Crock Pot Apple Cider

Ingredients
• 10 gala apples, or fuji apples, cored and cubed
• 4 granny smith apples, cored and cubed
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 piece of ginger, thumb sized, peeled and sliced
• 2 teaspoons whole clove (optional)
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 8 cups water
• 1 cup brown sugar (I used xylitol due to my family’s sugar sensitivities)
• 1 Orange sliced (optional)

Preparation
1. Place the apples, cinnamon sticks, ginger, cloves, and salt in an 8-quart (7.5-liters) crock pot. Pour the water over the apples.

2. Cover and cook on high for at least 12 hours, or overnight (up to 24 hours). I cook mine for 24 hours.

3. Remove the solids from the cider. Place them in a cheese cloth, pressing the pulp extracting as much liquid as possible.

4. Whisk in the brown sugar (or your choice of sugar supplement) until dissolved. Add in slices of oranges for about an hour (you don’t want them in there for too long because it will taste like the peel).

5. Serve hot, or store in the refrigerator to serve later.