h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You know how it is with DIY projects. You talk about them for ages, you go out and get hold of the equipment, you find excuses for not doing it for a while and eventually you buckle under and get on with it. This weekend we finally got our act together and got the job done. Now we have a demi-john mostly full of apple juice and it's a waiting game until it ferments itself out and turns into cider.

We've been planning this for ages, even planted a cider apple tree in our mini-orchard along with the standard cookers and eaters. Our own trees are fruiting nicely but at two years old aren't providing enough for making cider yet. So we supplemented our own supply with a load of apples from a pick-your-own Cheshire fruit farm, some bags of apples from the local greengrocer and a few crab apples from the village trees.

The DIY cider making itself was a straightforward job of chopping apples, breaking them into smaller bits in the food processor and then forcing the juice out of them in a little fruit press we borrowed. (Thanks Pastey ) A few samples taken to measure acidity (quite) and potential alcohol (could get to about 7.5%) and now it will be left alone in a corner of the kitchen for a while, until if all goes to plan, it turns into cider