Whatever fruit was involved in the temptation of the first man and woman it was almost certainly not an apple; not in the Middle East that early in human history. I read once that there was a possibility it was an apricot. The prohibition against eating from one tree was not arbitrary on God's part. There were undoubtedly other instructions we are not told about. Israel was commanded to not eat the fruit of trees they would plant in the Promised Land for three years. See Leviticus 19:23ff. There are evidently practical horticultural reasons for this. Obeying God has both temporal and eternal rewards.
Let us now describe some things I have learned from a lifetime of experience that should be delightfully practical for you. First, the best apple cider is made when several varieties of apples are combined in the pressing. True cider apples are nearly impossible to find today. The cider available today is normally made from the culls of dessert apples and not true cider apples like Golden Russets. To add insult to injury the law now requires most cider to be pasteurized further destroying its flavor. I saw this coming years ago when I watched dirty apples being unloaded at the cider mill.
Beginning in 1978 we planted a variety of apple trees with the goal of having the best cider. We had a good start because there were two mature Golden Delicious trees on the property when we bought it the previous year. They were the old strain of that apple and they made excellent cider by themselves. When other varieties were added the best only got better. We had many loyal customers. We sold the orchard more than three years ago. If you have your own apples or can pick them somewhere you can schedule a pressing at Mowry's cider mill in Loudonville.
We learned after many years experience to immerse our apples in bleach water before taking them to the mill. Add at least a cup of bleach to a large tub of water and set each bushel of apples in it the day before you go to the mill. This will make your cider, for all practical purposes, as safe as pasteurized and it will keep fresh much, much longer. To clean milk jugs to be used for cider you have to stuff your dish cloth inside the jug with some hot, soapy water and swish it around vigorously and rinse it thoroughly. When dry put the cap, after washing it, on tightly. You cannot simple rinse milk jugs; they will not be clean enough unless you do what we described. If there is any doubt about the cleanliness of jugs you should rinse them with bleach water.
Pour a little cider out of the jugs you want to freeze to allow for expansion. Frozen cider will keep fresh for a long time.
The very best apple sauce is made as follows: NEVER peel the apples. You are throwing away the good pectin in the skin and the vitamins near the skin. Quarter the apples and cut out the core and any blemishes. Put a little water - not too little and not too much - into a large pan and bring the quartered apples to a boil. When they become very soft and mushy, put them through a funnel shaped colander (sometimes spelled 'cullender'). You can probably find one on the internet. The sauce will pass through the small holes in the colander and the skins will remain inside to be disposed of. Unless the apples you use are very tart you will not need to add sugar. If you do, use fructose available at bulk food stores. With the pectin from the skins, your sauce will have a much nicer texture and flavor. Add a little cinnamon to taste. You have just made the very best apple sauce.
To make the best apple butter begin by making the sauce (see above) the day before. If you want a good sized batch of apple butter make five gallons of sauce, but any amount will work if done to the following proportions. Begin by cleaning the inside of the copper kettle you are using. Do NOT clean with anything that will leave a toxic residue. We always cleaned the inside of the copper kettle with a mixture of strong cider vinegar and salt and rinsed thoroughly. If you made five gallons of sauce put TEN GALLONS of cider in the kettle and boil it down ONE HALF so that about five gallons of concentrated cider remains. Slowly add the five gallons of sauce. Stir continually with an apple butter stirrer as it cooks down to the consistency of apple butter. If you feel you need sweetener use fructose and a little cinnamon. Can it in sterile jars while piping hot. Eat it on homemade bread. Enjoy the good gifts of God.
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