Making Apple Cider Is Easy

According to many historians apple trees existed along the Nile River Delta as early as 1300 BC, During Colonial times apple cider was the favorite drink for those hardy Pilgrims. Though the apple tree was not native to the Americas, the settlers brought over apple seeds from Europe and begin planting ...and we have all heard the story of Johnny Appleseed.

I used to think that I couldn't make apple cider because I didn't have an apple press. I can't believe I ever thought that way? Now, if I want to do something bad enough I just keep figuring until I figure a way. I heard that you can simply run a bushel of apples through a wood chipper. (First clean the machine) Then I heard that you could put the apples in a five gallon bucket and use a dry wall mixer. If you can do these things, you can also use a blender, right? The difference would be maybe five minutes vs standing over a blender for an hour or so. The dry wall mixer appeals to me even though I haven't tried it. I plan on trying it as soon as I get more apples.

The flavour of cider varies, from dry to sweet. Sometimes they have various degrees of cloudiness with sediment all the way to completely clear, and their colour ranges from light yellow to brown. The variations in clarity and colour are mostly due to filtering. Some apple varieties will produce a clear cider without any filtration. Both sparkling and still ciders are made but the sparkling variety is the more common.

If you have access to an apple tree, congratulations, you are all set for the main ingredient. You can do so many things with apples and all of them are good.

Simple Apple Cider

7 to 10 apples, quartered
1/2 cup sugar
Directions
1.Place apples in a large stockpot and add enough water cover by at least 2 inches. Stir in sugar. Bring to a boil. Boil, uncovered, for 1 hour. Cover pot, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 hours.
2.Strain apple mixture though a fine mesh sieve. Discard solids. Drain cider again though a cheesecloth lined sieve. Refrigerate until cold. You can spice it up with cinnamon and allspice if you like.

The apples you choose are very important as they define the taste of the cider. Simply use one variety of apple to make your cider, or mix varieties. Just remember that the sweeter varieties will make sweeter cider. If you can, choose fresh apples that are picked directly from the trees. It is best to use fresh, healthy apples to make apple cider.

If you don't have your own tree or source of apples, try to find them at a local farmer's market. You can purchase apples from any grocery store, but keep in mind that they will probably not be as fresh. You will need a lot of apples to make a decent batch of fresh apple cider. You will need about seven apples for each gallon of Cider.

Wash all the apples.
Core the apples. I just cut them into quarters and cut out the core, but you can use an apple corer if you like.
Slice the apples into quarters.
Put the quartered apples into the blender or food processor and puree them.
Continue pureeing the apples until they are very finely ground. You will be able to extract more juice from the finely ground apples.

Pour the pureed apples into the cheesecloth. I have a cheesecloth type bag.
Squeeze the pureed apples through the cheesecloth and into a container. Apply firm, steady pressure as you squeeze. This will ensure that you extract all juice possible from the pureed apples. If you are fortunate enough to have a press, great. That will make things easier and more efficient. But it really isn't what I would call difficult to strain them through a cheesecloth.

Your cider is now ready to be stored.
I put mine into jugs with lids. The cider should not be exposed to air, so you want an airtight lid. Store your apple cider in the refrigerator. If kept refrigerated, it should stay fresh for about a week. If you leave it out it should turn into first hard cider, and then apple cider vinegar. It shouldn't 'go bad' but if you worry about such things, you can pasteurize your cider. But I don't think it would then turn into hard cider or apple cider vinegar.

Apple cider vinegar has many healthful benefits. It also makes a great hair conditioner for after shampooing. Apple cider vinegar and honey was popularized by Dr Jarvas years ago, and I do believe most of what he says is true. It helps with your metabolism, and there is a diet for weight loss that features apple cider vinegar and honey and I think vitamin B6.

The apple is so good for our health and can be prepared is so many delicious ways, If we eat enough all winter do you think maybe, just maybe we could keep the doctor away?

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