness will likely ruin the 

 barrel of honej'-water, or ait best give a 

 vinegar weak in acid content and poor in 

 flavor. Reports are received from beekeep- 

 ers who simply mix honey with water 

 haphazardly and get "good vinegar," but 

 my experience has been that this is risky 

 business, usually resulting in complete loss 

 of honey used. I have made more than 20 

 barrels of honey vinegar by the process des- 

 cribed with splendid success. In fact, the 

 demand for it is greater than the supply. 



In the first place, the successful making 

 of honey vinegar demands a warm place, 

 80° F. being the best temperature for 

 growth of the yeast used to ferment the 

 honey. At 65° F., slightly less than room 

 temperature, fermentation goes on but 

 much slower and with less vigor. The 

 yeast used is a champagne yeast and should 

 be secured before ready to make the vine- 

 gar. Compressed or other bread yeast can 

 be used, but gives the vinegar a slightly 

 beery taste; whereas the champagne yeast 

 produces a delicate flavor and aroma in the 

 vinegar, which is very desirable in the 

 making of pickles, salad dressing, etc. 

 Both the vinegar yeast and chemical salts 

 necessary for. best fermentation can be se- 

 cured at cost on application to the Michi- 

 gan Agricultural College. The price is 25 

 cents each for one-barrel quantities. 



Before ready to make the vinegar it is 

 also ne<-essaiy to secure a suitable barrel 

 or barrels as the case may be. Barrels 

 previously used for cider or other vinegars 

 or for grain alcohol are best, but these are 

 often hard to get. The barrel must be 

 water and air tight and thoroly disinfect- 

 ed with flowing steam or boiling water. 

 Failure to disinfect the barrel properly 

 iriay result in total failure thru wrong fer- 

 mentation. In this connection it is neces- 

 -;ary to j>oint out that if fermenting honey 

 is used for making vinegar it shoulii be 

 brought to a boil before dilutio)i to kill the 

 wild yeast responsible for the fernientat ion. 



Ions of water is sufficient for a 45-gallon 

 barrel. It is more convenient to mix 

 honey and water in a tub or storage tank 

 before pouring into the barrel. After mix- 

 ing, the temperature of the honey - water 

 should be lukewarm. Dissolve the chemi- 

 cals (food for the yeast) in a quart of the 

 honey water, add the yeast culture— one 

 culture is enough for several barrels of 

 vinegar — and after stirring thoroly pour 

 into the barrel. 



Bung the barrel and seal air-tight with 

 wax if necessary. Secure a piece of rubber 

 or glass tubing a foot long, and, using an 

 auger the same size as the tubing, bore a 

 hole thru the bung and insert one end of 

 tube one and one-half inches into the hole 

 in the bung. Dip the other end of the tube 

 into a glass of water placed on the barrel, 

 thus allowing gas to escape from the barrel 

 thru the tube, but not permitting air to 

 enter. This is necessary for best results. 



Allow fermentation to continue till no 

 further gas is given off. This usually takes 

 from two to four weeks. Then remove the 

 bung and add a liberal quantity of mother 

 of vinegar, a pailful if available, altho less 

 will do nicely. At this time air circulation 

 in the barrel is necessary, and some prefer 

 to assist by boring two or more small holes 

 in each end of the barrel above the level 

 of the liquid. Place a piece of cheese- 

 cloth over the bung and other holes to keep 

 out flies, etc., and allow to stand from 

 three to six months. By tasting one can 

 tell when the vinegar is getting ready for 

 use, but an accurate test by a chemist is 

 necessary before the vinegar is placed on 

 the market, as the law requires it to con- 

 tain at least four per cent acetic acid. 

 We have secured as high as eight per cent 

 from the above method, in which case the 

 vinegar is diluted before marketing. 



This may seem like a long and tedious 

 process, but it really is not when once one 

 is prepared for the job; and, in our experi- 

 ence, short cuts have proved failures. 

 East Lansing, Mich. 



