Crock Pot Apple Cider

We are coming up on our second year in New England and the Fall weather is upon us. I have to say that I am a little bit excited to experience the Fall, again. The leaves changing and the events that come along with the season, like apple picking!

It was actually the last weekend for peach picking, and this was super enticing, however, apples just seemed fitting. I had on my cute fall outfit, not a summer, peach picking outfit.

So we set out for this adventure. One of the members in our monthly meeting mentioned this place, and it was only a 45 minute drive! Not bad! So, we headed to Stowe to an adorable Farm (which included bunnies!).

We settled for a peck (smaller size bag), which ended up giving us a little over 20 apples! When first entering the apple farm, there were Concords to our right and Mcintosh’s to our left. So we opted for both. The greeter informed us that the Concord’s were better for cooking, whereas the Mcintosh’s are sweeter and good for eating.

I looked up several recipes, and the amount that 20 apples provided is insane. So, here is one of four apple recipes I will be sharing! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 10 apples – I used a mixture between Concord and McIntosh
• ¼ cup sugar
• Pumpkin Spice
• Water
• Strainer

Directions:

1. Place chopped apples and spice in crock pot and pour water to cover apples.
2. Set crock pot on high for 4 hours.
3. Strain cider before serving.
4. Add sugar to taste.

Note: Some recipes I viewed said to use Cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, and whole cloves – I took the easy way out and added the pumpkin spice as it already includes all of this. If you do use the cinnamon sticks, they suggest using a cheese cloth.

Also, if you plan to just make cider, you do not have to peel or core your apple. However, I chose to make apple sauce and would highly recommend peeling and coring the apples.

The Cider should stay good for about a week in an air tight container.

Cheers!