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The cider making process has three main steps:
# Acquire apples
# Turn Grind apples to pulp# Smash Press the pulp to extract cider
== Acquiring apples ==
A good starting point for new cider makers is a mix of 50% sweet, 35% sharp, and 15% bitter apple varieties. However, feel free to experiment with whatever varieties and mixes you prefer.
It takes a lot of apples, about 14 pounds (or approximately 42 apples), to make 1 gallon of cider. We recommend beginners start with about 4 pounds of apples to make a quart of cider. While it is possible to buy apples at the store, it can be a lot more fun and a lot more affordable to buy local. A few apple orchards near Blacksburg include:
* Doe Creek Farm: Pick-your-own apples, Dwarf trees you can pick from the ground, $1/lb, Only 25 minutes from Blacksburg!, http://www.doecreekfarm.com/apples.php
* Johnson’s Orchard: Pick-your-own apples, $30/bushel, http://johnsonsorchards.com/index.html
Be sure to call ahead before visiting an orchard as not all varieties may be available and pick-your-own may be limited to certain days of the week.
== Turning Grinding Apples to Pulp ==
[[File:Cidermaking_scratter.jpg|thumb|Hacksburg's apple scratter for crushing apples into pulp|x300px|right]]
Before the apples can be pressed, they must be crushed into a pulp called the mash. There are many ways to do this.
A more recent method, and the one used at Hacksburg, uses an in-sink garbage disposal to create the mash. (The disposal was purchased new and was thoroughly cleaned before use!) We found this method to be cheaper than a purpose built scratter and much easier than other methods. The picture to the left shows the apple pulper in use at last year’s cider making event.
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== Smash Press the pulp to extract cider == [[File:Cidermaking_press.jpg|thumb|Apples Apple pulp being squeezed into cider on a DIY press|x300px|right]]
Now the fun part! To extract the juice from the apple mash, it must be pressed with a large amount of pressure. To do this, we built a cider press out of 2x4 lumber and a 4 ton hydraulic bottle jack.
