Make Mine Cider!

Pure & natural—no sugar added When his teeth got tired from chomping all those crisp apples, did Johnny Appleseed sip cider? Maybe so. All that walking and planting apple trees no doubt raised a fearsome thirst! Cider has many of the same health benefits as whole apples because of how it’s made. Washed apples are chopped up into a mash. Then they get squeezed or pressed to get the maximum juice out of the apple pulp. Most cider is pasteurized just long enough to kill bacteria without affecting its sweet flavor. But keep your cider chilled in the refrigerator like milk, and drink it within a few weeks. You can also cook with cider. Add it to veggies or roasting meats for a distinctive flavor or use cider instead of water in recipes for flavor and nutrition. The flavor of cider depends on the varieties of apples used to make it. Different cider makers all strive for the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness in their product. Doesn’t that make you want a cold glass right now? Cider by the Numbers 1300s: Water was pretty dirty in the 14th century, so children were baptized in apple cider instead! 1700s: Captain Cook was one sharp cookie: he gave his sailors cider to prevent scurvy. 36: The number of apples you’ll need to produce one gallon of cider. 120: Amount of calories in an eight-ounce glass of cider. 0: Amount of fat contained in cider.