Cold crisp fall days with bright blue skies welcome many joys with the change of seasons. As winter quickly approaches a final romp in the countryside is just what the doctor orders for good health. And that good health begins with apples.
A perfect family adventure the kids will love is a trip to an apple orchard to pick their own apples. The Hamptons rolling farmland is flush with apple orchards which flank the vineyards and pumpkin farms. A family adventure could turn out to have many nice side trips where ever your are.
Once the apples have been picked, the adventure just begins. Start a new annual outing by making your very own apple cider. As you look for little warmth to shake off falls chilling breeze, a hot cup of homemade apple cider will delight one's senses. And the smell of apples, cinnamon, and cloves will freshen the air in any home.
We like our Prince of Scots Apple Cider Recipe because one…. it is easy to make and second it is an activity everyone will enjoy and love to taste. You will need a crockpot for this project. Yes I know this is the Hamptons but we like life easy sometimes too. Set a crockpot full of our recipe right before bed and wake up to wonderful aroma the next morning.
Ingredients
- 6 quart slow cooker (reduce the amounts for a smaller cooker)
- 12 medium size sweet apples (Fuji, honeyscrisp, gala… best to use a variety)
- 2 oranges
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1 TBSP whole cloves
- 1 TBSP whole allspice
- 2 inch knob of fresh ginger (optional)
- 1 cup of brown sugar (optional. You can make with out sugar and it is delicious! but if you like your cider sweet, add sugar as desired.)
- Carmel Topping
- Whipped Cream
Directions
- Chop apples and oranges into large chunks
- Put apples, oranges, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, and sugar (if using) in the slow cooker.
- Fill the slow cooker with enough water to cover all of the apples. It should fill it pretty much to the brim of the pot.
- Turn it on high and put the lid on.
- Allow brewing for 8-12 hours. (12 hours is best and even longer would be fine too!)
- You can serve directly out of the slow cooker skimming the cider off the top and leaving the fruit in the pot. You can also strain the cider and discard the fruit and put the cider back in the crockpot. There will be some pulp left in the cider. If you prefer a very clear cider strain into a cheese clothe.
- Top with whipped cream and Carmel Sauce
- If you have left over cider you may store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Makes a little over a half gallon.
