Grinding Apples

I just scored a nice press on ebay and plan on making cider and cyser. My next step is going to be figuring out how to grind the apples. We have a huge apple tree in our yard, I think a Winesap, several other apple trees and a nice crabapple with loads of apples. So how do the folks that grind and press their own apples do it? WVMJ

home depot fiberglass laundry sink and a 1hp garbage disposal emptying into a bucket.

cut the apples in half in needed (or whack them hard with a 2x4 to soften them a bit) and jam them in with a stick.

amandabab said:

home depot fiberglass laundry sink and a 1hp garbage disposal emptying into a bucket.

cut the apples in half in needed (or whack them hard with a 2x4 to soften them a bit) and jam them in with a stick.

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Wow. That's... effective. (Insert the Home Improvement theme song)

Does that chop up the seeds a lot? I would think they would add a lot of bitterness if chopped like that. Or is that part of the addition of 'complexity' of the cider?

I used a food processor and it still haunts my dreams. Took way way way too long to grind. Still looking for a cheap alternative.
Whatever you do, just remember that your will get worse efficiency if you pulp them. Better to have them shredded into small chunks, and not a slop consistency.

snuesen said:

I used a food processor and it still haunts my dreams. Took way way way too long to grind. Still looking for a cheap alternative.
Whatever you do, just remember that your will get worse efficiency if you pulp them. Better to have them shredded into small chunks, and not a slop consistency.

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Like nickles and dimes? Or apple slices size? At what point does it become too big a chunk?

I would think large marbles would be a good size, but there's a lot of wine thinking bleeding into that train of thought...

That would seem like more mork trying to get them into that little sink hole that it would be worth? WVMJ

amandabab said:

home depot fiberglass laundry sink and a 1hp garbage disposal emptying into a bucket.

cut the apples in half in needed (or whack them hard with a 2x4 to soften them a bit) and jam them in with a stick.

Click to expand...

Yea size of pea is about what you want. Obviously in any grinder it's not gonna end up perfect, but shoot for that size.
Smaller batch volume will help raise efficiency as well. If you have your basket completely full you'll end up with a lot of trapped cider - simply because those little presses just don't have the power of a commercial press.

What you are looking for is called a scratter. A search on google will probably have a thousand DIY projects you could mimic.

I made one out of plywood, 2x4s (turned on lathe to make a round drum) and some screws sticking out to grab the apples.

WVMJ said:

I just scored a nice press on ebay and plan on making cider and cyser. My next step is going to be figuring out how to grind the apples. We have a huge apple tree in our yard, I think a Winesap, several other apple trees and a nice crabapple with loads of apples. So how do the folks that grind and press their own apples do it? WVMJ

Click to expand...

How about a pic of your press .

Don,t the maker of your press make a grinder to go with your press? I have found that bigger is not always better when it comes to the press barrel and whoever said not to fill the barrel clear full is right about 3/4 is what I do.

I crush mine up with a 10 pound sledgehammer in a bucket. It's a churning butter type motion.