It's cider season! With a few mature apple trees out back I've developed a method for making fresh cider (apple juice really, as cider is fermented technically) that is easy to make
and produces a fresh and delicious drink. This recipe produces a crisp cider that tastes exactly like the fresh, unpasteurized kind you get at a local orchard.
You will need the following:
- Apples - 40 will produce about a gallon - size/kind/shape doesn't really matter as long as most of it is still edible!
- Fine cheesecloth or clean cotton undershirt for straining
- Large collection bowl to collect juice
- Funnel
- Knife for slicing apples
- Rubber Spatula for scraping down the processor
- Storage container for cider - a glass jug or re-purposed plastic milk containers work well
Wash the apples and cut them into quarters. I poke of any remaining stems and cut off the really bad parts. No need to core or peel. Place these into your food processor. My processor handles about 5-6 apples at a time. Process the apples for about 30 seconds, open the processor lid and push down all the bits that have climbed up the side with a spatula - you will do this once or twice per juicing batch. Turn the processor back on until you have a thin paste. The mash will churn at the edges of your processor - this means it is ready to press.
Dump the mash into the cloth that you have placed over the collection bowl as shown to left.
Slowly lift the cotton fabric and squeeze the juice out of the pulp. Gradually start wringing out and applying more pressure to get as much juice as possible. Hint: for the next cycle, "walk" the center of the pulp about 6 inches away from the previous center as the fabric may break if it used only in one spot!
A good "yield" for a single apple is about 3 oz of juice if you really put some elbow grease into it!
Use the funnel to add the juice into the storage container. Refrigerate to prolong the shelf life of your fresh juice.
Enjoy!
Hints for acquiring apples:
Many folks who have apple trees in suburbia are willing to give you as many as you can pick because they don't like the "mess" of the fallen apples and all the critters they attract.
These suburban orchards go unpicked too because the apples may have spots or holes that are easily cut out for making cider or for baking.
A good "yield" for a single apple is about 3 oz of juice if you really put some elbow grease into it!
Enjoy!
Hints for acquiring apples:
Many folks who have apple trees in suburbia are willing to give you as many as you can pick because they don't like the "mess" of the fallen apples and all the critters they attract.
These suburban orchards go unpicked too because the apples may have spots or holes that are easily cut out for making cider or for baking.
