The time-honored tradition of apple cider-making is one of the season's most joyful activities. If you'll try your hand at homemade cider this year, plan ahead a few weeks to prepare your apples properly for a cider press that yields that just-right blend of sweet and tangy that makes pressed cider such a treat.
Instructions
1. Choose a good mix of apple types for a well-balanced flavor and texture. About half of your crop should be sweeter, low-acid fruit, such as Rome Beauty and the Delicious sisters, Golden and Red. The rest can be a mix of tarts and aromatics, such as Winesap, Cortland, McIntosh and Cox's Orange Pippin to provide a great fragrance and a little pucker.
2. Examine each apple for ripeness. Set aside only the fully ripened apples for the cider hopper. Others should be stored for eating or processing into sauce or apple butter.
3. Store the cider apples in a wooden crate in a cool, dry location that is free from invading odors, such as gasoline or onions, that could permeate the apples and spoil your cider. Be sure the crate is out of the reach of wild animals or household pets. Cover the crate loosely with brown paper from a shopping bag.
4. Inspect the apples after three or four days by squeezing them for evidence of softening or sweating. Apples are ready to wash when they feel slightly soft during a hard squeeze. This could take up to a few weeks. Be patient.
5. Fill a large tub with cold, clean water. Dump the cider-ready apples into the tub. Slosh them around and dunk them underwater with your hands in order to do an initial cleaning.
6. Spray the tub full of apples with a hose. Keep the pressure nozzle set to high. Empty the tub carefully, inspecting the apples for cleanliness as the water drains away. Place prepared apples, complete with skins and stems, into a food processor or the hopper of a grinder for pressing and juice extraction.
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