Cider start with real crabs?

[regjill]

It seems that all the cider recipes call for store bought juice. Is it not safe to make your own from your own crabs? Now I am worried about contamination. How do I be sure that they are not contaminated? I have done the preliminary sterilization and cleaning. But I am pretty sure that some of those little buggers got back in. (bacteria i mean). They have been crushed and sitting in a water bath for two days and I have added 1 crushed campden tablets. Then I realized that I did not sterilize my spoon every time I stirred. Yikes!

 

[regjill]

ok ... so in Manitoba.....crabs are crab apples

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

You might have more luck posting in the cider forum!

Cheers

 

[itsratso]

you really had my worried there for a second. seafood cider gag

 

[ryanmbeal]

Make sure you don't use a store bought juice that contains Potassium Sorbate or it will not ferment.

Campden is what I use to kill off anything in my pressed cider, 1 tablet per gallon in the juice and let it sit for a few days. If you weren't careful with what you let contact the cider though who knows, hopefully the campden is still helping kill the bugs.

On the other hand myself and several other folks I know have good success not adding campden and not adding yeast, and letting the wild yeast on the apple skins do the fermenting. Always an experiment and slightly risky as to what result you'll get but it does typically work.