Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-10-15
farm AND FIRESlDE,
How to Preserve Cider.

The Scientific Ame19can' good
authority, gives the following for
the preservation of cider: A pure,
sweet cider is only obtainable from
clean. sound fruit, and the fruit
should be carefully examined and
wiped before the grinding. In the
press, use the hair cloth or guhny
in place of straw. As the cider
runs from the press let it pass
through hair seive into a large
open vessel that will hold as much
Juice as can be expressed in one
day or sometimes less the pomace
will rise to the top, and in a short
time grow very thick.
When little white bubbles break
through it, draw off the liquid
through a very small spigOt placed
about three inches from the bottom,
so that the bees may be left at be-
hind. The cider must lie drawn off
into a very clean sweet casks, and
closely watched. The moment the
white bubbles, before mentioned,are
perceived rising at the bunghole,
rack it again.It is usually necessa-
ry to repeat this three times. Then
fill up the cash with cider in every
respect like that contained IN it;add
tumbler of warm sweet oil. and
bung up tight. For very fine cider
it is customary to add at this stage
ofthe process about a half pound
Of glucose Starch sugar, or small
Ter portion of white sugar. The
casks should then be allowed TO re-
main in a cool place until the cider
has acquired the desired flavor. In
the meantime clean barrels for its
reception should be as follows {;
some clean strips of rags are dip
ped in melted sulphur, lighted and
burned on the bunghole, and the
bung laid loosely on the end of the
rag so as to retain the sulphur va
por within the barrel. Then tie
up half pound of mustard seed IN
a coarse mustard bag. and put 1t in
he barrel, fill the barrel with cider,
add about a quarter of isinglass or
fine gelatine dissolved in hot water.
This is the old fashioned way, and
will keep cider in the same condi-
ton as when it went into the bar
rel, if kept in a cool place, tor a
year. Professional cider makers are
now using calcium (sulphate OF
lime) instead of mustard and sui
phur vapor. 1t is much more con-
veniant and efectnal. To use it is
simply requisite to add one-eighth
to one-quarter Of an ounce of the
sulphite to each gallon Of cider in
the cask, first mixing the powder in
about a Quart of the cider, then
pouring it back into the cask and
giving the latter a thorough shaking
or rolling. After standing bunged
several days TO allow the sulphite
to exert its full action, it may be
blotted off, The sulphite of lime
(which should not be mistaken for
the sulphate Of lime) is a CONNER
cial article, costing about forty
cents a pound by the barrel. 1t
will preserve the sweetness Of the
cider perfectly, but unless care is
taken not too add too much of it, it
will impart a slight sulphurous
taste TO the cider, The bottles and
corks used should be perfectly
clean, and corks wired down. A
little cinnamon, wintergreen OF sas-
safras, etc, is often added to sweet
cider in the bottle, together with
drachm or so of bicarbonate, of soda,
at moment of driving the stopper.
This helps to naturalize free acids,
and renders the liquid efervescent
when unstopered, but if used in
excess it may prejudicially affect
the taste.