Apple Cider

If you have an apple tree you will be familiar with the problem of having too many apples. In my cellar I have plenty of jars of whole crab apples, crab apple jelly, applesauce, apple butter, apples with raspberries..... No need to make more.  

But we wanted to do something with this year’s apples. So, with the help of our neighbor who has an apple press, we had the pleasure of making pure apple cider (i.e. apple juice, not the alcoholic cider). We picked 4-5 gallon pails of apples, leaving the ones out of reach for the birds.

What an incredible, machine the apple press is! I’ve made juice by cooking apples down and squeezing through a jelly bag, but this was so easy, and made more enjoyable because it was done with the help of our friend and celebrated by a few drinks of apple juice and rum, a mighty tasty newly discovered beverage. 

Since the apples were small there was no need to cut them up. They did not need to be cored or stemmed. Just popped them into the grinder and then into the press. 

I could hardly believe how much juice we got! Our yield was one full pail of juice to the 4 pails of apples! And the juice (even without the rum) is delicious. I canned the juice (water bath - 20 minutes) as there was too much to consume fresh. 

Wow, thanks neighbor!