<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

If you are adventurous enough to want to make your own
cider, you may be interested in the advice a member of a
certain software list contributed there (with his permission):

<snip>
I wouldn't go so far as to call (this) a recipe.  .  .  With a
recipe, there's some expectation that the results will be good,
predictable, or even repeatable.  That's not at all the case with
homebrew cider.<snip>

Apple harvest always starts in August with the summer varieties:
Yellow Transparent, Paula Red, Jersey Macs, etc.  You don't want to
make cider with any of them.  You want to wait until later in the
fall, when the classic cider varieties are availble:  Russets,
Winesaps, Mutsu, and my personal favorites, Baldwin.  Throw in a few
wild apples for tartness and tannin.  Extend as needed with Golden
Delicious, Macintosh, or some other cheap and widely available
variety.  (But please, not Red Delicious).

Frost doesn't make the difference.  It's the varieties that matter.
They should also be good sound apples, with only a few Big Hairy
Bugs.  Squash them all together and put the resulting fluid in an
airtight container in the coldest part of your cellar, unless that
would present a risk of freezing (hint:  apple juice freezes at 28F,
not 32).  Wait until the new moon in April to check the cider.  It
might be ready then, and it might need a few more weeks.  If your
luck is like mine was last year, it will never be ready.  <snip>

For what it's worth, I make mine in a six-gallon glass carboy with a
water-bubble airlock on top.

When homemade cider works, it's a million times better than anything
you can get in the stores.  When it doesn't it's awful, and it's a
lot of effort to go through on the chance you might get something
great.

People who make beer are usually terrible cider makers, because they
want to tweek this and adjust that -- they're control freaks.  You
can't do that with cider.  Either the apples work, or they don't.
Patience and a willingness to accept failure is the key.

Bill F.