how do I save the mother?

Last year, I got serious about vinegar making. When my pear trees produced well, I used all the scraps to make pear vinegar. It hasn't quite turned out to be a year's supply, so I have several jars that have mostly only the mother in them. Will it keep until next month when I start picking pears again? Is there anything I can do to make sure it stays alive and healthy until then?

I keep them in sugar-water or wine to keep them active during the off-season. But I'm also pretty sure you don't really need a mother, like with kombucha, a liquid live-culture, will start a new bucket of juice -> vinegar and a new mother will grow.

Christopher Weeks wrote:I keep them in sugar-water or wine to keep them active during the off-season. But I'm also pretty sure you don't really need a mother, like with kombucha, a liquid live-culture, will start a new bucket of juice -> vinegar and a new mother will grow.

I will try some sugar water. You're correct that they aren't necessary; I started last year with cores, peels, and water only! But now that I've got such pretty looking mothers, I'd like to try and keep them my next batches of vinegar.

You could try water kefir vinegar.

1. Add water kefir grains to the pear
2. Ferment for 7 to 14 days.

S, that's an interesting idea. Except I don't have any water kefir grains. Something to think about though. I'm always up for an experiment.

I have two bottles of Braggs raw apple cider vinegar with Mother. Can I make my own apple cider vinegar using apple peels and/or cores and the Mother?