Iowa Gardening For Good

Preserving the juice

 

 

 

Once you have cider that has been filtered and pasteurized, you are ready to put the juice into containers.  If you pasteurized it, realize you may want it to cool down for awhile before you put it into containers.

 

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After the cider has cooled down a little, it can be poured into the containers. A funnel can be very helpful.  It still is difficult to pour from a big pot - especially when full, so you may want to use a ladle to lower the level in the pot before trying to pour out of a pot.

Milk, water and juice containers are good options to hold the cider. Just make sure they are very clean if they had juice or milk in them before.  Containers with screw caps may help reduce any leakage.

All containers should have a date on them.  Making your own label can give it that personal touch and can be easily created with personal printers.  Wait until the jugs are filled, cool, and wiped off to stick the label on.

To extend the shelf life of the cider (for Thanksgiving or Christmas) you may want to freeze it.  Because the cider will expand when frozen, you should leave some empty space in the containers you plan to freeze.