Cider Pressin'

[seedspreader]

I didn't mention it on here, (always meant to... LOL) but earlier this summer I picked up a press with a cider/fruit basket (HUGE) it is made of I-beams and has a huge screw on it. I will post pics later, but I am so excited... about a month and I will be pressing apples and word is getting out that I have this press, I have people saying... you can have all my apples if you give me some cider. Should be a good cider year.

Of course I don't plan on pasteurizing, except by defaut I will can some cider.

I don't have an "Apple Eater" to make the mash, but I have read a bunch of different ways people do it. I know some people buy a 3/4 horse garbage disposal and build their own, some use a box and a shovel. Do you have any suggestions?

How many of you own presses and make cider? Sound off, give me your recipes. I have a gentleman from church who usually takes his down to the Amish and they mix his pears to apples about 1 to 4. Do you have some good ideas? Good recipes.

All things cider go here. (please don't let this denegrate into a why pasteurization is good or evil)

The fruit basket I have probably will need a little refurbing, I though about taking it apart and sanding it all down or just bleaching the wood, do you just treat it will food grade mineral oil?

[Orville]

I use a fabric strainer in the basket...it makes pulp removal much easier. I know of one man who used empty cinnamon sacks to line the basket. They imparted a mild cinnamon flavor. Get a good apple grinder...it will greatly increase the juice yield over make-shift methods.

[Jen H]

You just knew I'd be chiming in here...

We have used the garbage disposal for apple grinding. It does work very well. Get yourself some regular apple juice to pour down with the apples at first to help keep the motor cool (as the day goes on, you'll have the juice from your own apples to use), and just expect it to shut down after 15 minutes or so of continuous running. That gives you time to get caught up with cutting the apples into chunks the disposal can handle and pressing the apples you've already ground up.

The press we used last year was a 2-cylinder hydraulic one my husband built. We used our Kubota tractor to power it. It worked great after we got the cylinders working together properly. Last winter we found a used grinder/press that my husband's madly trying to get put together and running -- we start picking in a couple of weeks.

I like my sweet cider on the tangy side, so I tend to use 3 parts tart apples to one part sweet. Or, actually, Stayman makes a tasty cider all by itself. For hard cider we aim for 1 part bitter, 2 parts sour, and 1 part sweet. The sweet flavor really disappears during fermentation and the bitter and sour mellow into each other while it's aging. I think, personally, the raisins and brown sugar that are sometimes added to hard cider just add strange flavors - I like a very traditional English style.

Joann's fabrics sells a strong mesh fabric that works great for press cloths. I'll see if I can find the link. Also, homebrew shops sell a food safe acid sanitizer that works great and doesn't react with the apple juice at all - Starsan is one brand name. Chlorine can react with the tannins in some apples and turn everything a strange shade of pink, so if you use bleach make sure you rinse it really well.

[gilberte]

We picked up a used Jaffrey press last year in like new condition for $100.00. We pressed out 35 gallons with it from our small 15 tree orchard and froze the cider in gallon plastic milk containers. No additives, tasted just like fresh right down to the last thawed gallon. Great warm with a little homemade maple syrup in front of the woodstove in February!

Never thought of mixing it with pears, we've got two pear trees and I can't wait to give it a try. We're still about three or four weeks from 'pressin'.

[MaryNY]

Around here, they say you shouldn't start to press until after the apples have been touched by frost. Even if they've already been picked, you let them sit out and let the frost do its work.

They also say that the specific combination of varieties of apples is what makes a certain flavor (I like the idea of the pears!). Some cider mills have certain "recipes" for the amount of each variety used and the flavor created has become their trademark, and you couldn't drag that "recipe" out of them for anything!

For anyone who wants to give cider pressing a try on a smaller scale, you can wash the apples, cut them in half or quarters, and chop them up in a food processor or food grinder -- just enough to get them roughly cut up -- sort of like really chunky raw applesauce -- and then dump them into a clean cloth bag (like an old pillowcase or a jelly bag, etc.), tie the bag at the top with string, hang it up (on a cupboard door?) and squeeze away into a container of some sort (preferably glass, not metal). I have done this and it worked out well enough, considering the really small scale it was done on.

MaryNY

[Oregonsparkie]

Heres another thought, although probably not practical on a large scale!!

What about a meat grinder to grind up the apples??

[mammabooh]

Not much to add except...yep, pears makes it tasty and pasteurizing makes it nasty!

[Shepherd]

Do none of you cook it down in big pots before straining the juice out?

[seedspreader]

Originally Posted by Shepherd

Do none of you cook it down in big pots before straining the juice out?

Nope, all the pressman I know aroudn here just chop and squeeze

[MaryNY]

Basically if you cook it and then squeeze it you have apple juice; don't cook it and then squeeze it, it's cider.

Go visit your local cider mill and ask 'em how they do it, they probably will be glad to show you.

MaryNY

[Jen H]

We just let the apples soften for a couple weeks, grind them and squish them. No cooking involved.

- I found the link for the fabric I use as press cloths:

http://www.joann.com/catalog.jhtml?C...1&PRODID=34540

I use the white, specifically, and I wash it in hot water in the machine. The fabric will shrink a bit, but I haven't noticed any other problems. I like some pulp left in my cider, if you wanted a clearer juice a person I know uses swimsuit lining for his press cloths.

[seedspreader]

Thanks shane, I can always count on you to bring something good to the table!

Here is another good link on cider.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/libra...e_of_the_Apple

[sylvar]

Thanks Bob! That is a really good article..

Shane

[lilyrose]

Hi everyone. I'm pretty new here and thought I'd jump in to contribute. All the ideas here sound great.

I'll add one more since I just happened upon it earlier today:
http://www.endtimesreport.com/juice_filter.html

I haven't tried it yet, but it sure looks interesting!

[shawnee]

We have an apple press that came with our orchard. It is a Suntech #12 and we know absolutelynothing about it. Squat. We have a manual for parts, lubrication, hydraulics and how to set prssure, etc. Nothing on HOW to operate or how many apples needed, what condition of apples, etc. They are out of business and if anyone knows anything about the Suntech Company, Otis Orchards, WA please let us know. Since we have barely anything in the orchard and what we have is small from drought/early freeze, we planned on trying out the press. I am truly enjoying this thread and we're trying to learn all we can! Thanks for every single reply!

[shawnee]

Oh I forgot; we also have a monster pear tree and it is loaded; what is the significance of adding pears? Also when do you pick the darn things - I've heard to pick when not ripe but full sized and to refrigerate.

[JMY]

Hi all -- First post.

I used to run a cider press, and, really, it didn't matter much what we ran through it, although the older, softer apples made for a better cider, to be sure. (I've never heard of using a garbage disposal -- What a . . . quaint. . . surprise.) Had plenty of yuppies bringing us two or three gigantic, perfect apples, expecting a perfect gallon of perfect apple cider. Not. The best apples for cider were usually past the stage at which someone would happily eat one.

The raw cider would last in the fridge at least five or six days; after that, its attitude was definitely fermented. Ten days and it wasn't fit for drinking unless you were ready for an extended stay in the outhouse. Expect to toss it at that point or learn how to make calvaldos/ applejack -- not an unprofitable trade at all.

Have been looking at presses lately because old habits die hard. Always tried to mixed apples, but saw few pears. A nice suggestion, in my mind.

[Shepherd]

Ok, so to keep the cider from fermenting, you would have to can it right?

Shawnee, if you cannot find anyone with knowledge of your cider press, check around for a local mechanic who has a reputation of knowing how just about anything works... I'll bet he can figure out how it works and explain it to you. Do you have any way of contacting the previous owner to get them to show you?

LilyRose - welcome to a great forum. I'm sure glad I found my way here.

[seedspreader]

Everyone should really read that link I listed for Mother Earth News... very informational.

The pears basically add more sugar. The old timers generally would never use just one apple type (there are a few exceptions to this) for cider and when they would store it they would add raisins to it for the extra sugar because of no refrigeration and the fact that pasteurization 1) destroys the character of cider and 2) wasn't discovered yet, they would plan on it fermenting into a lightly alcholic drink.

I found it interesting that cider (the hard stuff) was one of the only things exempted in the prohibition laws and movement.

[antiquestuff]

Quote: "I found it interesting that cider (the hard stuff) was one of the only things exempted in the prohibition laws and movement."

Well, one of the things...churches were still able to use wine in services. Several instances though, of that wine "disappearing" that I've read about...