In the fall we began making some apple vinegar. Because the trees we gathered the apples from had not been maintained for a long time, the apples were small.
After washing, we chopped the apples into smaller pieces, about an inch square. No need to peel or core...
They were placed in a gallon sized jar, just above half full. A cup of sugar is dissolved in some filtered water and added to the jar, leaving a couple of inches of head space.
The jars were covered with cheesecloth and secured with a large rubber band, and left on the counter for 1-2 weeks, gently mixing once a day. Bubbles began forming as the sugar fermented into alcohol.
When the apples sink to the bottom, the hard cider is ready and it is time to strain out the apples and pour the liquid into fresh jars.
The apples can then be composted or fed to the chickens. The cider is then left on the counter for an additional 3-5 weeks to allow the alcohol to transform into acetic acid, or vinegar.
A mother culture will form on top. Begin tasting the raw apple vinegar to determine if it is ready after 3 weeks. If so, strain it one more time and store in a clean glass jar.
Raw apple cider doesn't go bad. If the taste becomes too strong, you can dilute it with a bit of water. Store it in the pantry out of direct sunlight. Use as desired, however do not use for canning as the percentage of acidity varies.