Red Delicious: Large, firm red apple with a sweet flavor. Yellow Delicious: Large, firm yellow apple with a sweet flavor. Jonathon: Medium, crisp semi-tart apple, with red near the top, descending to green lower down the fruit. Granny Smith: Medium/small, crisp, tart apple with green color. Gala: Medium, crisp semi-tart apple with yellow skin blushed with orange to red tinge.
It takes about one third of a bushel to make one gallon of cider.
If you have a fine-mesh sieve or chinois, you can use the back of a spoon to press even more juice out.
In a sealable jar, add one yeast packet to a half cup of your fresh apple cider. Seal the jar, give it a good shaking for five to ten seconds, then set it aside for five or six hours, or overnight. When you see it bubbling, release the pressure by partially twisting off the lid, then resealing the jar. Put the start in the refrigerator until a couple hours before you’re ready to use it.
Do not boil the cider Add up to two pounds of brown sugar or honey to boost the sugar content, and make a harder hard cider!
