Cider. To make good cider the apples should be allowed to hang on the tree as long as the wind and frosty nights will let them. The riper they are, the better the cider. They are picked up and placed in a large heap, either in the orchard or at the cider mill, and are allowed to lie a few days to complete the ripening process, in which the starch is converted into sugar, and if any are found bruised or rotten, put them in a heap by themselves, for an inferior cider to make vinegar. They are then rasped or ground into pulp. If the weather is cool and the apples are not quite ripe, it is better to let the pulp remain in the vat a few days before pressing out the juice. This gives the cider a higher color, makes it sweeter, and of better flavor.

833. To Press the Apples

833.    To Press the Apples. The process of pressing is simple, but requires some skill. 4 boards about 6 inches wide are nailed together in a square, the size it is desired to make the cheese, say from 4 to 5 feet. This is placed on the bottom of the press, and a little clean rye or wheat straw, pulled out straight into bundles, is put inside, with the ends extending about a foot all around. The pulp is then put into this rim, forming a layer about 6 inches thick; the straw is then turned on it, and a little pulp placed on the straw to keep it down. The rim is then lifted and a stick is placed at each corner on the layer of pulp added, and the straw turned over it as before. This process is repeated until the cheese is as large as desired, using say from 75 to 100 bushels of apples. When they can be obtained use hair cloths instead of straw, to place between the layers of pomace. The straw, when heated, gives a disagreeable taste to the cider.

834. Sweet or Unfermented Cider

834.     Sweet or Unfermented Cider. The cider will commence to flow at once, and it is better to let the cheese settle down somewhat before turning the screw. If pressed too much at first, the pulp may burst out at the sides. As the cider runs from the press, let it pass through a hair-sieve into a large open vessel, that will hold as much juice as can be expressed in one day. The cheese is generally allowed to remain under the press all night, and before leaving it in the evening, the screw is turned as tight as possible. In the morning additional pressure is given, and when the cider has ceased to flow, the screw is turned back, the boards taken off, and the comers of the cheese are cut off with a hay knife and the pomace laid on the top. The pressure is again applied, and the cider will flow freely. As soon as it ceases, remove the pressure and cut off 4 or 5 inches of pomace from the sides of the cheese, place it on top, and apply the pressure again as long as any cider will flow. 8 bushels of good apples will make a barrel of cider. In a day, or sometimes less, the pomace will rise to the top, and in a short time grow very thick; when little white bubbles break through it, draw off the liquor by a spigot placed about 3 inches from the bottom, so that the lees may be left quietly behind. The cider is usually put in barrels at once, and sold while sweet.