Apples and Cider

The change of the seasons isn't official to me until I bring home my first bushel of apples from the farmer's market. There is just something so wonderful about freshly picked apples. In the fall we take advantage of the abundance of apples to make applesauce, apple pie and baked apples, but my family's favorite thing to do with the apples is to make our own cider. Often when you buy cider you have no idea which apples were used to make it. Getting to pick your favorite apple varieties and make your own special blends is just one advantage to making your own cider.

Whether you have your own Apple Tree, pick your own Apples at an orchard, or buy your Apples at the Farmer's Market or grocery store you can enjoy freshly made apple cider if you have or know someone who has an Apple Cider press. Smaller fruit presses may work as long as you grind up the apples first in a food processor. The cider you make is great fresh from the press, chilled in the refrigerator, heated with mulling spices or even hardened into a tasty adult-only brew. We usually share our cider with friends so we don't have any to let ferment, but once, a container went missing and, when found in the spring, was a perfect hard cider. However you decide to enjoy your cider you can be assured that it will not last long. Friends of ours had decided to buy or make their own presses once they discovered how great homemade cider really is.