This is a Guest Post by the Super Amazing One Hundred Dollars a Month reader Mel {she’s the one who made those AWESOME gift bags, and shared her DIY Lemonade Concentrate Recipe as well as showed us all her big list of freezer meal recipes and freezer meal cooking tips. We think she’s pretty awesome!
Here’s her latest post:
I’m not a super picky eater, but I unfortunately don’t like berries or most other summer fruit (yes, I know—I’ve tried!) As a result, spring and summer are LONG months for me as I wait for apples to come into season, and I go a little crazy when they finally ripen in the fall.
In particular, I love Stayman apples, which have a great sweet/tart balance and store extremely well. In Maryland, Stayman apples ripen in mid-October. So, every October, my husband and I make a pilgrimage to stock up at Larriland Farm.
I watch their Harvest Page to keep tabs on when Stayman apples will be ready, and then we make the trip to load up on enough apples to last us through the fall and into winter.
Larriland is located near where I grew up, so I’ve been going there since I was a child, but I live in a different part of the state now, so it’s an all-day trip for us. We usually pick at least 75 lbs. of apples, which is sufficient for a season of fresh eating, applesauce, scones, pie, etc.
Still, I’m always looking for an excuse to buy more apples. In the past, I’ve been tempted to buy a cider press, but I’ve always talked myself out of it because the ones I saw online seemed impractical.
Most of the presses seemed huge, so I thought they’d be difficult to store. They also all seemed to be made of at least some wood, and I’m not a fan of wood for something too large to fit in the sink or dishwasher.
On top of all that, the press seemed to be only part of the gear necessary to make cider; you apparently also needed a strainer bag and an apple crusher (which can cost up to $900!). But then, I found this press that seemed to check almost all the boxes: it’s small enough for me to store, it’s not made of wood, and it includes the strainer bag.
I still had the issue of how to crush the apples, but the smaller press meant I could probably just crush the apples in our Vitamix before pressing. I waffled on it for a few days, but as our annual trek to Larriland neared, I finally went for it.
After ordering the press, I started hunting for a cider recipe. That’s when I learned that the only ingredient you need to make cider is apples—the brown color is from the apples themselves, not any added spices.
Most of the sites I looked at recommended doing a mix of different types of apples, but I decided to try it with just Stayman apples since they already have a very balanced flavor.
Some people recommended using unblemished apples, but others recommended cider as a use for bruised apples, perhaps just because it takes about 40 lbs. of apples to make 1 gallon of cider.
So, we compromised by choosing 20 lbs. of recently-fallen apples that were perhaps a bit overripe and lightly bruised in order to make a test batch of about half a gallon. This was 20 lbs. on top of our usual haul, so we picked 100 lbs. of apples that day, but we were finally ready for cider.
How to Make Cider
- Grab some apples.
Picking apples is not necessarily the cheapest route here. Bruised apples definitely work, so you might want to check farmers markets or orchards for “seconds” or “culls” instead. Larriland sells bags of “applesauce apples,” so that’s also an option, but I think they were other varieties. You can use just one type or multiple kinds, and you’ll need about 40 lbs. per gallon of cider.
- Set up the press.
My press sits inside a plastic base that can be attached to a piece of plywood and then clamped to the counter. (The plywood and clamp were the only items not included, so my husband attached the press base to a piece of MDF and clamped that to the counter. This ended up working okay, but I think we’ll do plywood next time for better stability.)
Once clamped, fit the strainer bag in the press and make sure the hose is angled into something large enough to catch the cider. In order to get the height right, we had to set a pasta pot on a step stool, so we don’t have great pictures of this step.
- Prep the apples.
Wash and dry the apples. You can run them through an apple crusher if you have one, but I just cut ours into eighths and pulsed them in the Vitamix in batches to shred them.
Strictly speaking, you do not have to core the apples, but we were planning to feed the pulp to our chickens after pressing, and I’ve read mixed things about whether or not apple seeds are okay for chickens. Since our chickens have enough issues (7 months old and no eggs!), I decided to play it safe for their sakes and remove the seeds.
- Load the shredded apples into the strainer bag.
We loaded only half the apples at a time because it didn’t seem like we could fit them all. If you were pressing a whole gallon with this press, you might need to do it in four batches of pulp. Still, you could already see cider running out of the apples.
- Insert the press plate and turn.
The cider will run into your carefully placed pasta pot as you turn the handle on the press plate.
I could only turn the plate to a certain point before my husband had to take over since I was a little too short to get enough leverage, so you might want to choose a lower surface than a counter if you are also short. We also found that removing the plate and stirring the apples after the first press allowed us to extract more cider. When no more cider runs out, remove the apple pulp and repeat with remaining pulp.
- Pasteurize (Well, heat.).
I don’t know for sure whether or not this is necessary, but I again decided to play it safe. I also don’t know precisely what temperature is required to make cider safe, and I don’t think true pasteurization can’t really be done at home, but I went with the most conservative instructions I could find and boiled for 30 seconds before cooling and tasting. It was just slightly tart for my taste, so I added 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar, which was just enough to take the edge off the tartness without making it really sweet.
- Serve!
I poured the warm cider into cups with cinnamon sticks, and it was hands-down the best cider we’d ever had! And our slacker chickens loved the leftover pulp.
Ways to Use Cider (Aside from Drinking It):
- Apple Cider Doughnuts (I don’t have a go-to recipe for this yet, but I’m considering trying this one next)
- Butternut Squash with Cider (from Mavis!)
- Apple Pie Filling (I like to add a couple tablespoons of cider to the apples along with sugar and spices. After the apples macerate, I pour off the liquid into a saucepan, and heat to reduce it slightly. I toss the apples with some flour and then add the cooled reduction back before baking.)
New England Apple Cider Cake (I haven’t tried this yet, but doesn’t it look good?!)
~Mel
Katy says
I wonder what other uses you could have for the leftover apple pulp. Perhaps add it to some meals? I’m thinking it could be added to granola bars or something. Feeding it to chickens is great, but 1) I don’t have chickens and 2) I would rather eat it myself. Throwing it out would not be an option 🙂
Mel says
That’s a great question! It may depend on what shape the apples were in to start–cider may have emerged as a way to use up really bruised apples that aren’t suitable for much else. That said, I’ve read that some people use the pulp to make apple jelly, but I haven’t tried. I bet it would work in recipes that call for grated apple, but the moisture content is different, so that may affect the recipe ratios and cook time. We sometimes make apple oatmeal breakfast bars that call for grated apple and applesauce, so increasing the applesauce would potentially correct the moisture part. Since it’s dryer than regular grated apple from pressing, I’d actually be tempted to try it in place of grated carrot in recipes (like in carrot cake) or in places where regular grated apple would be too wet (like in cookies).
Becky says
You can make apple cider vinegar with the pulp.
Jen says
I made apple cider recently. After getting minimal good ideas on what to do with the pump beyond vinegar and feeding chickens, I went rogue. Haha. I dumped the pulp in a pot, added a bunch of water, cooked it, strained out the pulp (tedious) , then boiled the watery cider until it was a very thick syrup. Like very thick. It’s amazing!
Lynne says
This was very informative Mel – and much better than most professional reviews, in my opinion. Thank you.
Mel says
I’m glad you liked it! We had a blast making it.
Pam says
I will never complained about the price of apple cider…40 pounds for one gallon of cider? WOW
Dont I remember that it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gal of syrup…interesting!!
Mel says
It’s crazy, isn’t it? My hunch is that commercial operations are a bit more efficient and can wring every bit of moisture from the pulp, but it’s still a lot. I would think the price would be a bit lower simply because I think they often use apples that would otherwise go to waste, but the sheer volume would still require a good deal of prep and handling.
dj_1973 says
I prefer unpasteurized cider – pasteurization takes away a lot of flavor. You can sometimes get it at smaller apple orchards – or if you do it yourself.
Mel says
You can skip that step (our apples were washed, so it would have been the same as slicing and eating), but it still tasted far better than any store-bought cider we’d ever had, so I don’t think heating it really made a difference. Commercial pasteurization probably impacts flavor more though.
Nancy D says
Dear Amazing Mel-
I always love reading your comments and posts…then I take a nap. This is another wonderfully written post! Thanks so much for all the info. You can make apple butter from the leftover apple cider scraps. Easy and great smelling in a crock pot while it cooks down. Regarding your chickens: I’ve had the same issue and chickens who mature later in the year can have the issue of cold and light reduction and might not lay until the following spring. I’ve had several batches of later in the year chicks do that. Here’s a link: https://www.mypetchicken.com/backyard-chickens/chicken-help/When-do-chickens-start-laying-eggs-H41.aspx
Mel says
Thanks! I love reading everyone’s ideas here as well.
Good to know about apple butter! I usually use either Ginger Gold or Granny Smith for that, but it’s a good option. The only hangup for me might be the peel–I think I’d have to run it through the food mill.
And yes, I know they’ll lay come spring. This is apparently also a breed with a reputation for being late bloomers (French Black Copper Marans). We just had a number of issues with the hatchery (ordered 4 chicks and got 24), so we’re extra eager for any possible return on that investment. We re-homed 14 of them already and are still hoping to unload a few more. They’re also very picky eaters, so it was nice to find they liked apple pulp!
Diane says
This sounds delicious but 40 lbs. apples for 1 gallon cider is pretty expensive cider. I bought a bunch of marked down apples and intend to try the Homemade Apple Cider recipe on Allrecipes. Some reviews said they got about 2 liters of cider and it only used 10 apples. Probably not as concentrated taste as this, but it got good reviews. Plus, use pulp for apple butter!!
Mel says
I know! I picked apples just because I was curious how this particular variety would taste, but I think it’s a good project for leftover or damaged apples. I’ve actually gotten free apples from our local farmers’ market before, so I may do that next time.
Linda Practical Parsimony says
I went to an old-fashioned farm for a demonstration of old skills with old tools. There was a man making fresh apple juice with a press. It was delicious. I love apples, fresh or cooked, but not apple cider or apple juice. The press was huge, way too big to get into most kitchens.
Read “After Apple Picking by Robert Frost. See what the author says apple that hit the ground are good for.
Mel says
I’ve read that poem before! I honestly can’t relate to someone who has “had too much of apple picking” though. My husband has to go with me to cut me off when we go apple picking 🙂
Amy in Oregon says
My family gets together every year for a cider party … we find as many apples as we can get our hands on and we get busy. We actually own a $800 apple grinder and it is worth it, because we made 40 gallons of fresh cider in 5 hours!!!
Mel says
Yes, I would totally invest in the nicer grinder if we had a way to store that much cider. What an awesome tradition! The Washington Post had a story recently about the apple butter parties in Appalachia—also super cool.
DebbieB says
While I probably won’t be making apple cider, though I do love it, I think next year I will be taking a drive out to Larriland Farm. I live in Northwest Baltimore County so it’s not far and I don’t know why I’ve never been there. Can’t wait to get some summer fruit and fall apples.
Mel says
We love it! I hope you do as well. We went three times this year: once for strawberries, once for peaches, and once for apples. It’s always a blast. They have a nice farm market in the red barn if you don’t feel like picking.
Barbara Gantt says
we bought the large wooden press with a motor in 2013, We get a 4 X 6 trailer of drops each fall, about $40. We oress cuder for several days. You can freeze or can. To pasturize, you bring it to 160 degrees for 15 seconds. To can, it is only in the water bath for 5 minutes. A mix of apples will mean that you dont have teo add any sweetner. The leftover pulp can be soaked overnight in water, then run through the press again. In early times, the result was called ciderkin. It was used as a mild drink for children. This fall, I have canned 9- quarts and we gave a lot away to friends that came to help.
Mel says
That’s interesting about reusing the pulp! We added a bit of sugar to drink it warm, but it didn’t need it cold–something about the heat seemed to make it a little more tart, but cooled it was perfect. It might have been the cinnamon sticks now that I think about it.
I read so many conflicting thoughts on pasteurization—I think the FDA site said 160 for 6 seconds. The most conservative said to boil, but it didn’t seem to negatively affect it to heat it that high. I wonder if reprocessing (soaking used pulp and re-pressing) impacts the heat and time needed since it sits out.
Tracy says
She had me at “slacker chickens”. By the way, unpasteurized cider is the reason to press your own. A zillions times more flavorful!
Mel says
Yes, you can totally skip the pasteurizing step—I just didn’t find it made a difference to the flavor. We mostly drink it warm anyway.
Do you also have slacker chickens? They’re something else.
Crystal says
I feel like the two best uses for fresh apple cider were left off the list. Hard apple cider, and apple cider vinegar.
Mel says
Both great ideas! I just don’t do much fermentation, so I tend toward the baking/cooking options.
Carolyn says
I seem to recall a post many years ago about making apple cider vinegar from apple peels. It was really simple and didn’t require anything other than apple peels, clean jar and maybe water. I had a tree at the time and made several jars of the stuff. It probably would be a decent use for the leftover pulp from the cider press.
Kristin Stonham says
What a great post! My family bought a house this year with two mature eating apple trees, so after giving it a go with them at a local cider pressing event, we ended up buying our own grinder and press. The boys drink about a gallon of it a week, so I’m stocking away some gallons in the deep freeze (that also came with the house) to take out and thaw for a nice treat when we’re in the far end of the year from fresh homegrown apples. Plus apple pies, apple cake, applesauce…. The leftover pulp has been going in the compost heap. Maybe next year we’ll have chickens to feed it to as well. Thank you for the tip about stirring the pulp and then pressing it again. I’ll have to try that.