Spiced Cider

Back to apple recipes again. This is the perfect time to make this cider. It's warm, delicious, and is great for apples that you maybe picked at the peak of the harvest and are beginning to get soft. I used a variety of apples and it came out great, so use your favorite. This is a very easy recipe, but it takes a while, so if you have a slow cooker I recommend using it so you can walk away from it. If you don't have one (like me) this is easy enough to make on the stove.

Spiced Cider

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Total time: About 2 hours and 45 minutes including the straining time

Yield: About 6 cups (You can get more liquid out of this if you use cheesecloth or a nutmilk bag to squeeze the pulp at the end.

Ingredients

• 6 medium apples (I used 3 galas -- two were small, so I counted them together as one -- 2 honeycrisps, and 2 ida reds)
• 1 orange peel (I used the peel from a Cutie because they have almost no bitter, white pith)
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 4 cloves
• 4 allspice berries
• 6 cups water

Directions

1. Cut the apples into quarters and add to a large soup pot along with the other ingredients.
   
2. Bring the pot to a boil and hold it there for 30 minutes.
   
3. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 2 hours.
   
4. Mash up the apples with a potato masher. 
   
5. Strain the contents of the pot. I forgot to buy cheesecloth, so I just used an ordinary strainer and pressed the pulp with the back of a wooden spoon. If you have cloth and can squeeze the pulp dry, you'll likely get an extra 1/2 cup to a cup of cider in the end.
   
6. Enjoy warm. Pour leftovers into a jug or jar. This will keep in the fridge for about a week.