Make Apple Cider or Apple Juice

Apple cider is a lot like apple juice, except that apple cider hasn't been filtered to remove apple pulp or sediment.[1] "Cider" is a term that also refers to several different things; for the purposes of this article, we mean the cider that is non-alcoholic. If you plan ahead and use the right kind of apples, you can even manage to avoid adding extra sugar, making this recipe healthier than other alternatives. The whole process is simple and straightforward, so let's get cooking!

Ingredients

  • 3 - 4 pounds of apples (preferably mixed)
  • Half a lime
  • Spices such as cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, or vanilla bean
  • Sugar (to taste)

Steps

  1. Wash your apples. Be sure to wash your apples, especially if you are using non-organic apples, in order to remove all dirt and pesticides from the fruit you'll be extruding into a delicious juice.
  2. Select a mix of sweet, ripe, and crisp articles for the best cider. If you select your apples right, you may not even need to add any sugar to your cider, as the natural sugar content in the apples will suffice. If you're planning on making a large amount of cider, select a bushel of apples, which is relatively cheap and produces approximately 15 to 20 ounces of juice.[2] Select from among the following kinds of apples for the best results:
    • Red Delicious
    • Gala
    • Rome
    • Fuji
    • Honeycrisp
    • Pink Lady
  3. Cut and core your apples while you set a large pot of water to boil. The process of coring your apples and cutting them into smaller pieces can be made much easier by using an apple segmenter. These segmenters are circular, with handles at the sides, and have blades that bisect the circle at even intervals. Simply fit the segmenter over the middle of the apple, press down, and your apple will be cored and cut into even pieces.
    • Note that you don't need to peel the apple in addition to coring. Apple cider calls for apples with the skins intact, which saves you a lot of grunt work.
  4. Cook your apples in boiling water until the apples are cooked through. Depending on the size of your pot and the amount of apples, this could take anywhere from 10 minutes to less.
  5. Transfer your apples in batches to a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. In order for the food processor or blender to fully break up the apples, you may need to add a small amount of the water left over from boiling. Be careful, however, not to use too much, as this will dilute the final product.
    • If you have a juicer, you may find profitable use for it here instead of using a food processor or blender. The juicer will remove a lot of the pulpy sediment, obviating much of the need to strain. If you do use a juicer, you don't need to strain the liquid, which is covered in the next step.
  6. Strain the liquid from the pulp. There are a number of ways to do this, each involving different amounts of time and effort. Experiment with what works best for you, given time constraints, equipment, and desired levels of involvement.
    • Line a sieve or colander with cheesecloth or an old t-shirt and let gravity separate the juice from the pulp. (Use a bowl or other receptacle to catch the liquid.)
    • Similarly, use a paper coffee filter in a sieve for even clearer liquid.
    • Refrigerate the juice for 48 hours and allow the liquid and pulp to separate. Then, decant the liquid from the pulp by slowly pouring the liquid on the top into a separate container.
  7. Save the rest of the pulp in order to make applesauce. Waste not, want not. Applesauce is easy when you've already done half the work.
  8. On low heat, heat the separated liquid in a pot, add the lime, and mix in spices as desired. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and vanilla bean all work in combination with each other; decide which spices you'd like to use — without going overboard — and add them to the cider in small batches, tasting frequently.
    • At this point, see if the cider needs any additional sugar in order to reach your desired sweetness. If it does, add sugar as needed.
  9. Serve the cider hot, chill it and serve cold, or can it and store for later.

Tips

  • Homemade apple cider will last up to a week if refrigerated but not canned. Canned apple cider will last up to several years if done properly.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/cider_juice_difference.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.pickyourown.org/applecider.htm

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