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Yesterday, in just four hours, I harvested about 135 lbs. of apples from our orchard, juiced them in an electric juicer, strained the juice four times, and processed 28 quarts of the juice in a water bath canner. But when I first started making apple juice/cider this way, it was a much longer, more tedious process. That was about 10 years ago, and over the years, I've refined the process to make it as efficient as I think it can be. In this post, I'll explain my process.

But first: Why not just use a cider press or a steam juicer? Well, unfortunately, a good cider press costs hundreds of dollars, and you still need a way to crush the apples first. You can build your own press, but it takes time, ingenuity, and perhaps money you don't have. Steam juicers work fine - but they are slow. If you have a lot of apples to process, I don't recommend using one. The end product will taste more "cooked," too.

It's also possible to make apple juice by cooking the apples on the stove, as described in the Ball Blue Book, but it's too time consuming for large numbers of apples - and it heats up the house more than the method I describe below. 

That's why I use a juicer. Now, juicers aren't always much cheaper than cider presses.  Mine is a hand me down Breville Juice Fountain Elite, and it's a really nice piece of equipment. (It would cost about $300 to replace it - though I confess, I'm impressed that the price hasn't changed in over 8 years!) But less expensive juicers work just fine, too - and there are plenty of them on the market. I'm sure you could even use a KitchenAid Mixer attachment. And I see far more used juicers on Facebook Marketplace and in thrift stores/garage sales than I do cider presses or steamers. 

 
How to Make Apple Cider or Juice with an Electric Juicer

First, let's discuss the difference between apple cider and apple juice. In the U.S., cider is just like apple juice, except it isn't thoroughly strained - so bits of pulp remain in the liquid. Traditionally, apple cider is also left unpasteurized, but these days, it's typically pasteurized because there's a risk of e.coli, salmonella, and other harmful microorganisms from the soil, bird manure, and so on. Also of note: In the U.S. cider is not an alcoholic drink; "hard cider," on the other hand, is.

1. Read the juicer manual thoroughly, since they don't all work the same. Mine has a handy dandy container for the apple pulp to go into, plus a pitcher for the juice. (Which I've misplaced, so I used my batter bowl.) You basically plug the machine in, insert an apple or two, and turn it on.

My juicer set up.

2. In most cases, you do not need to prep the apples in any way - though washing them is a "best practice." I find making cider or juice is an excellent use for very small apples - and small apples don't need chopping up in order to go through the juicer. My juicer manual recommends removing the apple's stems, which I do - but I don't fret if a little bit of the stem adheres to the apple. Also, you should never use bruised apples or apples that are beginning to go bad. Doing so will increase the risk of dangerous bacteria in the finished product. If you run across apples that are bruised or have bird damage, just cut the bruises away before juicing the rest of the fruit.

3. Insert one or two apples (depending upon your juicer), and use the presser to slowly press the apple through the juicer. Slower is better because the machine will get more juice from the fruit than if you push the apples through quickly. For the same reason, I use the slow setting on my juicer. Repeat until you have as much juice as you desire.

Extracting apple juice.

4. If you're pressing a lot of apples, you may need to empty the pulp holder more than once. You should also clean the screen now and then, to make the machine more efficient and to ensure it doesn't get plugged up with apple debris.






5. When you're done, you'll probably see a lot of gunk in the juice. My machine creates a lot of stiff foam that sits on top of the liquid. This does not blend into the juice, even after stirring or shaking. Therefore, I skim it off. (Don't skip this step! It will save you a lot of headache when you strain the juice.)  

The foam on top of my freshly juiced apples.

Cider, by definition, has bits of apple pulp in it. But my machine leaves a lot of gunk in, and my kids (who are the primary drinkers of the liquid) don't love it. So I strain my apple cider several times. The end product still has pulp in it - just not so much. But back when I strained using cheesecloth or coffee filters, it took FOREVER. You could alternatively put the juice in the fridge overnight and skim off what rises to the top - but I never have room in the fridge for the amount of juice I have. Therefore, I've developed the method below:

To Quickly Strain the Juice/Cider:

1. Be sure to skim, as explained in step 5, above.

2. Next, I grab a gallon sized canning jar and place the appropriately sized ForJars funnel on top. (The ForJars funnel set is key to making the straining process go quickly. For years, I used a regular kitchen strainer, which I had to hold up over a container; I had to pour extremely slowly, or the juice would overflow. It was such a pain! This funnel set is a huge improvement and truly speeds up the process. And its high quality stainless steel with a lifetime warranty.)

The first straining.

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3. Put the ForJars strainer (that comes with the funnels) over the funnel and begin pouring the juice through it. Don't pour too quickly, or the strainer will quickly plug up. Instead, start pouring and notice that the foam and scum have cleared a path inside your original juice container. Pour just slow enough that most of the liquid travels through this clear "road." (Trust me, this is faster than if you use the coffee filter or cheesecloth method!) But if your strainer plugs up anyway, just use your hand to scrape away the debris in the bottom of the strainer. (BTW, everything you strain from the juice - plus all the dry pulp the juicer leaves behind - can be thrown into your compost pile!)

4. Now I grab another gallon canning jar, insert the funnel, and put a clean ForJars strainer over it. (TIP: When cleaning the strainer, always run water over the outside - not the inside. It will clean very quickly this way.) I then pour the juice from the first gallon jar into the second gallon jar.

5. Now place the largest of these kitchen strainers over a large cooking pot. Pour the liquid from the second gallon jar through it.

Straining the cider/juice into the pot.

6. If you're planning to can the juice, begin heating it up. As the liquid nears simmering, the foam and scum will rise and become sort of hard on top. Skim it off with a ladle. If you're not going to can the juice/cider, you can let the liquid sit for a bit, or keep filtering, as desired. Either way, how much you filter out is a matter of personal preference; if you want perfectly clear juice, you'll likely need to filter more. I always can my juice/cider and do a final straining using the ForJars funnel and strainer as I pour the liquid into my canning jars.

Skimming the foam one last time.

How to Pasteurize Apple Cider (if you don't plan to can it)

You will need a calibrated food thermometer.  

1. Pour the cider into a large pot placed over high heat. Bring the liquid to 190 degrees F., or just a bit hotter. Do not allow the liquid to come to a boil. Keep the liquid at 190 degrees F. or hotter for 5 complete minutes, adjusting the stove temp as necessary.  

< i>Pasteurize the juice or cider at 190 degrees F. for 5 minutes.

2. Ladle the cider into hot sterilized jars. (To sterilize jars, put them in a water bath canner and boil for 10 minutes. Water must completely cover the jars during that process.) If you'll be freezing the cider, leave a generous headspace and use jars that are straight up and down and don't have "shoulders."

How to Can Apple Cider or Apple Juice 
I follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation's directions, with one exception, which I note below. 

1. Place the cider or juice in a large pot and bring the liquid nearly to boiling. Do not let it boil.

2. Working one pint or quart jar at a time, ladle hot liquid into a hot canning jar, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. (If desired, filter the liquid one more time, as shown below.) Wipe the rim of the jar clean, place a lid on top, and secure it in place according to the lid manufacturer's directions. Place the jar back into a canner of hot water. Repeat until all the jars are filled or you've run out of cider/juice.

 

Filling the jars.

3. Process pint or quart jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.* 

* The NCHFP calls for sterilized jars and 5 minutes processing time. Therefore, I skip the sterilizing (as a time saver) and process jars for 10 minutes. Per NCHFP. as long as the jars are processed for at least 10 minutes, jars do not require per-sterilization. REMEMEMBER to adjust your processing time according to your altitude.

The finished product!

A version of this post first appeared on this blog in October of 2017.

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