Cider for the Holidays

So going into the holidays, we decided that brewing up a few bottles of strawberry cider would be in the cards:

So here's some of the fixin's:  Organic apple juice, a cup of double strong tea. . .

And, of course, diced gala apples and strawberries.

So dutifully, we added some of Bauger's wonderful apple juice with a bit of strong tea and some chopped gala apples and frozen strawberries from summer. . .

Gotta love the stick blender.  We use it for everything.

Macerate well, pitch in a packet of Lalvin K1-V1116 wine yeast after rehydrating, a cup or so of brown sugar, and some raisens.

Here it is, perking away.

Snap on the lid and a fermentation lock, and watch it bubble away.  We'll strain it off the fruit at about a week and add a bit more sugar, then bottle it at two weeks or so, with a bit more sugar to give it a bit of fizz.  Should be ready for New Years. . . .

. . . .who am I kidding, it'll never last that long.

We survived another Turkey Day with friends (the good news is:  The dishes are done.  The bad news is:  It's time to eat again), and now we're back into our winter prep and working on designs for the NEXT boat we're building.  More on that later.

For the moment, it's chopping wood, tidying up stuff, and making ourselves snug for the winter.

enjoy.

M