The 2013 Apple Harvest

The apple orchards here in western Maryland had an excellent season in 2013. Having skipped the last few seasons and after much nagging from the number one daughter, Miss Rock, I resumed my yearly apple sauce production. In the past I've usually done a small batch (6-8 quarts) just to get us through the holidays but since she can practically eat an entire jar at one sitting I figured we would make a day of it and go back to a large batch production that would get us through the winter. It was definitely easier this time around with a second set of hands helping out.

We began with 1.5 bushels of so-called "seconds" which if you buy from the Ivy Hill Orchard in Smithsburg actually look more like regular apples (they are very high quality and take their apples and cider very seriously). This year's blend was 1/3 Yellow Delicious (for body), 1/3 Stayman Winesap and 1/3 Rome (both for flavor). I always follow the basic Rodale Stocking Up recipe that calls only for lemon juice and honey as additives (we leave out the spices for adding in later if desired). The honey was Hays Apiary unfiltered wild flower also from Smithsburg.

Processing one and a half bushels is an all day project especially since our largest canner can only process seven quarts at a time. We broke the apples down into two separate batches since we don't have anything large enough to hold that volume of sauce before we can get it into the jars. All and all it was a hectic and exhausting day but well worth the effort.

The other news this apple season was running a batch of hard cider. Ivy Hills cider is always first rate and they use UV light for Pasteurization so there is no heat effect on taste or chemical preservative after-taste like you get with the supermarket crap; and no need to worry about preservatives inhibiting your yeast (this batch is fermenting with White Labs English Cider Yeast). It is still in the primary fermenter but should be ready to rack to the secondary just before Thanksgiving. If all goes to plan I hope to bottle some for carbonation and some as a still apple wine. I'm hoping at least some of it will be ready in time for Christmas merriment and carrying on the age old colonial tradition where cider was the drink of the day.