Making Apple Juice and Cider

First posted on 10-15-2007

Homemade apple juice or cider is a great way to make use of small apples or apples with small blemishes according to Tammy Roberts, nutrition and health education specialist with University of Missouri Extension.

A bushel of firm (but ripe apples) are needed to make three gallons of apple juice. Under-ripe apples make a flat-tasting juice.

“Your juice can be made with one variety of apple or an assortment of varieties. If you want to make cider, it is best to use a blend of sweet, tart, and aromatic apples,” said Roberts.

THINGS NEEDED

Before starting be sure to have a clean muslin bag or jelly bag accessible for extracting the juice.

Wash the bottles (for the juice) in warm, soapy water and then rinse thoroughly. Bottles and equipment should also be sterilized.

To sterilize equipment, place it in a solution of one tablespoon of household bleach per one gallon of warm water and let soak for one minute.

MAKING JUICE

To begin, wash, core and cut the apples into six or eight pieces. Cut away all blemishes and discard apples that appear brown, decayed or moldy.

“Getting rid of blemishes is especially important if you are making cider. Those spoiled areas can cause the juice to ferment too quickly ruining the cider,” said Roberts.

Apples then need to be processed through a food chopper, blender or food processor. The pulp then goes into the clean muslin jelly bag or other muslin bag so the juice can be squeezed out.

MAKING CIDER

To make cider, let the fresh apple juice sit in loosely capped bottles for three or four days at 72 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fill the bottles to just below the rim. Do not cap them tightly because pressure can build up in the bottle and break it. A cotton plug works well because it will pop out if there is too much pressure from the fermentation process.

“When sediment starts settling on the bottom—and fermentation bubbles rise to the top-- it is time to stop the fermentation process,” said Roberts.

The only thing left to do then is to separate the clear juice from the sediment.

To do that, put a three foot long clear plastic tube into the bottle of cider. Suck at the other end with your mouth until you feel liquid in your mouth. Squeeze the end that is in your mouth shut and place that end into an empty clean, sterilized bottle that is placed below the full bottle.

Allow the clear part of the cider to drain into the clean bottle.

GOT TO PASTEURIZE

“Neither cider nor apple juice is ready to drink until it has been pasteurized. Pasteurization is critical to assure the safety of drinking the product,” said Roberts.

To pasteurize, heat the apple juice or apple cider to 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

“The cider or juice can then be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. If it will not be consumed in five days, then freeze it so you can utilize it as you need it,” said Roberts.

For more information on nutrition issues, contact any of the University of Missouri Extension offices in southwest Missouri, go online to http://extension.missouri.edu or contact one of the two nutrition and health education specialists working in the Ozarks: Tammy Roberts, (417) 682-3579 or Terry Egan, (417) 866-3039.