# Apple cider



## MyBackAchers (Jul 28, 2010)

In past years, I have put up as many as 9 bushels of apples as sauce, frozen for pies and dried. This year we helped with apple cider making and here are some suggestions:

When making cider - get a good crusher! The basic process is simple-core the apples with a 8 way slicer made just for apple cores, then crush the apples into a pulp and press them. The best presses have a poly-cloth bag for easy clean up.

It is your choice to pasteurize the fresh pressed juice or not and then add the yeast for fermenting to hard cider.


----------



## Turtle (Dec 10, 2009)

I have another suggestion regarding apple cider: Captain Morgan!  In the winter, when the snow is piled up outside, heat up some apple cider, throw in some cinnamon sticks, maybe some mulling spices, and add some Cap'n when you are ready to enjoy it... there is nothing better to warm you up on a cold day!


----------



## PamsPride (Dec 21, 2010)

I run my apples through my juicers and make apple 'juice' that to me is just like cider.


----------



## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Makes me wish our little apples trees were producing.  Maybe next year!


----------



## CraigMeade (Oct 21, 2011)

I have this recipe from the 1896 Home Mechanic's book for preserving cider:

"When the cider in the barrel is in a lively fermentation, add as much white sugar as will be equal to a 1/4 or 3/4 of a pound to each gallon of cider (according as the apples are sweet or sour), let the fermentation proceed until the liquid has the taste to suit, then add 1/4 of an ounce of sulphite (not sulphate) of lime to each gallon of cider, shake well, and let it stand three days, and bottle for use. The sulphite should be dissolved in a bottle or so of cider before adding."

It would be worth some research, but it is from the days before electricity so may be good for the days after electricity.


----------



## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

I *cheat* when making 'hard' cider... I put it in the freezer and take the top layer of ice off every morning


----------



## siletz (Aug 23, 2011)

Nothing says fall like fresh pressed cider! 

We always drink what we can in a week or so and can up the rest! We'll be making ours in the coming week. Yum!


----------



## hedgeliving (Nov 12, 2011)

The_Blob said:


> I *cheat* when making 'hard' cider... I put it in the freezer and take the top layer of ice off every morning


This is illegal here in the U.S. to concentrate alcohol through "jacking" or freezing it. Of course this doesn't mean that we don't do it too...just by accident we leave our hard cider outside on a cold day...you know, we just forget to bring it inside and then the ice sloshes off the top of it...it's not like we do it on purpose. LOL You do need the cider "hard" before this works though.


----------



## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

I've heard of making apple jack like this...never done it though.


----------

