Yesterday we made the apple cider. This year has been an astronomical year for apples. I have been collecting apples from a number of different trees over the last few weeks. We love to have a mixture of apple flavours in the cider.
I went to a tree down the road near a wee farmhouse that is being renovated. They also want to try and reclaim this old barn. I do hope they can, it is small but beautiful.
Before we started the apples we needed to move the wine out of the plastic bucket barrels, so we could use them for the cider. So we racked the wine into the big glass demi-johns.
Now, here is a strange thing. You will remember that we halved the grapes at the last crush and I am fermenting my half with its own wild yeast and John is doing his the conventional way with the introduced yeast. Well, my ladybird wine, which is being fermented using the wild yeasts, is a notably different colour to the wine with the introduced commercial yeast. Mine also looked most disgusting when we took the lid off. But it did not smell bad. Have a look. The first jar is Johns and the second is mine. This is from the same grapes picked a few weeks ago.
Hmm, this could be interesting. While we had everything out we racked the honey mead. I had a little taste, it is VERY good.
Honey Mead benefits from a long aging and will sit a while longer – so back to the cider.
John made a smashing machine a few years ago just for the cider making. It is a spikey little barrel that rolls around inside a converted beer keg barrel.
Once the lid is on, it is powered by the tractor and I throw the apples into this little hatch on the side and all the mashed up apple comes out a hole in the base.
Then the apples are pressed in the ancient sausage maker that he turned into a press.
And there you are- 6 gallons of apple juice for cider.
And now due to popular demand – Nanny Boo and his brood. The Marmalade Kitten is doing very well. The Middle Kitten is holding his own. But the Tiny Puss is still not drinking properly. He is being force fed which is pretty miserable. I make him get up and I make him drink. They have been on kitten replacement milk the last few days, just to be sure, but still no change. 
There they are, off for walkies with their NannyBoo.
This morning the Broiler Chickens are off on their final road trip. I am looking forward to good chicken in the freezer and once again that will mean more time in my day. Today I will very, very slowly drag the ark from one side of the property to the other and around to the vegetable garden where it will exchange its tarpaulin for a big plastic sheet and magically turn into a fall green house. Once John gets home he will help me put it over the tomatoes. Exciting stuff.
love your friend, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
56 responses to “Making apple cider with just a hint of cuteness: due to popular demand.”
I’m constantly amazed at the motherly way Boo looks after the kittens – absolutely incredible.
Interested in the apple crusher contraption. I have been loading quatered apples in a bucket and smashing them with the buttend of a slege hammer. Not efficient at all. Thank goodness I have lots of company coming at the weeks end to help ith the jucing.
I can’t believe how different in colour the two wines are – very interesting. I can imagine how lovely it must have smelt with all the apples being crushed for the cider.
Celi, thank you for keeping the kitties in your post. I do hope our wee little one is getting stronger even though he is still not drinking properly. I am sure with all of Nanny Boo’s TLC he will be just fine.
Here’s to your days being a little easier to C.
🙂 Mandy xo
What kind of apples did you use for making the apple cider? I’m guessing Red Delicious and Granny Smith?
Making things with apples must be in the air. I’ve been helping to make apple butter — mmm mmm good!
So when they grow up will they try to bark? I need to go apple picking soon!!! Morning miss c…t
Here in central NY we have also had an astronomical year for apples…and pears, and plums, and just about every wild plant that has any kind of fruit. I wonder what special alignment of planets came about to produce that…
That LadyBird wine may turn into champagne yet! Thinking one of your home grown birds cooked over a tin of home brewed cider might be the order of the day soon 🙂 Just when I thought NannyBoo and his Kitties couldn’t get cuter – they did. Morning miss C. Laura
I’m meant to be making Pommeau this week with the surplus apples, my friends family is from Normandy and they make this concoction with calvodos and cider…… and now I wish you had your tractor around the corner so we could squish a gazillion apples!
Normally, pommeau is made from last year’s cider. The commercially produced pommeau is nice, but very weak – about 8:1, which suits me fine The farmers make it with 4:1 cider/calvados which Jock prefers! The farmers also sometimes add spices and orange zest.
Viv you’re a star. I’ve just learnt loads more from your comment, thank you. I thought it was made with Apple juice and didn’t know about the year old cider thing either. Maybe we will end up drinking the Calvodos separately 🙂
That old barn looks fantastic – i hope the restoration works.
Your wine is definitely a funny colour, but looks aren’t everything – it’s more like a fortified wine. Good luck with it, I suspect it might turn into something good 😉
I am having a go at making apple cider this week, my first time so wish me luck. I used my grapes to make grape jelly which even if I do say so myself tastes wonderful and so much better than shop bought. Reading your blog has inspired be to have a go at things I would not normally do, have even made a Christmas cake. x
I love the shape of that barn. I hope it gets restored. Have a good time making the cider!
Love,
ViVx
I love that apple eater John made…best re-purposed beer keg ever!
Even if the barn can’t be saved in it’s original form, it looks like there’s enough good wood to salvage and build another…there’s a barn up the road that’s in rough shape, and nothing special in form or function, but I’ve put word around that if they ever decide to tear it down, We’ll buy the beams and build something at our place…
Have a great day, C!
I love your ingenuity.
Boo and his kittens just make my day! I hope they all improve today, he takes such good care of them!
Just when I thought Boo couldn’t be any cuter he turns into a Nanny dog (melts my heart) Belly rubs and extra treats for this good boy!