Home made apple cider
 

Is anyone here making apple cider at home? I mean the cold pressed apple juice and not the fermented hard cider, which people here in Finland call as cider.

Years ago we planted an old field full of apple trees (48 trees planted, but some did not survive). Now those are finally starting to produce, so we got plenty of apples. There are places here which process the apples to cold pressed juice, but we do not have any really close to our house and usually the places are quite busy, so it is difficult to get the time reserved and get the apples picked at the prime time and transported to the processing place. Since we like to do things ourselves, I purchased this old fashioned manual juice press. It arrived yesterday and right away after work we had to test it.

We grated the apples with the grating implement of my old Bosch universal mixer and filled the basket to press the juice. I was amazed how easy it was to squeeze the juice out. We used mixture of sweet and tart apples and the juice was perfect. Here is a link to a video of the pressing.
[url]https://youtu.be/T0EFuelA9lE[/url]

Since we got more juice than we can drink I heated the juice in a kettle in water bath to 80°C to kill yeasts and bacteria and filled 3 liter box bags with it. It would be nice to have similar pasteurizing equipment like those processing places, but now I am experimenting this with the normal pans and pots.

Sari

We have an annual cider pressing day with my extended family, using a hand-cranked grinder I put together and a press a neighbor's son built in high school woodworking shop. Many hands make the work enjoyable, and everyone goes home with a good supply of cider. We always freeze some in various sized containers, large for drinking at Christmas, and small, even ice cubes, for cooking, especially smoked ribs and pulled pork and accompanying sauces. We have learned that the more varieties mixed into each batch, the more complex the flavor of the cider. We're scheduled for our squeezing in three weeks - can't wait!

Tonight we squeezed apples from a tree on our city yard. I mixed only a little bit of other variety and the juice was not as good as the one yesterday. The apples on the tree were very ripe and we got more juice from them. Mixing multiple varieties together is really better way.

Sari

Just did cider a few days ago for the first time. Our press looks like savalli's except ours has stainless steel instead of wood. We mixed 3 varieties of apples with it being heavy on the Red Delicious for the sweet. We put the apples through a industrial type meat grinder and then pressed them - easy peasy! I processed quart jars in a water bath to preserve it without filtering it. Wonderful stuff!

Looks awesome.
Next you can slow cook it down into syrup, you wont be sorry.

That looks delicious! Could you freeze it?

we have made cider with our neighbor that has a cider press similar to the one in the picture. apples get poured into a hopper that has a crank that spins the thing, and mashes up the apples which fall into the tub. once the tub is full, a wooden top is put on, which is then cranked down with a metal rod squeezing the juice from the apples. the process is a good work out. no better tasting cider to be found.
what cider isn't used right away can be frozen in plastic juice containers or old milk jugs, filled about 2/3 full then frozen. they keep awhile.



keith

[QUOTE=Worth1;746249]Looks awesome.
Next you can slow cook it down into syrup, you wont be sorry.[/QUOTE]

Now that is something we've never done, but I might just give a try!
Shawn

Just a few tips from my personal experience :
- If you don’t want to get apple vinegar (excellent vinegar by the way) equipment should be perfectly clean and fermenting protected from outside air.
- Pasteurization doesn’t require a lot of equipment., just a thermometer to keep your cider at the right temperature for a precise time on your heater.

I posted links to videos here some place about German rural life and the farm.
They were very good and it is where I saw them make this syrup from cider.
In the end of all the bread and baking, food making and so on there was a big meal.

When growing up in Missouri I lived in apple country.
The state apple experiment station and orchard was about six miles away.
We ate everything apple including the rare treat apple syrup.
Seems like everyone was making cider.

That looks awesome. :) I love apples and apple juice. I planted a half dozen apple trees here many years ago, but the moose and hares did not treat them kindly. :evil: Three are still alive, but they don't produce anything.

One thing that really annoys me, how in recent years they classified apple juice as a "sugary drink" no better than soft drinks. As long as no sugar is added, I will always consider apple juice as a health food. We get excellent product here from Rougemont in Quebec.

Your cider looks even better though. 8-)

[QUOTE=Worth1;746303]When growing up in Missouri I lived in apple country.
The state apple experiment station and orchard was about six miles away.
We ate everything apple including the rare treat apple syrup.
Seems like everyone was making cider.[/QUOTE]


Boy, am I confused, LOL, I thought you said you were raised on a farm in Oklahoma. Wonder who I confused you with??!!


Bower, I so agree, apple juice is good and so is good cider!

[QUOTE=loulac;746289]Just a few tips from my personal experience :
- If you don’t want to get apple vinegar (excellent vinegar by the way) equipment should be perfectly clean and fermenting protected from outside air.
- Pasteurization doesn’t require a lot of equipment., just a thermometer to keep your cider at the right temperature for a precise time on your heater.[/QUOTE]

Currently we are making just the cold pressed juice, which in USA is called cider. Fermented cider is also in the plans, but I have to first read about it before we start experimenting. We have made beer from a home brew kit earlier, so we already have some of the needed equipment.

Sari

We have an annual cider press, in which we make about 300 gallons of cider and also can about 1000 quarts of apple sauce, we're usually done by 1 or 2 in the afternoon. I built the apple grinder for the cider,and the chopper for the sauce, sauce needs big chunks and cider needs mush or finer grind. We put the cider pulp into my air powered grape press ,open a valve and out flows the beautiful juice with no effort. We're going to be doing our cider press in a couple of weeks.

[QUOTE=imp;746307]Boy, am I confused, LOL, I thought you said you were raised on a farm in Oklahoma. Wonder who I confused you with??!!


Bower, I so agree, apple juice is good and so is good cider![/QUOTE]

I was born in Texas moved to southern Missouri the summer before the 2nd grade improved it sold it and we moved to another farm in Oklahoma the summer before I went into the 7th grade.
Moved back to Texas as soon as I could.
Both of these farms we planted lots of fruit trees including apple trees.
Mystery solved.:)

If you have left over pulp from making ciders or even the cores, etc., from saucing, find some one with pigs or chickens and those critters will LOVE that being fed to them.



Poppy, Rob's grandpa, used to give his hunting dogs an apple with their food at times. Windfalls that were not good enough for people also found their way to pigs, chickens and the dogs. Rob said the dogs loved getting whole apples and would obviously enjoy them.



My dogs would all wait for a slice of apple from me, except the Japanese Chins and the Saluki; my Dobermans and the smooth fox terriers ( terrorists!!) loved apple bits.

Eureka.

Here it is where they make the syrup.
[url]https://youtu.be/cGUYyXeraKs?t=1001[/url]

The whole video is well worth watching and every time I do I get hungry. :D
[url]https://youtu.be/cGUYyXeraKs[/url]

I wonder if it would be possible to do the apple syrup in a slow cooker with the lid left off. Spending hours stirring something isn't very appealing!

[QUOTE=Patihum;746458]I wonder if it would be possible to do the apple syrup in a slow cooker with the lid left off. Spending hours stirring something isn't very appealing![/QUOTE]

If you wanted maybe a wee amount no problem but to make it dark you have to get the heat up.
I'm cooking down four gallons of cider as we speak in a 22 quart stainless kettle.
Just stirring occasionally.
Not economical but the reward is what counts because you cant buy it here and I enjoy it.

[QUOTE=Worth1;746462]If you wanted maybe a wee amount no problem but to make it dark you have to get the heat up.
I'm cooking down four gallons of cider as we speak in a 22 quart stainless kettle.
Just stirring occasionally.
Not economical but the reward is what counts because you cant buy it here and I enjoy it.[/QUOTE]


My slow cooker has a high setting that will bring liquid to a boil.

Just to put my money where my mouth is, here is a wee bit over 4 gallons of cider turned into cider syrup.
I must say it came out fantastic.:D
So with 16 quarts to the gallon, on average you will get 2 quarts out of it.
This will depend on the sugar content.
I did not adulterate it with any added sugar it is all natural.
But a person could if they wanted to.


[IMG]http://www.tomatoville.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=90229&d=1569161420[/IMG]

[QUOTE=svalli;746237]Tonight we squeezed apples from a tree on our city yard. I mixed only a little bit of other variety and the juice was not as good as the one yesterday. The apples on the tree were very ripe and we got more juice from them. Mixing multiple varieties together is really better way.

Sari[/QUOTE]


So how did the first batch come out? Love the press.

[QUOTE=imp;747218]So how did the first batch come out? Love the press.[/QUOTE]

It was great and so have been all the batches where we mixed apples. So far we have made 65 liters of pasteurized cider and there is still apples to be pressed.

We have some two year old cider left from when we got it done in a place where they do for a fee. It was also pasteurized, so it should still be OK. I may try to cook it to make the syrup.

Sari

Good apple cider is just so useful and tasty!

Apple Cider is great with pork, as a marinade or liquid added to slow cook it for pulled pork, or you could use it to deglaze a pan you browned or cooked the pork in for a sauce. Also great just for drinking. I don't have any apple trees so i buy my cider, but I bed the cooked down syrup would also be great drizzeled on pork. I like to cut marinated pork loin into 1"-1 1/2" thick medallions and grill them. I bet that syrup would taste great drizzled on those just before eating them. :yes:

I had a wee amount of the syrup left in the bottom of a pint jar.
Yes I have been using it.
I added some water and brown sugar and heated it up.
It is very good and will be using it on grilled chicken.'
I put some of the original syrup on pork schnitzel the other night. :yes:
My best guess would be a pint would make about a gallon or more of this stuff I just dreamed up.

[QUOTE=svalli;747226]It was great and so have been all the batches where we mixed apples. So far we have made 65 liters of pasteurized cider and there is still apples to be pressed.

We have some two year old cider left from when we got it done in a place where they do for a fee. It was also pasteurized, so it should still be OK. I may try to cook it to make the syrup.

Sari[/QUOTE]


Both of my grandmothers used to put by syrups cooked down from various fruit juices, and many other things as well. During what we call the Great Depression here in the USA, many people made their own juices, syrups, and stored foods as they could, salting and smoking, canning, drying, pickling and cold rooms or root cellars.



Give the cider syrup a try, it's been done for ages both here and in many parts of the world.

I heated up the wood burning stove first time this fall and cooked 6 liters of old cider to syrup. I ended op with less than a liter of syrup. The juice was not very sweet, so added a bit raw cane sugar.

Elegant Farmer in Wisconsin sells cider baked ham and an apple syrup glazing for it. It used to be our favorite ham and now I am planning to make my own with that old cider and syrup.

Sari

Looks lovely, Svalli!! Bet it will be great tasting.