A gallon of apple cider is made from approximately one-third of a bushel, or 36 apples. Composed of these fruits and nothing else, apple cider has no cholesterol and is a good source of potassium and iron.
To make cider, producers first grind washed and cut apples to an applesauce-like consistency. They then layer the mash, wrap it in cloth, and load it onto wooden racks to be squeezed by a hydraulic press. As the juice flows, they collect it in refrigerated tanks. Though this fresh cider can be bottled and sold, some of it may be filtered to remove solids and pasteurized to make apple juice.
