Cider Experiment

[John Sand]

Recently at a farm market in PA, I saw cider without preservatives and bought a jug. (Kauffman's) Later I got some more from Jericho Cider Mill on Long Island. When I was a kid here, we bought cider and let it ferment on the counter. I mentioned that to the young man selling the cider in PA, he told me it still would work even though the cider was pasteurized. At home I split the two gallons into three jugs, one each of the ciders and one mix. In the pure jugs I pitched half a pack of S04. I wanted to ferment the mix wild, so I left it out on the counter to see if anything happened. I also put some crab apples in a sample as a starter. The "pasteurized" ciders started fermenting spontaneously in about a day, and became quite active after two days. When they cleared I bottled, adding carb tabs to all, and juice to some for sweetness. I think they're just carbed now, and I'm going to pasteurize them today to save some sweetness. I already think it tastes good, so does my wife.