Homemade Apple Cider

According to the calendar, Friday, September 23rd marks the date in which it is officially fall and I couldn't be happier. It's currently apple, squash and pumpkin season. Hee-haw! I just happened to go to my grandmother's house in North Dakota this past weekend, and her apple tree was ready to be picked. My 92 year old grandmother has officially grown the largest apples I've ever seen come out of someones backyard. Exhibit A:

That apple she is holding tasted delicious and apparently the bees thought so as well. Granny has two amazing apple trees in her backyard and one of them was swarmed with bees. I guess I was surprised because I had no idea they attacked apple trees, silly me.  Needless to say, I took my apples from the bee-less tree. It's funny that she has two trees filled with perfect apples because for as long as I can remember my mother has been trying to grow an apple tree that will produce more than four apples. I bet you that woman has been praying on apples in her yard for at least 15 years and every time she gets one that sort of looks edible a deer eats it or it falls to the ground for the birds. Poor, Ma. Looks like she'll just have to keep picking up apples off the ground at Grandma's like the rest of us.

This recipe is surprisingly easy to put together and almost worth it just for the smell. Your entire house/apartment will smell amazing and your living space will most likely become quite toasty because your stove top will be on for 3 hours. This hot cider is delicious and actually not too bad cold either. It's just a little thicker than I thought it would be but it didn't bother me at all. I hope you get a chance to check it out. Here's the recipe, enjoy!

Old Fashioned Apple Cider

Ingredients

12-15 small-medium apples, any type

1 small orange

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 granulated sugar

3-4 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon whole cloves

water to cover

Directions

1. Wash and roughly chop apples and orange-do not worry about removing peels, seeds, or stems. Toss into a large stock pot.
2. Add both sugars
3. Wrap your cinnamon, cloves and allspice in a doubled up cheese cloth and tie, and add this to the apples and cover with water.


4. Bring to a boil and boil uncovered for at least an hour.
5. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Allow juice to simmer for at least two hours.
6. Uncover and use a potato masher to roughly mash content of pot. To further reduce: continue simmering until cider is dark and tastes sweet and spicy.
7. When cider is ready allow to cool then remove your spices/cheesecloth and strain apple pieces  into a clean pitcher or pot. If you feel like it you can strain everything through a cheesecloth and twist and squeeze to get every last drop.
8. Serve hot. Store in the fridge and reheat as desired. Produces about a 1/2 gallon.

Pin It