Food For Thought© Apples  

By Arlene Correll

(Apple paintings by Arlene Correll)

Fall is upon us and so is the wonderful season of fresh apples.  Apples are the 2^nd largest crop production in the United States with oranges being the first. 

humans do and we do love apples since the apple tree is the most widely cultivated of all the fruit trees.

This is proved by the world apple production statistics.  In 1997, an amazing 44.7 million metric tons of apples were produced for human consumption. Of those, more than 84% were bought and used commercially (by a company).

In the United States, 4.6 million metric tons of apples were produced in 1997, with a wholesale value of more than $1 billion (U.S.). Of those apples, roughly:

·        50% were enjoyed as fresh fruit.

·        20% were used to make vinegar, cider, wine, juice, jelly, and apple butter.

·        17% were canned as applesauce and pie filling.

·        13% were exported (sold to other countries).

Although people across the United States love apples, apples grow particularly well in the cooler northern states. Washington State is the leading apple-producing state, followed by Michigan, and New York.  A trip to Yakama Valley is worth it.  Even upstate New York.

The leading apple growing country is China, producing about 41% of the world's apples, followed by the United States, Turkey, France, Poland, Italy, the Russian Federation, Germany, Argentina, Japan, and Chile. Even warmer countries like Iraq and Mexico are able to grow apples in their cooler upland regions.

clothes and a tin pot for a hat! Johnny Appleseed is celebrated in American folklore as a symbol of the westward-moving expansion of the European settlers.

The apple is our Canadian neighbor’s most important fruit crop. Canadian growers produced about 506,000 metric tons of apples in 1997, worth about $182 million (Canadian). Our leading apple producing province is Ontario, followed by British Columbia, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. More than 7,000 Canadian farms grow apples on over 30,000 hectares of farmland.

The first trees to produce sweet, flavorful apples similar to those we enjoy today, were located many thousands of years ago near the modern city of Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan.

The Greeks were growing several varieties of apples by the late 300’s BC, and the ancient Romans also grew and loved the fruit. Researchers have even found the charred remains of apples at a Stone Age village in Switzerland.

European settlers brought apple seeds and trees with them to the New World. Records from the Massachusetts Bay Company indicate that apples were being grown in New England as early as 1630. In 1796, in Ontario, Canada, John McIntosh discovered a variety of apple which is today enjoyed by people around the world.

John McIntosh came to Canada with the United Empire Loyalists, a group of people forced to flee the United States during the 1770's because they remained loyal to Britain during the American Revolution.

McIntosh spent time on the frontier before settling in Dundas County, Ontario, Canada, in 1790. The town where he settled was later called McIntosh's Corners, and is now called Dundela.

While clearing some land in 1796, McIntosh discovered about 20 young apple trees. He transplanted the trees to a place near his home, but by 1830, only one tree was still alive. McIntosh combined his own name with the color of the fruit, and called the tree the "McIntosh Red".

From the time the tree was first transplanted it produced an abundance of tasty apples. In 1893, the McIntosh house caught fire and the tree, located just 15 feet from the house, was badly burned along one side. However, the healthy side continued to produce apples until 1908.

Fortunately, as early as 1836, McIntosh's son Allan began grafting parts of the tree so that it could be grown in other places by other farmers.

Two monuments stand at Dundela commemorating McIntosh and his wonderful apple.

Apples have also appeared in legends in our past. In the Bible, Adam and Eve are tempted by apples in the Garden of Eden, and in the Swiss story of William Tell, an archer is arrested and then promised his freedom if he can shoot an apple off his son’s head with an arrow.

Apple trees grow in the temperate regions of the world (areas that don't get too hot or too cold), generally in the latitudes between 30° to 60° north and south. Apple trees are best adapted to places where the average winter temperature is near freezing for at least two months, though many varieties can withstand winter temperatures as low as -40°C (-40°F).

Apple trees are deciduous, which means their leaves fall off at the end of the growing season.

Apple trees belong to the Rosaceae (rose) family, and in the spring you can see the beautiful white flowers on an apple tree looking like tiny roses. Taxonomists (scientists that name and classify living things) have called the cultivated species of apple tree Malus domestica, and the wild species Malus pumila.

Apples come in thousands of varieties, sizes, textures, and tastes.

The color of the outside of an apple may be green, yellow, or various shades of red. Some yellow apples have weird brown spots all over them, while some red apples, like the Jonathan, have even weirder white spots! Apple colors also differ on the inside, where the flesh may be yellow, white, or cream-colored. It's also interesting that apples will

turn brown if you cut them open and leave them out for a couple of hours. 

Each variety of apple has a slightly different flavor, from sweet, to tart, to bitter, to—what each of us consider is just right!

Textures also vary amongst apple varieties, from soft and mushy, to firm and crunchy.

Because there are so many different varieties of apple, each with slightly different qualities than the next, producers grow different types of apples for different purposes. Some apples, like the Empire, are sweet and wonderful when eaten fresh (in fact, of all the cultivated apples grown, over half are eaten fresh). Other apple varieties are better suited for cooking or further processing. The Rome Beauty, for example, is often used for baking and not eaten fresh because it has a firm, acidic flesh, and tough, smooth skin.

Apple trees are deciduous, which means their leaves fall off at the end of the growing season and what looks lovelier than seeing the apple blossoms in the Spring.

Apple trees belong to the Rosaceae (rose) family, and in the spring you can see the beautiful white flowers on an apple tree looking like tiny roses. Taxonomists (scientists that name and classify living things) have called the cultivated species of apple tree Malus domestica, and the wild species Malus pumila.

composed of yummy apples!  Believe it or not, 1 medium-sized apple contains no fat, cholesterol, or sodium (salt). It also gives you more fiber than a serving of oatmeal.  The seeds have a bit of deadly hydrogen cyanide in them. 

Surveys have shown that survey also found that 100 percent apple juice is the fruit juice most often recommended as the first juice for infants.  Parents are good about this with babies, but somewhere along the way the researchers found the following: “Research from the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences adds strong evidence to an ongoing debate about consumption of 100% fruit juice and finds that fruit juice consumption is not linked with problems related to overweight and growth problems in children.

After analyzing beverage consumption of more than 10,000 children from various age groups, the researchers found that while most children are within guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatrics for juice intake, children's consumption of less nutritious beverages surpasses their intake of 100 percent juice as early as age 5.

"Consuming 100 percent fruit juice has been positively associated with children achieving recommended nutrient intakes," said Miami-based registered dietitian and ADA spokesperson Sheah Rarback. The research also identifies that at around age 7, children's consumption of 100 percent real juice flat-lines and is replaced with beverages that have significantly less or no nutritional value.”

Apple products have a nutrient/calorie ratio superior to many of the alternative snacks being consumed by children. One serving of apple juice (4-6 ounces) or unsweetened applesauce (1/2 cup) serves as a fruit exchange, according to the meal planning guidelines published jointly by the American Dietetic Association and American Diabetes Association. Similarly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Guide Pyramid states that 100% juice can be substituted for other fruits.

Well, parents, apples and 100% apple juice will keep your children well from cradle to grave, so why not put apples and 100% apple juice back into their children’s diets?  It’s cheaper than soda and healthier for them.  In the fall, we can usually find fresh apple cider most anywhere.  A fun day is to take the whole family out to a “U pick” apple orchard and most times you will find each place has a cooler that looks like this.  Sliced apples and

peanut butter are a great kid’s snack and we continue to eat that to this day at the ripe old age of 70.   

As a child, I can remember parties where a large galvanized iron tub was filled with water and apples, which had a dime, penny, or quarter stuck into them, would bob around this big tub of water.  We children would get down on our hands and knees and “bob for apples” trying to catch one with our teeth.  No stems were allowed on the apples. Most times one had to put one’s head into the water and push the apple clear to the bottom to gain purchase with one’s teeth.  I can remember even doing this game at my 16 year old surprise birthday party given for me by my school chums.

Due to the diverse variety of apples, harvesting occurs at different times throughout the year. Most apples in the U.S., however, are harvested in the fall (between August and October).

Before harvesting occurs, apples must be tested for "maturity" to determine if they're ready to be picked. This process allows consumers to receive fresh apples of the highest quality and for processors to select only the ripest apples for apple juice and applesauce. Apples that are harvested too early may taste sour or starchy, and apples harvested too late may be soft.

Once the apples are confirmed to be "mature," they are picked (mostly by hand, although some mechanical methods have been developed). The apples are then placed in canvas bags or lined buckets inside of large bins. These apple-filled bins are picked up by a forklift, loaded onto a truck and transported to a central loading area - where apples that are bruised, cut or have insect or disease problems are immediately removed. The remaining apples are stored immediately to ensure maximum storage life.

The apples are now ready for the trip to your local grocery store or to be used in everyone's favorites: APPLE JUICE and APPLESAUCE.

Just like apples that are delivered fresh to your local grocery store, apples that are processed to make apple juice, applesauce and other apple products are picked at their optimum maturity. Only high quality, ripe apples will do! Apples that are an "off" shape or appear to have "skin blemishes" may not be ideal for the produce department - but they are perfectly suitable for processing.

Before raw apples are processed into apple juice, cider or sauce, they undergo extensive washing procedures designed to remove external surface dirt and topical agrichemical residues. Once the apples are cleaned and processed into apple juice or applesauce, they then are subject to analysis using sophisticated, government-approved testing methods that can monitor for even trace amounts of pesticide residues (or other agrichemicals). Apple processors always employ strict testing procedures, both in-house and through independent testing laboratories, to ensure the highest quality, purity and safety of their products. Even though apples undergo vigorous cleaning processes, it is possible that some residues may remain after processing. However, the amounts are so small as to be considered insignificant by strict government standards.

Every time I see apples in the store or at a fruit stand, I make it an issue to try a variety that I have never had before.  I love crisp, juicy, apples, especially ones that are tart, while Carl’s favorites a golden delicious, Rome apples or any others that are less juicy and sweeter.

There are some many varieties of apples in the world today and coming from so many places that it is often possible to have them fresh all year long.  One just has to read the label on the apple to tell what country it is from.  Other countries do not have the strict pesticide rules that we have here in the United States. With that in mind, I peel every apple I eat.  I do not know whether or not that helps, but it makes me feel better.

1920s, but the apple wasn't named and introduced until the1960s.

lunchbox size. In taste tests Gala easily outscores McIntosh and is considered sprightlier than Golden Delicious. Tom Vorbeck of Applesource says that a typical first comment of people biting into one is "Best apple I ever had in my life." When cooked, Gala strikes some people as bland, but it can be dried with good results. Gala is also used in cider blends.

Fruits imported from New Zealand first appear in stores from August and on into October; your refrigerator will stretch the life of the apples another three or four months.

France, Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium - Jonagold may become Europe's number one apple - as well as in Japan. But the home crowd resists it, preferring the familiar red, sweet, tame Red Delicious. It has been said that Americans eat apples with their eyes, and Jonagold is a case in point.

Nevertheless, this variety is the leading apple west of the Cascades in Washington State, and in British Columbia Jonagold challenges McIntosh as the number one variety.

With its aroma of Golden Delicious and the sprightliness of Jonathan, Jonagold is an excellent sweet-tart dessert apple. The texture of the creamy yellow flesh is noticeably crisp and juicy. In a poll of nineteen apple experts in nine countries, Jonagold scored as the overall favorite. The fruit makes fair sauce and a good pie.

Harvest varies from mid-September to late October. The apples keep well unless picked late in their two-week harvest period.

I have yet to try a Criterion.  Criterion was discovered as a chance seedling near Parker, Washington. The variety's genetic mix includes Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious, and Winter Banana. It was introduced in 1973.

areas where local climate or soil conditions are not favorable.

Winesap is thought to have come from New Jersey. By 1817 it was recorded as an important cider apple in that state. Its popularity spread, and Winesap remained a major late-season apple until the mid-1900s, when controlled atmosphere storage made it possible to offer many varieties in its season. But Winesap continues to be widely grown, in spite of its relatively small size and competition from a milder offspring, Stayman.

Apples are ready for harvest between late September and early November and remain enjoyable for months. In blossom a row of Winesaps will glow pinker than most.

Here again is one of Carl's favorite apples, the Rome. Known also as simply Rome, this variety has a history that goes back to a fortuitous oversight. In the 1820s a tree planted along the northern bank of the Ohio River happened to send up a shoot from below the graft--from the part of the tree that is not supposed to bear fruit. Orchardists lop these unwanted shoots as routinely as they get haircuts. But this branch survived to bear splendidly colored fruit, and people began taking slips from it. The regionally famous tree was named for Rome Township, Ohio.

Sometime before the Civil War the waters rose up and washed the tree downriver. But by then Rome was well established. It continued to be grown more widely than many better-tasting varieties because of its size, conventionally handsome looks, and long shelf life.

Rome is a thick-skinned fruit that makes good eating but finds better use as a baker and in cider. The flesh, once you bite through to it, is crisp, firm, greenish white, and mildly tart.

Harvest is from late September into November. Beware of Romes that have become mealy and flavorless from storage.

Jonathan can vary in flavor from mild to tart, 

Jonathan ripens from mid-September through mid-October. The fruit does not keep particularly well.  

Another favorite of mine is the Granny Smith.  Granny Smith introduced American supermarket shoppers to the green apple. For a culture that had become unfamiliar with apples of that color, it came as a surprise that green does not necessarily mean unripe. Tart, Granny tends to be, but not sour and starchy.

from a pile of apples tossed out by a southeast Australian named Mrs. Smith, back in 1868. This variety has succeeded commercially where other greens have not, for a few reasons. It is large. It is mild-flavored and has a good balance of tart and sweet. It is nearly as resilient as a tennis ball and holds up well in shipping. And Granny Smith will tolerate a half year of cold storage.

Brands of Granny applesauce and Granny apple juice are widely marketed. The apple can be baked as well. But eaten fresh, Granny is not an apple people tend to take to their hearts and name as their lifelong favorite. It's two-dimensional, lacking the hard-to-name qualities that make a fruit memorable.

The apples are harvested in October. As you sort through the piles of green fruits, keep in mind that paler Grannys, with a warmish cast, tend to be sweetest.

As I said, Carl loves the Golden Delicious apple.  Golden Delicious is not related to the red variety of that name, although both were christened by Stark Brothers. This is a very easy apple to like. The skin is thin; the flesh, firm and crisp and juicy. Flavor and aroma are unmistakable, without being particularly assertive. Even the shape is somehow agreeable: large, tall, and conical, Golden Delicious strikes some cooks as too timid for the kitchen, but it can be used for pies and sauce with little or no sugar. Its distinctive aroma carries over into cider.

Golden Delicious began as a chance seedling, perhaps of Grimes Golden, on a farmer's hillside near Bomont, West Virginia. In 1914 Stark bought the tree for five thousand dollars, and protected its investment with a tall cage, complete with burglar alarm.

who drop more of them in their shopping carts than any other apple.

Red Delicious is a marketer's ideal: as intensely red as the apple in Snow White, instantly recognizable, tall and wasp-waisted, and gorgeous even after the insides have gone to mush. And big. Riding on those qualities, the variety has pushed regional favorites aside.

There is nothing imperialistic in this apple's genes, of course. It simply has been the lead player in our evolving notion of what an apple should be. The rise of Red Delicious has been called the victory of style over substance. Still, Big Red has its defenders, who point out that the original variety was a damned good apple. The skin is thick and bitter and has to be chewed vigorously. At its best the yellow flesh can be juicy, somewhat tart, and highly aromatic. This apple ranks close to the bottom when cooked.

Harvest is in September, but the apples are sold year-round, so shop with skepticism. Delicious retains its cheerful good looks long after the flavor has departed.

McIntosh is the best-selling apple in the northeastern United States and in Canada. Unlike Red Delicious, the number one North American variety, it isn't the subject of snide remarks by apple aficionados.

between Fameuse and Detroit Red. The variety was introduced in 1870 and went on to much fame and much crossbreeding. McIntosh has lent its good genes to several well-known varieties, including Cortland, Empire, Macoun, and Spartan.

The original tree was badly scorched when a fire burned down the McIntosh farmhouse in 1894. But the old Mac limped on, yielding its last crop in 1908. It fell over two years later, and a stone memorial now marks the site.

The apple, in case you haven't visited your supermarket's produce section lately, has white, tender, crisp flesh that's spice, highly aromatic, and full of juice. The characteristic flavor carries over into sauce, but in the slices lose their shape. Macs are the principal cider apple in the Northeast.

Harvest is in September. Beware of McIntosh as winter wears on; the apples turn mealy if stored too long.

Newtown Pippin has been called the classic American apple. It holds the honor as the oldest commercially grown native variety in the United States. And it has a place in our lore, as the apple of George Washington's eye. Grafts found their way to Monticello, where Thomas Jefferson was eager to have the best and latest varieties.

Before Granny Smith invaded North America, Newtown was the best-appreciated green dessert apple. It continues to be enjoyed for a complexity that Granny lacks. Uncut, the apple may exhale a tangerine scent. The pale yellow flesh is crisp and tender, sweet on the tongue, and balanced by enough tartness. Some people detect a clean, pinelike quality. One minor drawback is that slices brown rapidly. Newtown makes a thick sauce, excellent pies with body, and a particularly clear cider.

Apples are ready to be picked in October, when they have warmed to a pale greenish yellow. They continue to get sweeter and richer in flavor for the next five months.

both sides of the German-Danish border. So you may find the apple referred to as Russian, Italian, German, or Danish. Whatever its itinerary, the variety arrived in the United States in the late 1700s and continues to be grown commercially in California.

Gravenstein is thin-skinned and juicy, with sweetness and enough acid to make it interesting. It is an outstanding summer apple and an orchard antique deserving of its renewed interest. The Gravenstein personality carries through when cooking in pies and sauce and is noticeable in an all-Gravenstein cider.

The fruit is picked in late July and August. Be wary of Gravensteins still on the market in fall; their quality doesn't hold up in storage, and fruits may have become soft and mealy.

There are so many varieties of apples, that they could not be put here. I know of over 100 of them.  

dining rooms. There are so many even regulars get confused. The ground floor bar is the most interesting. This small room is very dark, with black timber paneled ceiling and walls. There's an open fire beneath a high mantle and above that the portrait of a waiter who started at the Cheese in 1829.
On a high shelf behind the bar are the leather- bound visitor’s books. They contain the signatures of prime ministers, ambassadors and peers.  Other patrons include Thackeray, Boswell, Dickens and Dr. Samuel Johnson, whose house is just around the corner.

Monastery once occupied this site. The vaulted cellars are thought to belong to that building.  

Real cider is essentially the fermented juice of the apple with nothing added and nothing taken away. At the moment the majority of the cider sold in the UK is mostly made from imported apple concentrate, is full of artificial colorings, sweeteners, and preservatives, is filtered, is pasteurized to render it inert and is kept and served under carbon dioxide pressure. Don't assume that if it is served through a hand pump that it is real cider.

Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) set up a sub-group, the Apple and Pear Produce Liaison Executive (APPLE). APPLE publishes the Good Cider Guide which lists pubs in Britain where real cider and perry are available. APPLE have defined two categories of real cider (and perry), anything which does not fall within these categories is not considered to be real cider (or perry*). * A light and fruity sparkling alcoholic drink similar to cider but made with pears rather than apples. Waitrose Vintage English Perry (500ml) is made in rural Herefordshire from specially selected English Perry pears, grown in this region since Norman times. It is fermented and matured in old oak vats, where it develops its special strength and unique flavor.

Category A

A definition agreed by APPLE to denote the very best of cider and perry, with nothing added or taken away.

Category A

A definition agreed by APPLE to denote the very best of cider and perry, with nothing added or taken away.

Category A - must:

·        not be pasteurized before or after fermentation

·        not be filtered

·        not receive enzyme treatment

·        not contain preservatives or coloring

·        not have the natural yeast replaced by a cultured yeast

·        not have a nitrogen source added unless essential to start fermentation

·        not be diluted

·        only contain sweeteners if labeled Medium or Sweet, and then only if they are shown to be safe and do not affect the taste

·        be produced from only freshly-pressed fruit, and

·        not contain concentrate

·        not contain extraneous carbon dioxide

Category B

Category A covers the majority of cider makers but only a small proportion of the total amount of cider made. A larger number of real ciders differ in some small respect from Category A ciders but are sufficiently authentic to be designated real cider since the taste and character of the cider is unaffected. These are Category B ciders.

Category B - must:

·        not be entirely made from concentrate

·        not contain extraneous carbon dioxide

Scrumpy

Scrumpy is a term often used to describe certain types of cider. It is one of those terms for which everyone has a definition and everyone's definition is different. Originally it was cider made from windfalls (scrumps). For most people it means a rough, cloudy and unsophisticated cider. It is most often applied to young cide ie that which is only a few months old and has yet to undergo the maturation phase (including the malo-lactic fermentation). For other people, including some cider makers, it can mean the finest cider, from selected, better apples, slowly fermented and matured for longer than ordinary ciders.

When is it a cider and when an apple wine? This is a frequently asked question. There is no definitive answer to this. The best that can be said is that first of all apple wine falls outside of the definitions given above. Secondly, apple wine will almost always be made with dessert (sweet) apples. This materially affects the flavor of the finished drink. Cider apples contain high levels of tannins and significant amounts of malic acid. These are not found to significant levels in dessert apples. Therefore a cider has a sharpness (due to malic acid) and a bitterness (due to tannins) which is simply not found in apple wines. Commonly people will refer to the qualities that these components give to the cider as the "bite". This is not apparent in apple wine. The final distinction is the alcohol content. Cider generally has an alcohol content which does not exceed (about) 8 percent by volume. Apple wines can commonly have higher alcohol contents. These wines will inevitably have been fermented using wine yeasts, not natural or ale yeasts, since only wine yeasts are tolerant to the high alcohol levels. The wine yeasts will impart their own flavor profile to the apple wine, moving it further away from a true cider. Note that in some countries the distinctions may be regulated by law on the basis of alcohol content alone.

Apple cider had been popular with the people of Great Britain going back to the time of the Celts. By the time the English had settled in America, the art of cider brewing was very well known to them due to centuries of consumption of apple cider.

During the Colonial Era, hard apple cider was by far the most popular alcoholic beverage in America. There were many reasons for the immense popularity of apple cider at that time.

First of all, apple cider is relatively easy to make. In addition to that, the early English colonists in America brought a great quantity of apple seed with them to plant in the New World resulting in an abundance of apple trees. By as early as 1629 there were already many apple orchards in Virginia and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The reason for all this growing of apple trees was not to eat apples but to drink them in the form of hard cider.

Unlike many other alcoholic beverages, apple cider could be consumed at any time of the day. In fact, John Adams, second president of the United States, drank it regularly at breakfast to soothe his stomach. The fermentation of apple cider killed the bacteria in that drink which made it preferable to drinking well water in that era because water was often contaminated and therefore less healthy than apple cider.

Apple cider continued in its popularity well into the 1800s due in part to the efforts of the legendary Johnny Appleseed who planted many apple trees in the Midwest. As a result, apple cider brewing spread into that area of the country. By mid century, beer was a distant second to apple cider in popularity. However, soon a series of events took place which was to diminish the consumption of apple cider and make beer the most popular alcoholic beverage in America.

One of the factors that caused the gradual demise of hard apple cider is as the settlers moved further west, it became more difficult to grow apple trees in those arid regions. Later, as more people moved from the country to the city, there wasn’t adequate transportation to deliver apple cider from the farms to the urban areas. Meanwhile, German beer with its faster fermentation process was introduced into America. The German immigrants also set up large sophisticated breweries for producing beer in great quantities while apple cider production remained limited to the small farms.

What ultimately led to the demise in the popularity of apple cider consumption was the Temperance movement. Because the Temperance movement was religiously based, many of the church going farmers gave up their drinking of apple cider. Many of them even went so far as to chop down the apple trees on their farms.

When Prohibition finally became the law, this marked the death knell for apple cider. Although beer staged a quick comeback following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, apple cider brewing was effectively destroyed and remained only on a very few family farms for many years to come.

cider is nowhere close to the popularity it enjoyed in the Colonial Era, the consumption of apple cider did double in just one year from 1995 to 1996 with renewed public interest in this brewing process considered to be so much a part of Americana.

As I have said, hard cider was once the drink of choice in early America. Today, sweet cider is enjoyed at harvest time and the hard stuff is making a comeback. The secret to making sweet or hard cider is the blending of apples at pressing time. A balanced blend of sweet and tart apples is needed. Hard or sweet, it's another great activity to enjoy at home.

Unfortunately for the home cider and apple wine maker, the addition of stabilizers to fresh pressed apple cider is becoming common. This is being done to extend the products shelf life. Cider which has been treated in this way will spoil before it ferments. The secret to making a great tasting cider is in the blending of apples prior to pressing. Making hard cider from a single type of apple will result in a bland drink with no real character.

Apple cider mills usually guard their secret recipes well. Basically, you use a blend of at least two apples mixed by weight at a ratio of 2:1. For sweet cider, use 2 parts sweet variety and one part tart. Reversing the mixture will make a dryer cider.

 While the ratio remains the same, you can add more complexity and character by using more verities of apples. Our local supplier uses 6 varieties and that's all he's saying. Making hard cider is very much like making wine. Fresh pressed apple cider is fermented without the addition of any sugars. The starting gravity should be between 1.040 and 1.050. This will produce a dry cider with about 4.5% - 5% abv. The key to success is using fresh pressed cider that has not been treated in any way. Cider purchased at the super market will almost always contain preservatives and will rot before it will ferment. State and local laws require producers to treat apples with anti bacterial sprays prior to pressing and many require that stabilizers be added prior to sale. You must ask your supplier for wine or hard cider grade juice. Arrange to pick up your cider the day you will start to make it. The fresher the better!

Here is a recipe for making hard apple cider.  Secure apple cider without preservative. Most apple cider for hard cider should be a blend of 3 or more varieties.

Fresh cider should be in clean containers. Wooden barrels make the best hard cider as the wood breathes and gives the cider proper aging.

To the cider add 1lb. of sugar per gallon for a dry hard cider (not sweet) or 1 1/2 lbs. for a sweet drink. Honey can be substituted for sugar on a pound per pound basis. Sugar and honey should be dissolved by warming some cider and mixing the sugar and honey until completely dissolved; then mix with the cider.

Natural yeast in the juice will ferment the sugar to alcohol. Yeast need not be added, although it can without any problem. Some fermentation processes call for killing all the yeast in the pure cider with sulfur dioxide, waiting 24 hours and then adding wine yeast. For the homeowner this is not necessary.

Put air lock on container and keep at 60-70F for a couple of months. Lower temperatures take longer for product to change from sugar to alcohol.

After 2 months the juice should be decanted off (siphoned out of the container), the container washed, and the juice put back into the container. Do not use siphon hose closer than 4" from bottom of container as this is where all the sediment is resting.

After decanting, store at 40 - 60°F in a wooden barrel and wait for proper aging -- 6 months to 6 years, depending upon desires.

Once juice is in container, the container cannot be moved as it will put sediment back into solution, and the results is a cloudy product.

Beet, grape, raspberry juice, etc. can be added for color.

Raisins can be added for sugar.

If cider is made in a 50-gallon wooded barrel, and you plan to draw it off over a 6-month period, a sulfur dioxide dispensing bung should be put on top bung hole once barrel is in use. This keeps the air space germ free and prevents off taste on the last used product.

For the average person making hard cider, glass or plastic gallons or five gallon jugs, or clean wooden barrels, are satisfactory. An air lock is needed to keep air out and let gas produced by the reaction escape. This can be done by purchasing an air lock from wine makers supply merchants. Another method is to drill a hole in the bottle stopper, insert a plastic tube that fits tightly, and put the other end of the tube in a container of water. This will let the gas bubble out and keep air or oxygen from getting in.

At one point in my life, when I was about 19 years old, I lived across the street from an apple cider vinegar factory.  What an amazing scent was in the air every fall.  There are lots of health opinions regarding apple cider vinegar, apple cider vinegar diets, and apple cider vinegar tablets or capsules.

Apple cider vinegar is a solution of acidic acid produced by fermentation of apples. It consists of acid, water, and only relatively small quantities of minerals. Although, it does contain a fair amount of pectin, which has recently been identified as lowering cholesterol and may be the secret behind it is fat burning effects.

other skin problems, high blood pressure, headaches, dandruff, sunburn, and elevated cholesterol levels has been around for ages.

There have been claims to the effect that the ancient Egyptians who used apple cider vinegar for weight loss created the apple cider vinegar diet. Claims have been made that apple cider vinegar works as an aid in weight loss and fat burning. However, there is no substantial or believable scientific evidence to support this claim. During the diet craze of the 1970’s, proponents claimed that somehow a combination of apple cider, kelp, vitamin B-6, and lecithin tricked the body's metabolism into burning fat faster.

Today, the apple cider vinegar diet is back along with its many claims. This time, they are saying that to lose weight, take one, two, or three teaspoons of apple cider vinegar before every meal, starting with one teaspoon and then working up to two or three. Taking more than three teaspoons supposedly does not lead to better results. Probably more than three teaspoons is beyond what any dieter could reasonably stomach anyway. The only dieting advice you get with this "diet" is to eat moderate portions at meals, avoid snacking, and wait for the apple cider vinegar to reduce your hunger and food cravings.

So how does the apple cider vinegar figure into all of this effectively? Simply stated, it does not. Skip the apple cider vinegar if you want to lose weight and just reduce your food intake and increase your exercise.

Just consider the following when thinking about apple cider vinegar; it contributes to healthy veins, blood vessels and arteries. Apple cider vinegar has extraordinary potassium content and beneficial malic acid. When purchasing cider vinegar, it should have fuzzy sediment (mother), on the bottom, proving that the vinegar is still in the live fermentation stage. Cider vinegar is used in salad dressings and to spice up veggie juice mixtures. A tablespoon of cider vinegar and honey in hot water is a tasty health drink.

Apple Cider Vinegar Cucumbers

Cucumbers
Apple cider vinegar
Sugar

Pack clean and dry cucumbers into a 1 gallon jug. Cover with apple cider vinegar and let set 6 weeks. Drain off vinegar and slice cucumbers into pint jars, alternating layers with sugar (takes a lot). When sugar has melted it should form liquid to cover. If not, add more sugar. Seal and enjoy.

Nothing beats Mom's Apple Pie                                           

1) Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 9-inch pie pan with half the pastry. In large bowl, combine apples, sugar, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and mace; toss well to blend. Transfer apple mixture to pastry-lined pie pan and dot with butter.

2) Cover apple filling with remaining pastry; pinch together edges of bottom and top crust to seal. Brush top crust with cream or milk; cut several slits to vent steam. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees F and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until apples are tender.

In the cookie department, here are some good recipes. 

Apple Cookies

1 1/2 cups of shredded unpeeled apple
1/4 cup of unsweetened apple juice
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
3/4 cup of dried cranberries or raisins
1 large egg
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup of rye flour
1 1/2 cups of quick cooking multigrain cereal
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice

Yield:
6 - 8 Servings                                      
Time:
25 minutes to assemble
45 minutes to bake
Total Time: 70 minutes
Ingredients:

1 cup raisins

6 large (3 lbs) Granny Smith apples

1 Tbsp & 1/2 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 & 1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided

Pinch of salt

1 box (7oz)  Almond Paste

1 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 stick (8 Tbsp) soft butter, cut into small pieces
Equipment:
2 quart casserole dish or deep bowl Box grater Pastry cutter, optional

Directions. 1 Preheat oven to 375 F.

Place raisins in a saucepan and just barely cover with water. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Cover and set aside.

Peel, core and slice apples into 1/4” pieces. Place in a casserole dish or deep bowl that is oven proof.

In a small bowl mix together 1 Tbsp flour, sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and a pinch of salt together. Sprinkle over apples and set aside.

Grate the almond paste into a medium bowl. Add the remaining flour and cinnamon, oats, brown sugar and butter. Using a pastry cutter, or 2 knives, cut in the butter until mixture has the texture of small crumbs.

Drain the raisins and add to apples. Toss together to mix well.

Top with almond paste / oat mixture and bake for 45 minutes. If crisp is browning too quickly, loosely tent the top (do not wrap) with aluminum foil. Continue to cook until apples bubble and top turns a dark golden color.

Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

I can remember the late Dick Greene making the most delicious Baked Apples.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Core apples using a melon baller leaving the bottom of apple so they hold the stuffing. Combine lemon juice and water, and place apples in it as you complete coring them.

Mix stuffing ingredients together and fill cavity of apples.

Place apples in a baking dish with about 1 cup of the lemon water in the bottom of the dish. Bake uncovered for about 50-60 minutes depending on size of apples, until they are tender. Drizzle juice from bottom of pan over apples and serve hot.

We have covered a lot about apples and have not even touched the surface of apple information, history, and recipes.  I hope this article makes you want to do a lot with apples, if nothing else, eat them or at least once a day.

Better still, plant a couple of apple trees in your yard.  Someone in the future will thank you for them.

 “Tread the Earth Lightly” and in the meantime… may your day be filled with….Peace, light and love, 

Arlene Correll  

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