Recent content by jmayerl

Absolutly true that you cannot use any apples that have dropped on the ground here. We put large nets at waist level to catch our apples and minimise bruising but then again we only have about 15 trees.

You have no apples this year for a few reasons. First, you must prune the trees every winter. You might think they look great but to have a good Apple producing tree most people will think it looks crappy. Cut off all branches that grow straight up and down. Then thin it so that you can throw a...

You will burn out a juicer the first time you use it for any large amount of cider. I build a press from 2x4's and some scrapes, and used a modified garbage disposal as a grinder. Less than $100 and you can press out about 10 gallons in an hour. After a few changes this year I should be able to...

Hit it with a pressure washer. Start a foot away and work closer so you don't damage the wood grain. Then definatly seal it so it keeps well. Nice find!

disposals are designed so that anything running through them passes near the motor and aids in cooling. There are no openings in the motors because if ther where it would not be safe near any water source.

You sure can just put them in and have at it. as long as they are cut in half they feed right thru. the material (apples) once cut up will run through very fast and help cool the motor. I was able to feed them in as fast as possible and grind away for 10 minutes without any problems. I would...

This was my first year making cider and I used a 3/4hp disposal. I cut all apples in half, and they fed right through. When put in whole it would overheat the motor. I made about 50 gallons and gave away most of it, but am currently making 2 five gallon batches of hard cider. The cider tastes...