Cooking with cider #1

January 2, 2026

Pork Carnitas with Apple Salsa

This is the recipe to start this new blog out and it comes from the book Apples of Uncommon Character by Rowan Jacobsen

Here at Wooden Gate you have to know that Cider is one of our loves for sure but cooking is another. We have raised our food for decades now. Gardening and raising livestock and then filling our freezers and canning shelves really matters to us. Cooking delicious meals and sharing them with family and friends with all of our homegrown ingredients fills us with a sense of pride that makes all the hard work worth it. Did this love stem from our roots as homesteaders? Maybe it stemmed out of a need? Or necessity? Whatever the reason we have embraced it and it continues to be a very important part of who we are as people.

We are always trying new recipes and this one seemed perfect to share with you all as it combines many of the very things we make here and grow at Wooden Gate.

I found this recipe when digging through the book mentioned above, I was marking all the types of apple trees we have planted here and want to read more about each one. I knew when this book came in the mail that we would love it. There are many recipes in the back with apples and cider so my plan is to make some of them and share the process with you all. If you are as in love with apples and apple trees as we are then you might consider buying this book, it is already showing itself as a book that is going to get good and used.

I used Imperial Cider in this as well as Hidden Rose apples for the salsa part. We grew everything including the pigs so I had the pork butt and the lard, garlic, onions, and chile. We buy Los Comales Morales tortillas, they are in Winnipeg so when we see them at markets we always buy a few packs and throw them in the freezer. These handmade tortillas are perfect for this recipe.

Enjoy this recipe and send us pictures if you make it! Tell us what cider you used too!

Family notes about this dish: