Ever wonder what to do with that abundance of apples you picked from your local orchard, or that giant fairytale pumpkin you bought thinking you’d use it up in one shot? Or perhaps you bought apple cider on special and then realized you won’t drink it before it goes bad.
No worries! A recent article we wrote for Wolff’s Apple House shares tips on how to preserve apples, pumpkins, cider and even fall greens.
Ever since I moved to France I’ve been searching for fresh apple cider just like Weaver’s Orchard’s apple cider. It seemed to be that the options were either apple juice or hard cider. Finally this fall we stumbled upon a cider operation making fresh cider. But, since they mentioned that the fresh cider only lasts 2 days I only bought one liter. One liter! (Approximately a quart). That lasted us a day. And then I remembered it can be frozen. Doh! I spent the next 2 weeks searching for fresh apple cider. That particular place was set up one-day only for a charity fundraiser. It seems to be that fresh apple cider can only be purchased the same day it’s bottled – generally at an apple festival.
When I found the real deal, I got 15 liters this time. I followed Rebecca’s advice on Wolff’s blog and poured off the top inch or so of liquid into another plastic bottle, closed it back up and froze it. Since I’m pregnant, I do home pasteurize it before consuming it. Weaver’s apple cider is already UV treated to kill bacteria. All you have to do to pasteurize it is heat it to 160 degrees for one minute, then cool it down again. The taste remains the same for home pasteurization because the temperature isn’t as high, and the bottles don’t need to be sealed and therefore further cooked.
Learn more in that informative article about how to preserve applesauce and pumpkin. Remember: don’t can mashed pumpkin! It’s not acidic enough to prevent botulism. I learned this the hard way when all my pumpkin developed botulism and exploded in the pantry – thankfully before we ate any. Read up on the best practices for preserving pumpkin.