Real apple cider has a taste all its own. Apple juice, which we get with kid's meals from Culver's (we're not proud, they're very good little suppers) is tasty but it doesn't compare to cider.
Last fall my spouse and I were astonished to learn that the Amish market where we bought fresh pressed cider, usually on Wednesday afternoons because they pressed it on Wednesday mornings, would no longer be able to sell cider because what they were selling wasn't "pasturized."
It was bad enough the one Wednesday we drove over only to learn that they were sold out. A gentleman had come in just before us and bought their last 20 gallons. They suspected that he was going to sell it by the glass in his restaurant, but maybe he was just going to have a really big party? That really wasn't the seller's concern.
But not being able to sell it because it's not pasturized surprised us. You pasturize milk and other dairy products. It's a mild heat treatment process that kills harmful pathogens and spoilage microbes in foods and beverages to make them safe and extend their shelf life.
In our household extended shelf life has never been a problem when it comes to cider. We like it heated with a cinnamon stick added or cold, it's all so good. I don't know if the owners of our favorite Amish market are now pasturizing their cider, or if that requirement was changed, but my spouse was delighted to find it for sale when he went to the market today, and I'm happy to report that it tastes just as delicious as ever. Pasturized or not, we will definitely keep buying it until the season is over. Cheers!
In case you're wondering, yes it does taste different and better than the cider that you can buy at Krogers. Nothing against Krogers, we buy most of our groceries there, but I'm sure their cider is pasturized.
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