Hard Cider: Part 1

On Tuesday, i whipped up a small batch of 'starter' that i used the next day to start some hard cider and get my vinegar going a little more quickly. I'm worried that our apartment is going to be just too cold for fermentation, but i'm not paying a higher electricity bill just to get some hooch and vinegar. ;)

I started three vessels - the left is a gallon jar half filled with cider, with a tiny splash of yeast starter added and covered with a cheesecloth. This is destined for vineger.  The middle is simmered cider and honey with starter added, covered with cheesecloth to see what happens when attempting hard cider with the presence of air and wild yeast. The right is a gallon carboy filled with simmered cider and honey plus yeast starter (too much!) and topped with an airlock.

Last Night - already fizzing

I certainly didn't have to worry about fermentation getting going, granted I am still at the farm where it's a bit warmer inside than our apartment. Now i'm worried that i most likely added too much yeast, and i don't know how that will affect the cider. More alcohol? Less? Nasty taste? Better taste? It's bubbling away like crazy, and I hope i wasn't foolish to start it one place with a bumpy drive back to our apartment. Yeah, that was foolish. Cross your fingers it makes it back home in tact.

This morning - really bubbling, now!

Have you ever attempted hard cider before? How did it work out? I got my instructions from Mother Earth News and a few other online resources. I'm about to research what may happen to my overly yeasted cider - and i'll keep y'all posted with my progress. We'll check back to see how the cider and vinegar are panning out next week. Fermentation will supposedly be done in about 3 weeks - we'll see!    Please comment with any tips/suggestions if you have them!

This post is part of the Simple Lives Thursday blog hop.

COMING SOON: New Mini Co-op to Purchase Goods from the Austin Homestead

Hi folks!
I'm happy to announce that my entrepreneurial spirit is in full swing. As loyal readers, you know that i am the happy mother of 4 beautiful hens, and an experimenter and succeeder in the brewing of Kombucha Tea (KT). Since I live alone with my husband and animals - we simply have more KT and eggs (in theory, they're not quite laying YET) than we can consume in a hasty fashion. I don't, however, make enough of any of these consumables to warrant a full scale advertising corporate identity or even farm stand, nor guarantee availability at all times.

That being said: I would love to form a small scale, local co-op to partake in purchasing and consuming of my wares - for your benefit and for mine. You will help me pay for the things that make my life more fulfilling and healthy, and bring something healthful into your own home while buying as "local" as it gets.

Wares I will have available for purchase will vary with the season, but will rotate around these assorted items: Kombucha Tea, flavored and unflavored, bottled by me or bottled into your bottle at a discount (you can bring bottles as a deposit towards next time, or have me fill it on sight), Yard Fresh Eggs, by the dozen, half dozen, or even by the egg if you don't mind skipping the fancy egg carton, freshly made pasta and pesto, seasonal produce, maybe even cheese! I also crochet beverage cozies that are great for personal use or as gifts, among other silly and useful crafty things.

I will create a google document that you can simply open up online and place your order. The spreadsheet will tally your totals and orders will be filled upon availability. I will do my best to keep the spreadsheet current by week, and if something is unavailable when you want it, you will be sure to get first dibs the following week.   This document will also be an easy way to 'tell your friends' and they can request participation in the co-op as well.  As we go along I'll have a better idea of exactly how much KT i can really bottle in a week - and luckily it keeps in the fridge so i can bottle as it comes and save it up for the weekend.  I'm still working out the kinks - but I will either set up a set time to meet co-op members at an established locale, or set up  'open hours' Saturday afternoons to coincide with the farmers market schedules.

I am open to comment and suggestion, so please let me know your interests, needs, and preferences, and feel free to give me any ideas about facilitating local goodnesses.

Would this be something you'd be interested in? Do you have friends that are looking for a local source for KT or even scobies to purchase for their own homebrew? Would you buy local, yard eggs for about $3 a dozen? Let me know!