Evening star., 1933-10-29

the Juice from apples and Nature does
the rest, merely by using little time.
Indeed, Without an effort one cannot
prevent the manufacture Of hard cider:
it is an automatic operation. As time
Inc headieSt heights. In rural dNllltu
still. come Winter, many a farmer fur
ther raises the potency of his cider oy
putting 1t cat OF doors on very cold
nights or days. Winter freezes II, and
the process separates the water ard
concentrates the alcoholic portion. The
ice formed from the water can be
chipped off, leaving about as high-pow-
cred a product as can be found any
where in the world.
Methods Of Preservation.
The Department of Agriculture has
heard that many people are interested
in keeping cider sweet. 1t has made a
study of processes, and can give full
instructions on methods. There is no
reason, says the department, why cider
should not be available in sweet or un-
fermented form throughout the year,
but it cannot be kept so without some
little effort. There are two methods,
the use Of chemicals which arrest fer
mentation and the process Of pasteur-
ization.
Chemicals which arrest fermentation
are salicylic acid, formic acid, benzoic
acid, boric acid, sulphurous acid and
some others.s These have the desired
effect, but the pure food and drug act
does not permit sale of cider containing
these acids because they are known to
be deleterious to health. However, sui
phur dioxide end benzoate Of soda,
which also arrest fermentation, are per-
mitted. If the cider is for sale in in
terstate commerce, and contains these
permissible chemicals. 1t must be so
labeled Cider containing the others
cannot be sold at all.
The department more strongly recon-
mends the pasteurization method which
does not employ acids at all but, by the
process, eliminates from the cider the
particles which cause fermentation
The department has available book
let explaining in every detail the process
of cider pasteuriZation. In general
terms it can be simply described. 1t is
important to use only sound fruit which
should be somewhat ripper than the
stage, for market picking, but not ripe
enough to fall. Rotten apples should
never be used. Several kinds Of ap-
pies should be used to assure the proper
blend of sugar. tannin and acid content,
the indispensable ingredients OF good
cider.
The apples should be washed thor
oughly and the cider press should be
kept clean. Fermentation is caused by
foreign matter of many kinds and the
purpose is to exclude as much as pos
sible. The cider press should be kept
especially clean.
After the juice has been expressed
from the apples, it is advisable to allow
it to stand in settling jars or vats to
permit the sediment, consisting OF hnely
divided bits of the apple, to settle. The
greater the degree of Qualification, the
greater the keeping qualities Will be.
Finally there should be two pasteuriza-
ton operations, the first heating TO
reach ITO degrees and the second 400
degrees.
Although sweet cider doubtless would
be highly palatable in the Summer.
after all Summer is a mint season. II
one is a purist in such matters one Will
follow the seasons through and drink
his cider under the harvest and the
hunters moons. but the Department OF
Agriculture gives assurance that IT can
DEFY Nature. OF course. there will al
ways be some people who do not care
how hard cider gets.