1. Prep fruit: Wash apples and orange well. Cut apples into quarters, removing the core (do not peel). Cut the orange into quarters and remove seeds (do not peel).
2. Combine: Add everything into a large pot.
3. Simmer: Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 2 hours.
4. Mash: Use a potato masher to break down softened fruit, or press the fruit against the sides of the pot with a large serving fork. If desired, fish out the vanilla bean and scrape the vanilla paste out of it, or just leave it as is if you don’t want extra vanilla flavor.
5. Let it sit: Let the apple cider (with all the fruit still in it) cool down for an hour without stirring. This gives more time for all the flavors to meld and allows it to cool a little before straining – but it’ll still be warm for serving.
6. Strain: Carefully strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl, pressing the mashed fruit to release extra juice. Set aside all the mashed fruit to make applesauce if you want (see notes). Strain the apple cider liquid another 1-2 times to remove extra sediment. Or, if you want it super pure with no pulp or sediment at all, then strain through a cheesecloth.
7. Serve warm, or cool and refrigerate for up to 5 days. This recipe also freezes well — store cooled cider in freezer-safe jars for up to 3 months.

Notes:

• For the leftover fruit pieces – I used all the leftover, mashed up fruit to make applesauce! Here’s how: Remove all the orange peels, cloves, allspice, vanilla bean, cinnamon sticks, and ginger, leaving just the mashed apples (and leaving the apple skin is fine too). Do this meticulously so you don’t miss anything – then slowly, little by little, scrape the mashed apples into a blender, watching for any other cloves or allspice (or possible orange seeds) that may have hidden. Blend or pulse until it reaches desired texture, whether you like the classic textured applesauce or a smooth puree. Refrigerate and eat within 5 days, or freeze small portions for up to 3 months.
  • I avoided using a cheesecloth to further strain the mashed fruit so that I could make a spiced applesauce out of all the extra fruit. If you used a cheesecloth to strain it and really got all the juice out of all the mashed fruit, then it may be too dry to make applesauce – but you can still use it in some recipes if you want, such as adding to pancake batter.