Midwest Chick's Place

(A.K.A. Non-Original Rants)

–Co-opting good stuff from all over the ‘Net and maybe some original thoughts—ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

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In search of….

I don’t know how many of you saw the old British comedy CHEF!.  In any case, during one episode, he scours the seedy underbelly of rural England in search of unpasteurized Stilton for a particular recipe.

I go on a similar quest in the fall–looking for unpasteurized apple cider.  Something that is incredibly hard to find due to regulations regarding cider.  Yes, regulations.  For cider.  For fuck’s sake.

I used to have a line on this elusive item and scored once a year.  As a backup, there was a place in Michigan that used UV instead of pasteurization, so it retained the true, unheated flavor of the cider.

However, the guy that used to make it has passed.  And the place in Michigan, which used to have the cider, as well as tacos and homemade donuts, is now a thrice-damned shi-shi wine bar (like Michigan truly needed another wine bar).

It’s possible to find local cider, but it’s pasteurized.  While Pasteur did a good thing with his process and saved a lot of people from being sick, as a somewhat fully functional adult, I think I should have the choice as to what I drink and take the chance.

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Midwest Chick

12 responses to “In search of….”

  1. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Ahhhh, my dad has a home cider press that's been in the family since around 1900 very similar to this:https://www.myeasternshoremd.com/news/queen_annes_county/article_c1871457-0b83-587d-9b11-bee3bbddc64c.htmlHe's almost 85 but he still gets a kick out of grinding apples and making cider every fall. We drink some of it unpasteurized, but boil it to preserve it.

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  2. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Right now in my county the Amish are driving around the county pedaling their own homemade non-pasteurized cider for two bucks per gallon . The reason the state insists on pasteurization is because of a disease that folk get when the wild deer piss on the apples laying on the ground . Well, Mr Amishman knows this and his orchards have mean assed dogs prowling around all night long . These dogs have learned that when they kill a deer the kind Mr Amishman will cut it up and feed his dogs scrumptious wild raw deer meat for another month . And Mr Amishmans cider has no deer piss disease and it sells for two bucks per gallon while the stores are selling the deer piss , er, I mean the pasteurized cider for seven bucks per gallon . This is the underground economy . It works .

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  3. Avatar
    Anonymous

    I can travel an hour up the road to a apple orchard and buy the raw cider. I do tell them I am using it to make hard cider so they will not use the enzyme to extract more juice or run it through the pasteurisation process.

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  4. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Also, a fine fall/winter treat is some warm apple cider with a shot of bourbon in it.

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  5. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Love warm cider in the winter!!! We don't get a 'choice' down here… sigh

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  6. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Matthew–I'm going to get a small counter-top press and try it out. Won't be exactly the same, but hopefully close enough. I like my cider with some mulling spices and a little rum….robehr–I'm honestly only an hour and a bit from an Amish community. Maybe I need to road trip a bit further out…Tsquared–Interesting! Hard cider is my beverage of choice if I'm drinking alcohol.NFO–Nothing beats it. It is one advantage of living a little more northwards.

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  7. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Ahhhh, my dad has a home cider press that's been in the family since around 1900 very similar to this:https://www.myeasternshoremd.com/news/queen_annes_county/article_c1871457-0b83-587d-9b11-bee3bbddc64c.htmlHe's almost 85 but he still gets a kick out of grinding apples and making cider every fall. We drink some of it unpasteurized, but boil it to preserve it.

    Like

    Reply
  8. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Right now in my county the Amish are driving around the county pedaling their own homemade non-pasteurized cider for two bucks per gallon . The reason the state insists on pasteurization is because of a disease that folk get when the wild deer piss on the apples laying on the ground . Well, Mr Amishman knows this and his orchards have mean assed dogs prowling around all night long . These dogs have learned that when they kill a deer the kind Mr Amishman will cut it up and feed his dogs scrumptious wild raw deer meat for another month . And Mr Amishmans cider has no deer piss disease and it sells for two bucks per gallon while the stores are selling the deer piss , er, I mean the pasteurized cider for seven bucks per gallon . This is the underground economy . It works .

    Like

    Reply
  9. Avatar
    Anonymous

    I can travel an hour up the road to a apple orchard and buy the raw cider. I do tell them I am using it to make hard cider so they will not use the enzyme to extract more juice or run it through the pasteurisation process.

    Like

    Reply
  10. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Also, a fine fall/winter treat is some warm apple cider with a shot of bourbon in it.

    Like

    Reply
  11. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Love warm cider in the winter!!! We don't get a 'choice' down here… sigh

    Like

    Reply
  12. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Matthew–I'm going to get a small counter-top press and try it out. Won't be exactly the same, but hopefully close enough. I like my cider with some mulling spices and a little rum….robehr–I'm honestly only an hour and a bit from an Amish community. Maybe I need to road trip a bit further out…Tsquared–Interesting! Hard cider is my beverage of choice if I'm drinking alcohol.NFO–Nothing beats it. It is one advantage of living a little more northwards.

    Like

    Reply

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