Apple press

[ArtMech]

Fellows,
I have tons of apples in a farm. Tried to bring them to the guy who's making juice (or you call it cider) about 10 miles away from a farm. OK, I payed he made. But I've started to think, why wouldn't I have my own press to make cider myself.
I would appreciate if You could share Your experiences in pressing the cider - what kind of presses do You use (self-made, factory made, old type, new type, hydraulic, electric, manual, PTO laughing driven ... et cetera).

 

[JCB]

Saracenas,

My only experience is with older wooden presses. The apples need to be ground to extract any real amount of juice. Having chopped apples by hand, I would advise against anyone considering a press w/o a grinder, it is a necessity.

It's kind of a slow process regardless, grinders can only handle apples so fast. I can grind, press and process 5 gallons of apples in about 10-30 minutes, depending on the scale of the batch I'm doing.

 

[MF1652]

Don't know how much cider you are looking to produce, but you can go as basic as a woden press operated by a hand screw to a more complicated hydraulic setup. My family presses cider on a wholesale scale. We'll press on an average ten tons of apples a week if the sales are good. The setup we have is very involved, stainless tanks, hydraulic press, pasteurizer, etc. Most everything we've come to use came from Orchard Equipment Supply Company Inc. out of Massachusetts. Not sure if that helps where you are, but there aren't too many companies in our area that supply orchard specific equipment.

 

[Molerj]

We used my grandfathers old grinder and press that he used to use for wine. Put the washed apples in the hopper of the grinder, they went right into the basket that fit in the trough. Slid the basket forward, pressed the grindings & caught the juice. Probably way too small for what you are after but we made some pretty good cider.

 

[ArtMech]

Before posting a thread I had to take a look at YouTube videos. There are lots of examples of apple presses shown there. But there's nothing more valuable than the live advices from Your experiences.
Yes, the design of a press depends on the quantity of juice to be made.
And You bounced me to rethink a subject once again.
The quantity of apples is such, that the wooden press would be not enough, although I like it, it's easy to make it yourself. But that quantity is still not enough to obtain hydraulic powerful press. There are 20 huge apple trees in our orchard, which is 60 years old. One apple tree gives us ~120 liters (~32 gallons) of juice in case of good harvest. So totally it might be made ~2400 liters (~634 gallons) of juice. Who do you think would drink such a quantity of juice? Me, I don't know, our family isn't big. It means, I would need to look for a market to sell the juice. Might be a business. But still too small, comparing to the investment needed in case of powerful press. 3 liters (0.8 gallons) of natural apple juice cost in our supermarkets about 10 litas ($3.83).
On the other hand, there are lots of neighbours who also have many apples and who would like to make juice. I could help them and would earn some having the equipment. But again, where I'm residing the apple harvest matures not every year, but each second year.
So I'm still lost in thought concerning the press ...

 

[zzvyb6]

There oughta be a way to involve a tractor and a loader and maybe even a 'GR'apple. Maybe when you curl back the bucket you mush some apples agains a back plate...

 

[ArtMech]

There oughta be a way to involve a tractor and a loader and maybe even a 'GR'apple. Maybe when you curl back the bucket you mush some apples agains a back plate...

Is that from Your own experience, Bill?

 

[zzvyb6]

I have not made one yet, but I've been looking for something to do the same job as you need. I suspect that a wood slitter attachment or a cylinder that would compress a plate against the inside of one end of a loader bucket could do the job.

This would be my scheme:

Insert a plastic liner of some sort into the bucket (for cleanliness). May a plastic barrel with a section cut out of it. It would be about 1/2 the lenght of the bucket or so.

toss in a bushel of apples.

clamp a push cylinder to the other end of the bucket. The cylinder end would need to have a compression plate on it of some kind. I have a George Forman insert made of cast steel that could work. Size is about right.

Connect the cylinder to the curl circuit of the loader valve and push away until it stalls and goes to pressure relief.

The juice would drain or squirt out from the barrel via a tap or catch basin of some sort.

Add some sugar and yeast, let it ferment a few days.

Pour it into a water jacket radiator to boil off the alcohol, condense it and chill the spirits.

Toss the apple mash out for the deer, find a chair and enjoy the Fall works of Mother Nature.

Hose out the parts and get ready for next year.

Done.

 

[ToadHill]

I only make several gal per year, about 10. I use an old wood wine press but to grind the apples I've found that a food disposal ( the under sink kind) works a lot better than the old hand cranked unit I have.

 

[looknlearn]

We have an old apple press that we use. We nomally make it an event where we invite friends and everyone helps to crank the grinder on the cider press. Our last one was documented on our website here Slow Food Wilson Street Urban Farm
We did a pig roast at the same time and it was fantastic.:licking:

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I only make several gal per year, about 10. I use an old wood wine press but to grind the apples I've found that a food disposal ( the under sink kind) works a lot better than the old hand cranked unit I have.

Genius! Do you have to quarter the apples before running them through the grinder?

I always float the apples in a strong bleach disinfecting solution before grinding them. It kills off the salmonella in the bird crap. We just drink the cider raw, and so far no bad effects (fingers crossed).

 

[ArtMech]

Pour it into a water jacket radiator to boil off the alcohol, condense it and chill the spirits.

Applause! Good scheme. The only tool of TBN'er is a tractor, just ask and he may till the Moon or make whatever required with it :laughing:

You know, some years ago I've tried Abricotine. It's a kind of Swiss homemade 43% of alcohol brandy (eau-de-vie) made of apricots. I had never drunk anything better in my life. Something fantastic! :licking:

Is that allowed to produce kinds of alcohol in the farms of USA? Could it be commercialized?

 

[ArtMech]

We have an old apple press that we use. We nomally make it an event where we invite friends and everyone helps to crank the grinder on the cider press. Our last one was documented on our website here Slow Food Wilson Street Urban Farm
We did a pig roast at the same time and it was fantastic.:licking:

I've seen a press in Your website. That's what I like. Just my case probably differs from Yours in quantity. How many apple trees do You have?

Would gladly participate in Your juice production event especially in the last stage - pig roast :licking: - if even I'm not a friend of Yours. Hope I would become a friend quite fast :laughing:

 

[ArtMech]

I always float the apples in a strong bleach disinfecting solution before grinding them. It kills off the salmonella in the bird crap. We just drink the cider raw, and so far no bad effects (fingers crossed).

We just boil the juice up to the temperature of 80C (176F) before filling up the bottles and closing them. That's our disinfecting solution, but after we have juice already. And indeed - the guy washes the apples before grinding.

 

[forgeblast]

Around us, a local place runs the cider through a uv light (we have one on our well) and that way its pasturized, not chemically treated or heated. Makes great cider.

 

[dmccarty]

...
Pour it into a water jacket radiator to boil off the alcohol, condense it and chill the spirits.
...

Shhhhh! Do not tell anyone you do this. That is called distillation and the Revenuers will be after you. That is making moonshine.

The traditional way to "distill" hard cider was to leave the barrel of cider to freeze in the winter. Periodically the ice was removed which would increase the alcohol content. Both methods are against the law in the US. Uncle Sam needs is tax money. :laughing:

Saracenas, you should search TBN. We have had a couple of discussions about this top in the past. There might be some good answers in the previous threads.

The discussions I remember were talking about build/rebuilding hand powered presses but I think the conversation talked about using the tractor as part of the process.

Producing hard cider would seem to be the most marketable product. Most of the hard cider that is easily available here in my area of the US is full of corn syrup. Just awful tasting stuff. There is one brand I like and of course it is $6-9 for about 16-20 ounces so I do not buy often. I have had some hard cider from the UK that was so dry it was like eating a lemon. :laughing:

I want to grow my own apples and make cider. :thumbsup: I have thought of using the tractor to do the pressing. Seems like a single hydraulic cylinder could really squeeze some apples.

A local company just opened up a Meadery a few months back. They have five different types of honey mead. Their first couple of weeks they sold out of 2 of the Mead types. Which was a good problem to have. They just sent out an email that they managed to get more Mead made and I bet they sell it out before XMAS. :laughing:

Later,
Dan

 

[ArtMech]

Shhhhh! Do not tell anyone you do this.
---
Saracenas, you should search TBN. We have had a couple of discussions about this top in the past. There might be some good answers in the previous threads.

The discussions I remember were talking about build/rebuilding hand powered presses but I think the conversation talked about using the tractor as part of the process.
---
I want to grow my own apples and make cider. :thumbsup: I have thought of using the tractor to do the pressing. Seems like a single hydraulic cylinder could really squeeze some apples.

A local company just opened up a Meadery a few months back. They have five different types of honey mead. Their first couple of weeks they sold out of 2 of the Mead types. Which was a good problem to have. They just sent out an email that they managed to get more Mead made and I bet they sell it out before XMAS. :laughing:

Later,
Dan

Oh my goodness, now zzvyb6 will be jailed Why did I start that bloody thread? :mur:

No, no, no - I'm not seeking for the methods of distilling the hard cider. Don't push me to that guys !!!

But thanks for advice to take a look at the past threads about apple presses.

By the way, honey mead is a traditional drink of my country (probably not only) known from written sources many hundreds of years ago. Here is a company, which is making and selling a couple of types of mead as well. That company hadn't been destroyed even by soviets.

 

[dmccarty]

Oh my goodness, now zzvyb6 will be jailed Why did I start that bloody thread? :mur:

It is a very interesting thread so I am glad you started it. Though I did "hear" that the Revenuers were driving up zzvyb6's driveway..... I could be wrong though. :laughing:

Moonshine is still happening in my area. A few years ago a mayor of a small town in a nearby county had a fuel tank on the side of his house. Well he had two. One was fuel oil for his furnace. The other was 'shine. He was selling big time.

One of our state legislators stepped in it a few years back as well. His family had the "tradition" of giving away apple and peach brandies to family and friends around XMAS. He said something to the effect to the press. :laughing: I never saw a story that they put him in jail but I would be surprised if the ABC officers did not have a talk with him.

I saw a pickup bed full of old plastic milk jugs filled with a white fluid outside a car part store a few years back. I do not think it was spring water.

No, no, no - I'm not seeking for the methods of distilling the hard cider. Don't push me to that guys !!!

Is it legal in your country or do they tax you as well?

We can make hard cider in the US. We just cannot distill it into higher alcohol content.

But thanks for advice to take a look at the past threads about apple presses.

Welcome.

By the way, honey mead is a traditional drink of my country (probably not only) known from written sources many hundreds of years ago. Here is a company, which is making and selling a couple of types of mead as well. That company hadn't been destroyed even by soviets.

I guess the Soviets knew a good thing when they drank it. The local company really has a good product. They have a Peach mead that does not taste like Peaches. More like a Port. Very nice. And they have Mead Wenches selling the product. :laughing: Well, I only saw the women who is the cowner but she called her self a Mead Wench and was dressed as such.

Later,
Dan

 

[ArtMech]

It is a very interesting thread so I am glad you started it. Though I did "hear" that the Revenuers were driving up zzvyb6's driveway..... I could be wrong though. :laughing:

Thank You, dmccarty. Hope You could be wrong with the Revenuers

Moonshine is still happening in my area. A few years ago a mayor of a small town in a nearby county had a fuel tank on the side of his house. Well he had two. One was fuel oil for his furnace. The other was 'shine. He was selling big time.

You call it 'moonshine'. We say - 'samane' (in English it means 'mossy', 'cause most of illegal distillers are doing their job in the forests). Only one person's 'samane' I could drink (it was 20 yrs ago) was made of a bit grown rye (have troubles to call it precisely in English). All the others are doing some kind of nasty thing. And they are under investigation. At least must be.

One of our state legislators stepped in it a few years back as well. His family had the "tradition" of giving away apple and peach brandies to family and friends around XMAS. He said something to the effect to the press. :laughing: I never saw a story that they put him in jail but I would be surprised if the ABC officers did not have a talk with him.

I saw a pickup bed full of old plastic milk jugs filled with a white fluid outside a car part store a few years back. I do not think it was spring water.

What if it was spring water :laughing:

If about a color. I have a green color car right now. I've ordered new one also green some kind of 'cactus' metallic. Once I've asked my wife: "Do You like this color?". She said: "Yes, pretty good". But then she asked: "Why do You choose the green cars only?". I said: "Never mind, just because our neighbour wouldn't notice we arrived to the farm". An issue is, that that neighbour is drinking a lot and seeks for the encirclement to do the same with him. He looks around, sees everything well including our farm in about 0.5 miles. So the only solution to keep away from his invitations is to disguise ... having a car in green color (like a grass)
Then my wife suddenly fired up shouting: "Do we live for your relationship to the drinking neighbour? We even can't normally choose a nice color of a car?".
Believe me, had much troubles to stop her emotions...
But that metalic cactus color is really good

Is it legal in your country or do they tax you as well?

We can make hard cider in the US. We just cannot distill it into higher alcohol content.

No, it's not. Some fractions of the Parliament are trying to push the law which would allow to make and to sell some quantities of homemade 'samane'. But I'd be against that, 'cause it'll be not good quality (experience and responsibility is needed), on the other hand people in the country are drinking too much. Needs to stop massive drinking first.

I guess the Soviets knew a good thing when they drank it. The local company really has a good product. They have a Peach mead that does not taste like Peaches. More like a Port. Very nice. And they have Mead Wenches selling the product. :laughing: Well, I only saw the women who is the cowner but she called her self a Mead Wench and was dressed as such.

You know, the collaborators of regime were feeding kremlin with that mead gaining some .. well I don't care what. The wife says 'look out!' ... You know - geopolitical caution ......

-a-

 

[looknlearn]

I've seen a press in Your website. That's what I like. Just my case probably differs from Yours in quantity. How many apple trees do You have?

We only have two trees so far. Hoping to plant more as well as grapes and I think hops. We got the apples from a large apple orchard about an hour away.Singer Farms, Appleton NY - Growers of the finest fresh fruit in the Northeast! is the place. We know a someone who is part of the family. They let us get as many apples as we wanted. We only got maybe 500lbs of apples but we could have gotten literally tons of apples if we wanted. They we done picking, and the fields we picked in, the trees were loaded.

Would gladly participate in Your juice production event especially in the last stage - pig roast :licking: - if even I'm not a friend of Yours. Hope I would become a friend quite fast :laughing:

Hey, next time we are having a apple pressing, you could just drop by.