CIDER PRODUCTS MADE ON THE FARM 
New York Experiment Station recom- 
mends the following as one of the most 
satisfactory methods of making vinegar: 
When cider is pressed from the apples 
the barrels should be filled about two- 
thirds full and the bung replaced by a 
loose plug of cotton, which will lessen 
evaporation and keep out bugs and dirt. 
When the quantity of vinegar to be made 
is considerable the barrels should be 
placed in a room where the temperature 
can be kept at from 70 degrees to 80 
degrees during the fall and early winter 
months. If the batch is small the bar- 
rels may be left out of doors while the 
weather is warm and then placed in the 
warmest room convenient and later in a 
dry cellar. If the temperature of the 
storeroom does not fall below 45 degrees 
the conversion of the sugar into alcohol 
will require about six months, but the 
process of fermentation may be hastened 
by the addition of fresh commercial yeast. 
When the cider quits working the clear 
portion should be drawn off, the barrel 
rinsed out and the liquid replaced, with 
the addition of from two to four quarts 
of good vinegar containing some mother. 
The next process, the change of the al- 
cohol into acetic acid, may be effected 
in three months, and may require two 
years. In any event, it will take place 
most rapidly in a temperature ranging 
from 65 degrees to 75 degrees 
When the vinegar has reached the per 
cent of acetic acid, the barrels should be 
filled full and tightly corked. This will 
prevent other changes and will cause the 
vinegar to keep its strength. 
Cider Apple Butter 
Takes about one gallon of apples, peel- 
ed, cored and quartered, for three gallons 
of cider. But apples differ. When using 
sweet russets for thickening, it only takes 
about eight gallons of apples to thirty of 
cider. In hot weather, cider should be 
boiled down to one-third, the same day it 
is made, then left in stone jars until morn- 
ing. In cool weather it may be left in 
barrel in shade until next day. Run 
cider out of barrel and strain through a 
poke made of towel Boil in copper kettle, 
S11 
freshly scoured with salt and vinegar. 
Kettle must not stand after being scour- 
ed, but fire and cider must be all ready 
for it. Cider must not stand in kettle 
without boiling, or it will have a bitter 
taste and be poisonous. Put apples all 
in cider at once, after it is boiled down, 
but save out some cider to fill in with 
and to keep it from boiling over. Apples 
will rise in kettle as they boil to cook, 
but will soon go down again. It will take 
about four hours’ constant cooking and 
stirring to make it so it will keep through- 
out the next summer. When done dip 
out into stone jars. Next day heat jars 
in oven of cook stove, tie up and put away. 
Skim cider while boiling. 
Never allow a chunk or stick to touch 
kettle, or your butter will scorch. Turn 
kettles upside down on grass. Clean next 
morning while grass is wet. If you do 
not make your butter so thick, put it in 
jars with stone lids and seal same as 
fruit. If cider stands all night after it 
is boiled, let it get hot before putting in 
apples, and scour kettle before beginning 
again. 
Apple Butter 
Take eight gallons of cider, boil two 
hours, add ten gallons of ground apples, 
cook until done in a brass kettle, and 
add 16 pounds of sugar, either soft 
white or granulated. When done the 
apple butter may be flavored by adding 
cinnamon. This amount makes eight gal- 
lons of apple butter. 
Tomato Butter 
To two gallons of cooked apples and two 
gallons of tomatoes, cooked and pressed 
through colander, four sliced lemons, add 
sugar until as sweet as desired, flavor 
with cinnamon, cook until it thickens and 
then can. 
Peach Butter 
Pare, stone and cook peaches until 
tender, then press through colander. 
Measure out as much sugar as peaches, 
after they are cooked. Add one-half of 
the sugar and cook one-half hour, then 
add the rest of the sugar and cook from 
one hour to one and one-half hours, or 
until thick; then can. 
