I paid $6.99 for a gallon of apple cider at the local Quality Dairy.
The lady behind the counter assured me it was a bargain because it was made from Golden Delicious apples.
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| A canner load of 7 quarts is about 20 pounds of fruit-in-the-skin. |
I am using it to steam pear-quarters. The apple-crop got away from me and I am fiddling with using Chojuro and Korean Giant for "pear-sauce". I would rather use apple juice than water in the bottom of the kettle.
Pears have a different flavor profile than apples. I am going to use more ginger than cinnamon (I use ZERO ginger for apples) and might add some citric acid or Fruit Fresh to add some zip. There is even an off-chance I might add some cardamon which is another "warm" spice. The zany, left-field part of my mind is even thinking of using some star anise...but that will be later.
I quartered the pears, something I don't bother doing with apples. I don't know how much grit will make it to the final product.
I also have four kabobs of pork cubes in the broiler while Mrs ERJ is off at a Bridal Shower (not for her).
Waiting in the wings, I have a branch of Kieffer pears earmarked for a friend who craves the Pear Preserves he remembers from his youth. While there are many recipies on the internet (with surprisingly little difference between them), I reached out to ensure that my efforts came close to his memories.
This is an evolving process.
I’m surprised that you don’t have a home cider press. Years ago when we lived on a farm in N.Y. we had one and ran a mix of wild apples with some unknown variety on ancient planted trees. The kids loved it and it didn’t take that much work.
ReplyDeleteThere's a few farmsteads nearby that I drive by regularly, w/ apple tree's literally dripping with apples... they fall to the ground every year. REALLY tempted to write a quick note and hand deliver it to one mailbox... Their driveway is lined w/ 4 apple trees each about 40 foot tall, that clearly haven't been pruned in decades! Aren't you tired of mowing over them?!? I used to hate the alcohol smell that arose after a while.
ReplyDeleteStar anise?
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I can't imagine Golden Delicious makes good cider.
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Vermont and owned my own cider press, we would go to nearby apple orchards and pay to pick drops, then make our own cider. They did mostly MacIntosh, but had some other varieties too. The best I ever made was with some crabapple mixed with the apples. It gave it a real lovely "bite."
Cider from Golden Delicious is bland and almost as clear as water. GD must have a lot of antioxidants in it because it doesn't brown.
DeleteBlends are nice. Something sweet, something tart, something with lots of aroma. Honeycrisp and Jonathans make a nice cider blend.