Or: Mungo and Morgainne make Cider. This was prompted by one of our earlier posts on having located a wonderful old crab apple tree on the marina property. So the other day, we sallied forth and collected as many of the little lovelies as we could.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHRQOLzA7lBgKZpLqrRqUNWY6p4gb3I8ATWZPGrTNxybs9juVKVT8716A5qMpxsceKcixjBeCjXW8MPNdFTyojeEYYFuBanU9aH7fe3FNcNYtyDc12AndRRyQ027xMWNFM7m_bVgBqK9U/s320/IMG_20151105_134118864.jpg) |
A Crabapple is basically any apple under 3" |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmiqhhVTIlq7Djqwh6BubsyNi0M1pLdCpJCD58bMm2A-Sh6yDwmIkDUahyphenhyphen9ASB2k6kB6MeQHN_9LpBLWqNHKOY9clsa2wUsPLYIuVXlpc2zf9mvi-G5G4hLgqLXrJrf49likLAdcUmZQ/s320/IMG_20151105_134113732.jpg) |
Just pull a branch and you get rained on by fruit when they're ripe. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnSgjHYMDx4UzhOAjyADR8-w32td3a5inWeV7xHXdAQyvyu0S6j_tpKgKcXZoVwww_ZYHIXGiypsSBa9mzReKw6gKh6psOeteOsd8Y8vHc-cEeh-HR-JqO5xW22gWh6lqsxXhBE_bKIo/s320/IMG_20151105_134109553.jpg) |
These are really tasty ones. |
We collected a full bucket of them, shaking the tree, getting rained on by ripe fruit, eating as many as we collected. Crab apples are a wonderful, very tart fruit, full of flavor.
We washed the fruit, picking out the bad ones and leaves, then rinsed them in water with a bit of bleach to kill wild yeasts, then rinsed again.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbGieFlUhKMjvlp6BX2OimfyK8GTBrI22T0YhS_Fkdon3lpvQ_XDHj0BugSTnZRwjvL4iAv81GPt1YKNl6xny6wSBwN7jVjTl0_cAuOfhHfEjXT1jLxopbLto2GH9i0XBWoCFOtQKTeg/s320/IMG_20151108_143631732.jpg) |
We cleaned the fruit in water with a bit of bleach as we're not relying on wild yeast. |
Then we pulped the fruit with a bit of filtered water and a stick blender. At this point we also threw in a handful of raisins as additional food for the yeast.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsp7uXZzScylEQ9FO7ERrgZBLKO2aA7CgqL-r-r6KrgyYPBgHg9wv4O1sZI5iic_7M_Ai-PMz8DjCaDcOo-cJUgvoNgxmF4ID6lTDJKa_iM6EAnX8u8noTqSFd_WzHDK532E-PLeyiNgo/s320/IMG_20151108_145415770.jpg) |
Pulping with a stick blender |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHwUTmiyIQqcntuepEdQXRobvkx2zDS25Xm6s3WVKqh3fu1TsxBKdve7wr38nhjqYb8utiBiaKqhl1WI8bMRrMv8TxX7TOvwchBv3bkRlU-zvJ7QQ1Ljsrajvte1XVdgkkYhUEHI_-hw/s320/IMG_20151108_142849525.jpg) |
Lalvin K1-V116 wine yeast, mixed with a bit of room temperature water. |
After pulping the fruit with a little water to render it soupy, we added activated wine yeast and pulped the whole mass to aerate and to mix in the yeast thoroughly.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaG8P2Gi-9C718Rb3sYyL1oekqWqznTn7mrUXLx1LC42ABJo-V218tz2NupAlA1Vy1FaYgdlw03QuajaU2N7QoI7Tm_I-WK-D2E6Ojl3r_N4Tzzzs_EC4kam-7mph09oAHpFLx7ZkIdWU/s320/IMG_20151108_150335190.jpg) |
Here's the pulped apples and yeast mixture, ready for the lid. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7a2sZeOCMzG6CIT4Gsk_RkWqAtyJjYPkzknDG2zE1GgXDkYa4wq0fZNSvSFszsSIrlv444j2AkROrLo8GQxWNNEYl2MyIE1sSsKWufcZruJxT4DhsT7n3TyBB8xHwmYjTrJ-Go6KLB5I/s320/IMG_20151108_150610991.jpg) |
Sterilized bucket full of the must and yeast, complete with air lock. |
Now we ignore it for a week for the first round of fermentation. Stay tuned.
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