Store the mother in an airtight container, preferably sealed by a twist cap or airtight lid with an o-ring. Don't worry about the temperature. While the mother is fine at room temperature letting it be cold or hot is no big deal. As long as you don't hit 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) it will be ok.
The acidity of vinegar means it's "self-preserving and does not need refrigeration," and theoretically, vinegar's shelf life is indefinite, even after you open the bottle.
How Long Is the Shelf Life of Apple Cider Vinegar? The shelf life of apple cider vinegar is two years unopened, and one year once you've broken the seal on the bottle. You don't have to refrigerate apple cider vinegar once it's opened. Instead, store it in a pantry or cabinet, away from direct sunlight.
ACV with the mother can be a starter for other vinegars.
It's possible to use unfiltered apple cider vinegar to start other homemade vinegars—the mother will help you kickstart the fermentation process, including the production of yeast and beneficial bacteria.
Unlike the filtered vinegar, unfiltered vinegar contains sediment which is referred to as “the mother,” a leftover bacteria from the fermentation process, similar to sediment in kombucha. Hence, you first gotta shake the bottle to get the complete organic liquid mixed up. So, shake it, then you make it!
In addition to cloudiness or sediment, vinegar may develop a slimy substance called a “mother,” which may look and sound scary but is actually harmless. As its name suggests, the mother can even be used to make a new batch of vinegar. So, we can keep those bottles of vinegar in the pantry for another year, or longer.
Apple cider vinegar is acidic and has antimicrobial properties that make it self-preserving. This means that it's safe to consume and use in recipes even if it's old.
Check The Taste Of The Vinegar
Of course, the best way to tell if apple cider vinegar has gone bad is by taste. If the vinegar tastes sour and vinegary then it's still good to use. However, if it tastes sweet or like alcohol then it's time to toss it out as the aging process aka the fermentation process has begun.
These slowly form a translucent "mother of vinegar" that floats on the surface, gradually thickening until it sinks in a gelatinous mass to the bottom of the container, where it can be ignored until you feel like cleaning it out.
Eventually, once the mother has grown larger, more mothers will form on top of the old one. These can be used to make more vinegar in pots or barrels or give to friends. The whole process can take anything from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the time of year and where you keep your pot or barrel.
After 3 or 4 weeks the mother should start to form and slowly grow larger as it turns the alcohol into vinegar. At this point you can replace the muslin with the jar lid.
Mother of vinegar is a colony of bacteria (don't gasp). These are the good bacteria called Acetobacter. They perform the same purpose for making vinegar as yeast does to make wine. They form the mother on the surface since they require oxygen to convert wine to vinegar and the surface is where the air is at.
Although they look similar, kombucha scobys and mothers of vinegar are not the same or interchangeable. The kombucha scoby contains bacteria and yeast adapted to the fermentation of sweet tea.
To reuse a mother, rinse it well and transfer it to a clean jar of alcohol. Raw apple-cider vinegar sold in health-food stores frequently includes a mother, and it can be used to start a new batch.
When you find a bit of stringy sediment, large or small, in a bottle of vinegar don't fret. In fact — congratulations — you have a mother. A vinegar mother, that is. Yes, it looks rather grungy and scary, floating on the top of the vinegar like that, but this spongy mass of bacteria is completely harmless.
Once opened and exposed to air, however, harmless “vinegar bacteria” may start to grow. This bacteria causes the formation of a cloudy sediment that is nothing more than harmless cellulose, a complex carbohydrate that does not affect the quality of the vinegar or its flavor.
As mentioned, vinegar does not expire. Like other condiments, vinegar may have a best before date but not an expiration date. This means vinegar is still safe and usable after the best before date has lapsed.
There's some evidence that supports the fact that apple cider vinegar, had first thing in the morning may promote faster weight loss and accelerate fat burning. Since it works primarily as a detoxifying agent, a shot of apple cider vinegar in the morning can clear out toxins from the body and aid a fresh start.
Drinking apple cider vinegar before meals or right before bedtime may benefit your blood sugar levels the most. For example, one study in people with type 2 diabetes found that taking 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of apple cider vinegar at bedtime for 2 days reduced fasting blood sugar levels by up to 6% ( 7 ).
Common dosages range from 1–2 teaspoons (5–10 mL) to 1–2 tablespoon (15–30 mL) per day mixed in a large glass of water. It's best to start with small doses and avoid taking large amounts. Too much vinegar can cause harmful side effects, including tooth enamel erosion and potential drug interactions.
Because ACV is acidic and has antimicrobial effects, proponents of natural healing suggest that rinsing the vulva in a solution of apple cider vinegar and water may alleviate symptoms.
Almost Indefinite Shelf Life
Vinegar is a fermented product and has an “almost indefinite” shelf life according to the Vinegar Institute [1]. “Because of its acid nature, vinegar is self-preserving and does not need refrigeration. White distilled vinegar will remain virtually unchanged over an extended period of time.