Settlers moving west turned to beer because there were no mature apple trees. Over time, the increasing concentration of the population in cities reduced cider consumption. This was because it was consumed primarily in the farm communities where the orchards were and the census there decreased. For hard cider the juice is transferred to a vat or keg for maturation and fermentation. The difference between apple juice and cider is that cider is not cooked.
Apple juice is cooked and goes through a canning process.
Surprisingly, for some who hear the term, there is no butter in apple butter. It's a mixture of cooked down apples, spices such as ginger and cinnamon and a little cider for thickening. For added flavor, she likes to include hard winter apples like Cortlands, Macs and Northern Spys in applesauce that s to be used for apple butter. It takes three to four hours on top of the stove and must be stirred frequently. Sue told us that instead of using sugar or brown sugar, she adds apple cider.