Apple cider warms the soul on a crisp fall morning.  Aromas in my kitchen are an elegant dance of fresh apple and cinnamon spice.  The rust colored skyline meets with the golden harvest of the season as fall appears.

With a bushel of Jonathan apples, from our oldest fruit tree on the farm, I wanted to make a batch of cider to preserve their flavor and welcome autumn.  They are my husband’s favorite.  This apple is a classic American Heirloom variety that has sweetness with a touch of tart.  It balances the flavor and makes them a perfectly delicious apple.

I made two batches, with different ingredients, to see which recipe we liked best.  What I came up with were equally amazing.  The one batch resembles a wassail and the other leans towards a more traditional cider.  You can make both recipes and decide for yourself!  Enjoy!

Jonathan Apple Wassail

• 10-12 apples, quartered
• ½ an orange, quartered
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• ½ Cup brown sugar
• 1 T ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 8-10 Cups of water

Jonathan Apple Cider

• 10-12 apples, quartered
• ¾ Cup sugar
• 1 T ground cinnamon
• 1 T ground allspice
• 8 Cups water

Cut your choice of apples into quarters.  Don’t worry about peeling or seeding at this point. Everything will cook down and you will remove when you strain them.  Place apples, sugar, spices, and water into a slow cooker.  The aroma throughout the day is amazing, but you can also cook either recipe over the stove for a quicker batch.

Cook on medium to high for 4 hours.  At this time remove the apples and mash.  You can use a potato masher or immersion blender; either will do the trick.  Don’t worry about straining just yet.  Put your apple mash back into the crock pot and cook down for 2-4 more hours.  The longer you wait, the more intense the apple flavor, and delicious in my opinion.

After cooking, strain the liquid and remove all stems, seeds, and debris.  You can enjoy either recipe hot or chill in the refrigerator.