Apples, glorious apples

You need only look at cider and apple juice to know that they’re different. One is clear; one is not. Cider is the raw, unrefined cousin of the smoother, more transparent juice. Cider is also more ephemeral, and is most popular at this time of year, when backyard cider presses are being used to squeeze the vitamin-rich nectar from heavily laden apple trees.
From a taste and texture point of view, these two drinks are dramatically different. From a nutritional point, the differences vary depending on who made your cider, and when and how they made it.
Most genuine local cider is going to be sugar-free and unpasteurized. For some folks, these alone are powerful enticements to choose the thick brown juice over the thinner, paler yellow drink.
Fresh cider requires more vigilance, however. You have to keep it constantly refrigerated; and you need to toss it within two weeks, if it’s truly farm-fresh. In reality, though, many cider drinks are actually national brands that have been designed to have a longer shelf life.
How do you know? As with all packaged foods, read the label. And don’t make assumptions. Motts is probably the world’s most famous manufacturer of apple juice, but don’t assume its juice is full of sugar and chemicals (it’s not). If you’re shopping at a farmstand, ask questions — that’s supposed to be the advantage of shopping from local growers. You might discover that what you thought was cider made from local apples has in fact been imported from another state. Nothing wrong with that, of course, unless you’re determined only to eat foods grown in local soil, with pollination by native bees.
Overall, apples are actually as good for you as they’re supposed to be. Not only are they filled with cancer-fighting nutrients and antioxidants, they’re also loaded with fiber, which helps keep your blood pressure low and your heart and digestive system functioning properly.
A study by the University of Massachussets also claims that eating two to four apples a day can help strengthen your brain and protect against age-related memory loss.
I’ve found that this year’s local apples are exceptionally sweet and full of flavor, and I’ve been making vats of applesauce (which freezes particularly well; Jill Goodman of radio station WHDD-robinhoodradio.com likes to eat it frozen, as apple sorbet, garnished with a bit of fresh mint). If you’re lucky enough to have good apples, you don’t need to add sugar. If you want to let your dinner guests sweeten their own sauce, keep some simple sugar around (boil two parts sugar to one part water until the sugar melts; store in a jar in the ’fridge, almost indefinitely).

                                                                                  Applesauce
                                                  Adapted from “The Joy of Cookingâ€

The recipe in “Joy of Cooking†calls for 2.5 pounds of apples, but it really doesn’t matter how many apples you use. Peel, core and quarter as many apples as you want (if you mix several varieties, your sauce will have a more interesting flavor). Almost cover the apples with water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and partially cover. Simmer until soft and fragrant. Remove the apples from the water with a slotted spoon and purée them in a blender or food processor. If you’re freezing your sauce, store it in small containers so you can defrost what you want more quickly, and in quantities that will be easy to polish off once they’re defrosted (unless of course you decide to go the sorbet route).