This is the first installment Fermentation Friday, a semi-permanent feature I hope will provide weekend projects and, in some cases, future party fun. This will last at least a couple of months and will feature alcoholic beverages, kombucha, kimchi and yogurt to name a few. I hope you’re ready to have a blast!

I’m going to start off with the easiest trick in the book: hard cider.

All you need:

• apple juice (unpasteurised is good, pasteurized is ok but no preservatives or it just won’t work)
• cheesecloth, coffee filter or some thin cloth-like item.
• twine or rubber band
• yeast — only if you got pasteurized juice. Some swear by brewers yeast, but bread yeast does the trick in a pinch, thankyouverymuch.
  

  before drinking cider

1. Buy or make some apple juice (and anything else you might need from above list). The juice might seem expensive, but that’s just because there’s no alcohol in it yet.
2. If you got unpasteurized cider, skip to step 4.
3. If you have pasteurized juice, hydrate the yeast by putting it in a little (1/3 cup or less) water that’s warm to the touch. Add a healthy pinch of sugar and your yeast will be very happy.  They will grow and reproduce and make little yeast families in little yeast cities. This is good for your cider. Add the yeast to the juice.
   

   cider to be

4. Cover the mouth of the jug with your cheesecloth, secure with twine. This is to stop spores and critters from getting in.
5. Wait. Depending on your process, fermentation should begin somewhere between a day and a week. If you used yeast, fermentation will happen very quickly. You’ll likely end up with a brown froth. Use a clean, sanitized spoon or knife to remove — it’s a sign that the fermentation process has taken off!
6. Check and taste every day or two. This is a fun way to get to know the process. The drink will go from sweet to bubbly and then full blown cider (around day 5 if you started with yeast).
   

   after drinking cider

7. Drink up! Alternatively, you can let it age.
8. You’ll want to bottle what you can’t  drink so that your cider doesn’t turn to vinegar (still useful, but not quite as much of a prize). If you don’t have beer bottling equipment, you can just put the top back on your cider jug and store in a cupboard or the fridge. Bottling will also get your cider a little more carbonated. Feel free to check and taste from time to time.