I love the late summer and fall when apple cider is “in season!” While I like the tart beverage cold, I also like it spiced and served as a hot beverage. Whether hot or cold, the aroma from cider is wonderful.

Want to try your hand at making cider? The following information comes from an Oregon State University publication titled Preserving Foods: Fruit Juices & Apple Cider.

Select apples that are just ripe for eating. Most ciders are made from a blend of different varieties. Delicious, McIntosh, Rome, and Gravensteins are commonly used.

Wash and rinse the apples before grinding. Grinding is necessary to release the juice from the apples. For small batches, quarter unpeeled apples and run through a kitchen food grinder or chop in a food processor. For large batches, it is faster to use a cider mill with crusher attachment.

Letting the crushed fruit stand for 30 minutes to an hour will yield more cider from the apples.

The cider can be pressed from the crushed apples in a cider press. Most home presses employ a heavy screw for pressure. Pressure should be applied slowly and evenly. Fresh pressed cider has a cloudy appearance. It should be strained through a clean cloth as it drips from the press into a reservoir pan.

A homemade press for small batches can be made using a strong jelly bag and a rolling pin. The bag should be pressed slowly and steadily to avoid bursting the bag. The process requires more strength and is very slow for large batches. The bag can also be squeezed by hand. Be careful not to break the bag.

Unpasteurized (unheated) apple cider has been linked with illness caused by E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. If these bacteria are in the feces of deer or cattle, apples that fall on the ground could be contaminated.

Pasteurization kills harmful bacteria. Heat the juice to at least 160 degrees F for one minute.

Pasteurized cider can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week. For longer storage freezing is recommended. When freezing, be sure to allow at least a 2-inch head space since the cider will expand during freezing and can rupture the container.

Apple juice may also be canned. Heat the juice to simmering (185 to 210 degrees F.) Pour hot juice into jars. Process in a boilingwater canner: 5 minutes for pints and quarts and 10 minutes for half-gallons if you live at an elevation of 1,000 feet or below. At elevations, 1,001 to 3,000, process pints or quarts for 10 minutes or half-gallons for 15 minutes.