spatronis

Recipes 

I have about 120 lbs of fresh pears picked yesterday (a brute trashcan full). So I decided am going to try my hand at making some perry cider.

I have an electric yard mulcher that is brand new and never been used, to mulch up the pears, and my buddy has a 30 lb ratchet press for grapes that we plan on using to juice the ground up pear.

I have read that people freeze apples to get more juice out of them, I assume this would work well for pears as well. Should I bother freezing them if I am grinding them up and then pressing them?

It seems like the people that freeze their apples end up adding pectin to break down apples before fermentation.

Kauai_Kahuna

Recipes 

Yes on freezing, and peptic acid. Freezing builds up ice crystals in the fruit that helps to break up / cut the cell walls. I also understand that it can also break down the cell walls of wild yeast, and reducing the possibility of them messing around.
Pectin will reduce haze, etc..
I would also treat with some campden tablets to help kill the wild yeast.
Not really sure about an "electric yard mulcher", but hey if it's clean and works for you.

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spatronis

Recipes 

The yard mulcher idea i got from online in another forum. The mulcher is brand new and very easy to clean... no oils or grease on any of the contact parts.... i figured i would clean it with soapy water and then spray the crap out of it with starsan.

I assume peptic acid can be had readily at the local home brew store? I will pick some up today.

I am planning on taking some videos/pictures of the mulching in action... lets hope it works. If not, there is not much wasted except for time and energy.

ryane

Recipes 

I think kahuna meant pectic enzyme, ive never heard of peptic acid, just a heads up before heading to the brew shop

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spatronis

Recipes 

Just thinking out loud here.... Isn't pectic enzyme used to break down the fruit to get at the juice? If i am freezing, grinding and then pressing do I even need the pectic enzyme?