A group of weavers gathered to make cider yesterday. 3 varieties of apples (Freedom, Ida and one variety I can't remember) turned into the best cider I've ever tasted! Quite the backyard cider-making success!
According to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, the difference between apple juice and apple cider is that juice is filtered to remove more of the solids and sediment. (We filtered our cider by straining it through cheesecloth 3 times).
I was surprised that the cider was brown as soon as it drained from the cider press into the bucket. I thought it might need to be exposed to air for some time. Here's an explanation as to why, although this writeup makes it sound like the cider should have been golden to start with. Ours looked brown immediately.
Maybe I'll go have a glass right now!
6 comments:
You lucky person, nothing tastes like fresh squeezed cider. Think you'll be making any apple jack soon? ;-)
My mother had a Vermont bootlegger in the family and apple jack was the libation of choice. Wonder if she knows how to make it? I'll have to ask.
Western apples are no where near as good as New England apples, but pears, we got the northeast beat with pears.
What a fun chore to share with others! Looks like a great day-cheers!
Wow - I've never had fresh cider. I bet it was wonderful. And how rewarding that you all made it!
Well, the cider is gone now. So fantastically good....so no apple jack for us. There are a couple of farms that also sell unpasteurized cider, so I guess it's still technically possible.
Theresa....you know you want to move back here, right??? (OK - I just know it would be more fun for me that way!!)
Delighted Hands - Definitely a good chore to share with others....but then we had to share the cider too.
Jennifer - I sometimes take for granted that apple orchards are all over the place here - so I figure they must be everywhere. But maybe not. Our rocky soil and tough winters have to be good for something!
Sue
That's fantastic! It's years ago I tasted fresh cider the last time. I grew up in Switzerland, and there all the farmers made it in fall, and it's always brown/grey. They make also a slightly fermented variety called sour cider. The leftovers are also fermented and then distilled to get "Träsch", a local spirit.
This looks like so much fun! I would love to have a cider press. And the apple trees to go with it. :)
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