#cider making

A mouse had found the apple stash so I figured I should hurry and prepare this batch before I lose any more apples. I assume he'll be sad tonight when he sees that the motherlode of food is gone.

Here's the meadowsweet I picked and dried this summer. It's a sweet vanilla-ish herb that has been used in mead for centuries. The "meadow" in the name used to refer to mead rather than meadows. Mead-sweet or Mead-wort. I put it in a hop bag and left it in the must while I pasteurised it. I have no idea how much or how long is correct. We'll see.

I finished work early so I wanted to juice my apples and have a go at cider making.

My new juicer machine; I was really impressed with it. It’s not as easy to clean.

It’s my first time so I wasn’t sure how much juice I would have. Red flesh, crab, eating, cider, cooking; they all go in. The apples this year were generally small so I thought cider was a good option .