Homemade Apple Cider Syrup: Capturing Autumn’s Sweet Essence
Homemade apple cider syrup is a wonderfully simple process, akin to boiling down maple sap to create a rich, golden syrup. The finished product is an intensely flavorful, naturally sweetened condiment that elevates everything from fluffy pancakes and French toast to creamy ice cream and roasted root vegetables. It’s truly a versatile drizzle of pure autumnal delight.
Imagine your home filled with an aroma that speaks of crisp autumn days. A scent reminiscent of bountiful fall harvests, warm, inviting spices, and baskets overflowing with juicy, ripe apples nestled in a sun-dappled orchard. This idyllic scene can become a reality with a single, delightful activity: making your own apple cider syrup.
To begin this sensory journey, all you need is a generous jug of freshly pressed sweet apple cider and a few fragrant cinnamon sticks. Let these simple ingredients gently simmer on your stovetop, transforming into a concentrated elixir that embodies the very spirit of fall.
Just recently, we hosted our third annual apple pressing party, a cherished tradition that brings friends and family together. This year, it was a spontaneous gathering, pulled together at the last minute because the autumn weather had been quite challenging. However, we seized a beautiful Sunday when the sun finally decided to grace us with its presence. A few quick calls, and soon enough, our friends arrived, ready to lend a hand. It was a day filled with laughter, productive work, munching on freshly picked apples, and sharing wonderful stories.
The day couldn’t have been more perfect. The sun shone brightly, casting a warm glow, and the air was crisp yet mild. The leaves on the trees were vibrant, ablaze with autumn colors, and the apples hung heavy and ripe, ready for harvesting. It was an ideal setting for our annual apple adventure.
We had an impressive haul: several wheelbarrows, a couple of huge washtubs, and countless pails brimming with apples, all awaiting their transformation into delicious cider. The harvest from our five distinct apple trees had been particularly bountiful this year, promising a plentiful supply of sweet juice.
Everyone eagerly took on a task, forming an efficient and joyful crew. In under two hours, all the apples were processed, and the sweet aroma of fresh cider filled the air. It’s amazing what a fantastic team can accomplish when working together!
The Journey from Apple to Fresh Cider
With such an abundance of apples, our first step is always thorough cleaning. We utilize a large, clean wheelbarrow for this, tossing in the apples for a good wash and a quick inspection for any blemishes. This ensures only the best fruit goes into our cider.
Once washed and sorted, the apples are ready for the grinder. This sturdy apple grinder, lovingly built by my dad years ago, continues to work like a charm. It efficiently chops the apples into a pulp, preparing them perfectly for the pressing process that follows.
Sometimes, the hard work of apple pressing stirs up an appetite!
Next, the apple mash is carefully scooped from the grinder and transferred into the basket of our trusty apple cider press. Each bucket is filled to capacity, ready for the next stage of extracting the liquid gold.
Then, the moment arrives: “Start the presses!” With eager hands, we apply muscle power, turning the screw of the cider press. The anticipation builds as the pressure increases, and soon, a thin stream of amber liquid begins to flow.
And there it is—that beautiful, sweet, fresh apple cider, cascading into waiting jugs! The sight and smell are simply invigorating, a testament to nature’s bounty and our collective effort.
There’s no greater reward for a bit of fall harvest work than a cold mug of fresh apple cider, tasted hot off the press! It’s perfectly sweet, wonderfully crisp, and a truly refreshing treat. It’s the liquid essence of autumn, enjoyed best with friends and family.
Even the squeezed-out apple pulp finds a purpose! We generously share it with our eager chickens, who absolutely adore it. Whatever remains goes onto the compost pile, creating what we affectionately call ‘Mount Applemore’ – a mountain of organic goodness returning to the earth.
After all the satisfying labor, it’s finally time to unwind and enjoy a well-deserved dinner. This typically involves a crackling fire, smoky sausages, and a comforting warm bowl of polka-dot lentil soup. To complete the autumnal feast, we always indulge in a big, homemade German apple custard cake.
Our bratwursts are roasted over the open flames, then lovingly wrapped in these delicious buckwheat galettes, also warmed by the campfire. The combination of smoky sausage and tender galette is truly a treat.
Sitting around the warm glow of the fire, watching the setting sun filter through the delicate, lacy branches of fall trees, is a pleasure beyond words. When you share this profound experience with cherished family and friends, after a day spent working together for a common, rewarding goal, that pleasure deepens into something truly soul-filling and unforgettable.
Transforming Fresh Cider into Sweet Apple Cider Syrup
In the days following our apple pressing party, we made the most of our abundant cider. Several pails were set aside to ferment for brewing hard cider, we enjoyed countless big jugs of fresh apple cider to drink, and I had a delightful time experimenting with making my very own apple cider syrup. The result was nothing short of a flavor explosion—pure apple essence, concentrated down into a shimmering liquid gold.
I experimented by cooking down different quantities of apple cider to determine the perfect concentration for the ideal syrup thickness, especially for the specific apple varieties we grow. While boiling times may vary depending on your apples and equipment, this process is incredibly forgiving. If your syrup becomes too thick upon cooling, it can always be thinned with a little hot water. Adding a couple of cinnamon sticks infuses the syrup with a light spiciness and a beautiful depth of flavor. Homemade apple cider syrup is surprisingly easy to make, requiring mostly just a bit of time and patience, and the spectacular results are well worth the effort.
Apple Cider Syrup – Essential Tips for Success
If you don’t have the luxury of an apple cider press, don’t despair! You can still easily make your own fresh apple cider by juicing apples in an electric juicer. Alternatively, you can purchase a jug of apple cider from your local grocery store or health food shop, particularly in the fall season. These commercial ciders may be pasteurized, but that’s perfectly fine for making syrup. You’ll recognize genuine apple cider by its characteristic brown, cloudy appearance, distinct from the clear, golden, filtered apple juice typically found in cans.
Making homemade apple cider syrup is more of an art than an exact science, offering much flexibility. The boiling time will naturally vary based on several factors, including the diameter of the saucepan you use (a wider pan allows for faster evaporation) and how vigorously the cider is allowed to boil. The final thickness of your syrup is also influenced by the pectin content of your apples; some varieties contain more natural pectin and will yield a thicker syrup once cooled. Should your cooled syrup prove too thick, it can be easily thinned to your desired consistency with a bit of boiling water. A good starting point is to reduce about 7 to 8 cups of cider until it reaches what you believe is the right consistency, always remembering that it will thicken further as it cools.
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Homemade Apple Cider Syrup: Your Easy Fall Recipe
Margaret Bose Johnson
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Ingredients
- 7 cups (1.7 litres) fresh apple cider (not alcoholic)/sweet cider or fresh-pressed apple juice
- 2 cinnamon sticks (each 3 inches/7.5 cm long), optional
Instructions
- Put the apple cider and cinnamon sticks into a large saucepan (no more than half full). Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so that the cider bubbles along at a medium boil (uncovered) – you don’t want it to boil over, but you want it to boil enough to evaporate the water off. Skim off any foam that comes to the top.
- Let the cider boil gently for 30 minutes, then strain it through a clean tea towel, several layers of cheesecloth, or a piece of muslin cloth set into a strainer to remove any accumulated sediment. Return the strained cider to the pot.
- Continue boiling the syrup until it is reduced to 1 cup. This can take another 30 minutes or even longer. It all depends on how wide your pot is and how hot your stove is. The wider the pot, the faster the liquid will evaporate. Make sure you don’t leave the boiling syrup unattended. You can come and go in the kitchen, but check it often. You shouldn’t have to stir it.
- Have a measuring cup handy and when you think the syrup is close to 1 cup in volume, pour it into the cup to check. If it’s more, pour it back into the saucepan to boil longer. If it’s less than one cup, just top it up to the 1-cup mark with some boiling water.
The syrup will look thin, but it will thicken up somewhat as it cools.
- *If you’re making large batches of apple cider syrup, at this point you can fill sterilized canning jars with the hot syrup and process them in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Otherwise, let the syrup cool at room temperature, then stir it well (whisk it if there are uneven spots of gelling in it) and store in a covered jar in the fridge for up to a month.
- If the syrup thickens too much after it cools, thin it down with a bit of boiled water.
If your apples contain so much pectin that the syrup gels after several days in the fridge, reheat the syrup to use it, and thin it with a splash of water.
- Makes 1 scant cup of apple cider syrup. (Its volume decreases as it cools, and you will have slightly less than one cup of finished syrup.)
Notes
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You might also like these autumn-inspired recipes:
Apple Cider Glazed Roasted Carrots
Spiced Hot Apple Cider
Apple Cider Harvest Soup
Apple Cider Pumpkin Butter