How to Store Apple Cider

Want to take advantage of today’s Flash Sale and stock up on Walhowdon Cider? You should! Here’s how to store and care for this seasonal favorite.

What Is Cider?

Fresh cider appeals to health-conscious people, who enjoy cider’s characteristic flavor and its 100% natural goodness.

Cider makers blend a number of apple varieties in order to achieve a balance of sweetness, tang, aroma, and body; and individual cider makers can create very different products based on the varieties they choose.

By definition, cider is a fresh-pressed product that has not been processed in any way. It naturally oxidizes to golden-brown color, and it is almost opaque because it still contains all the suspended solids from pressing. Once cider is cooked, the flavor changes and becomes apple juice. For this reason, true cider is sold refrigerated rather than heat-processed.

Some ciders have a preservative, such as sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate, added to slow down the natural process of yeast fermentation, which will eventually turn sweet apple cider into alcoholic hard cider. 

Storing Cider

Cider can be easily frozen! Just leave about 2-inches of head space for the cider to expand.

Cider can also be canned by using a boiling water bath canner. Place sterilized jars right side up on the rack of a water bath canner. Fill the canner and jars with hot (not boiling) water to 1-inch above the tops of the jars. Boil for 10 minutes. In a separate saucepan, heat cider to simmering, and then pour into hot sterile jars and processing in a boiling water bath: 5 minutes for pints and quarts; 10 minutes for half gallons. 

Flash Sales

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Emily Rogers

Emily Rogers is the Co-op's member education manager. Contact her at erogers at coopfoodstore dot com.

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