Fall Is Here - Apple Juice Time

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Todd

Inactive
We made our first two batches of juice Saturday. The quantity we make is limited by the little press I made several years ago (only 2 gallons a pressing) and the fact that we grind the apples using an old hand-crank meat grinder that must be 70 years old. In total, we make about 8 gallons a year although we have plenty of apples for more.

We always do blends of varieties. The first pressings were mostly Liberty, Tompkins King, Yellow Delicious, Spitzenberg and some MacIntosh. Our later ones will also have a lot of Sierra Beautys.

We freeze a gallon or so and then can the rest.

One of these days I'm going to buy a meat grinder and convert it to an apple grinder by drilling our the holes in the plate. Then I can make larger amounts and, finally, some cider.

Todd
 
AnniePutin

AnniePutin

Veteran Member
That is so wonderful, making and blending your own apple juice, the garden, and all. Sounds like you all have a good life. You give to nature and nature gives back to you--hard work--but a good feeling. A better way than today's world. Not a bad life, Todd! Here's to you and a simpler world, clink, as we toast our special cider blends!...ummm, wonderful bouquet!!! (Hope you get that new apple grinder!!) ( bth, I think this is my 500th post, clink, cheers!)
 
ARUBI

ARUBI

Inactive
Todd,


Do you make Apple Butter? If so, would you share your recipe?

I found a new recipe in EatingWell mag. for Roasted Apple Butter, using unsweetened apple juice and of course apples. It can be refri. for 2 wks. or froze for 6mos.!

TIA
 
D

Dorema

Contributing Member
We got together with 3 other families about a month ago to make ours. We are very lucky in that the friend that owns the apple orchard is 75 yo and has decided to "cut back". The apples are organic and he just loves for us to come out and make cider. We all homeschool so we have a passle of kids picking up apples, moms and older sisters washing, and the old man "training" a couple of the teenage boys how to grind and press.
We pressed and jugged 60 gallons by about 1:00pm. It makes for a hardworking fun day. We freeze it or make jelly from the juice. It is so sweet that I have to dilute it to drink it. He has 15 varieties of apples and it breaks my heart to see them all go to waste. Our day of pressing didn't use up 1/10th of the apples. Sad part is that we are the only ones that he can get to come out and pick them--- for free!!
Dorema
 
B

booger

Inactive
I'm so jealous of you all!

Dorema, I'm UPSing myself to you this week. Please forward me to the apple orchard. :D
 
T

Todd

Inactive
ARUBI,

No, we don't make apple butter. I used to eat a lot of it when I was a kid.

My wife and I were laughing about making some though while she was cutting up apples for me to feed through the meat grinder.

I am getting serious about buying an electric meat grinder and modifying the end plate with bigger holes so I could run apples through it. Garden Way or someone used to offer a home grinder and press about 25+ years ago. I wish we had purchased one then.

We also make grape juice but didn't this year because my wife was tied up with a wine grape survey. We're going to have to make juice next year because I put in a lot more vines.

FWIW, I made my press out of a piece of 8" NSF-rated PVC well casing I happened to have in my plujmbing stuff pile. If I get the electric meat grinder, I'd probably make a bigger press.

Todd
 
T

Todd

Inactive
ARUBI,

Yes, I checked them years ago. All they offer are grape presses but no apple presses or apple choppers.

Apple presses require a lot more force then grape presses and since you pre-cook the grapes, no chopper is necessary.

Todd
 
Kathy in WV

Kathy in WV

Down on the Farm...
Todd,

In one of the back issues of Countryside there are plans for a do it yourself grinder--using---- a newly purchased unused garbage disposal mounted into a sink bowl on a table. You drop apples down the disposal and catch them in a 5 gallon bucket underneath. The guy said it worked better than anything else he had ever used. A new disposal would be as clean as a new grinder and you can get them fairly cheap..... what do you think? I plan tp try it maybe next year. Kathy
 
T

Todd

Inactive
ARUBI,

That's a neat grinder - if it only weren't so much money. I'll guess I'll add it to my wish list for a while.

Thanks,

Todd
 
M

momof23goats

Deceased
we are also in the middle of apple time, here on our homestead. we have 6 gals. of cider in the freezer, and we will be putting much more in . We are also makinf apple butter today, we will probably end up with about 20 gals. frozen for the winter to drink, and we love it.
 
T

Todd

Inactive
Mom...,

Are you making apple butter the old-fashioned way over a wood fire in an iron kettle or are you doing it on the stove in the kitchen?

I've read lots of debates about the metal the kettle should be made of when using an open fire - we do it on the stove when we make it.

Todd
 
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