A Refreshing and resourceful recipe for cider: Every year thousands of tonnes of apples go to waste in orchards and gardens. The Orchard Project Community Cider hub have rescued an incredible 21 tonnes of apples from rotting since 2016. If you want to share in the joys of cider-making, we’ve shared an excellent cider recipe below.
All the equipment listed below can be purchased cheaply online.
Equipment
- 4.5-litre demijohn
- Juicer, or a blender and muslin cloth
- 10kg apples
- Campden tablet
- Airlock & bung
- Sugar
- Heavy duty swing-top bottles
Method
Source your apples: when it comes to Autumn there is no shortage of apples littering our gardens and roadsides. If possible pick your apples from several trees including eaters and cookers for a balance of sweetness, tannin, and acidity. Any apple, any size, wonky or blemished can go into making your cider.
Clean & sterilise your equipment: use a sterile solution made from dissolving one Campden tablet in water. Make sure you rinse well with hot water to remove any residue.
Wash, chop and juice your apples: your everyday juicer, or blender and muslin cloth will do the job.
Decant your golden juice into a 4.5-litre demijohn and add a Campden tablet to destroy any unwanted bacteria.
Attach your airlock: this is crucial as it allows carbon dioxide created during fermentation to be released while preventing any air or critters from entering.
Leave to ferment, for a couple of weeks until the bubbles form very slowly signaling that the fermentation has finished.
Bottle your cider: siphon off your cider into heavy duty swing top bottles, leaving the sediment at the bottom as this is the dead yeast known as the Lees.
Bottle condition (optional): to create a refreshing lightly sparkling dry cider, add a teaspoon of sugar to your 1-liter bottle and leave to work its magic until Christmas.
Finally, and most importantly drink and enjoy.