First time experiment

Hello all. Well I have been reading on hbtalk off and on for a few months. I also scour the Internet. I really want to make some cider. I like it on the sweet side. I was also wanting to do it with natural wild yeast. I took a 64oz bottle of juice and split it into two 2 liter bottles that were cleaned and sanitized. I then bought a couple organic apple. I peeled one apple and placed it into one bottle. Then the same with the other bottle. Basically one bottle grew some mold on top and I threw I away. The successful bottle seems to be doing great but at the end of it's fermenting.
I am about to strain out the peelings from this starter. Do I want to keep the yeast that has collected on the bottom? Should I wash the yeast first. I am going to make a half gallon or gallon test batches to see how this stuff turns out. I just didn't want to add too much of this starter juice so there is more room for new juice. I plan on letting this stuff go for about five or six days then bottle up in soda bottles. Let them sit for a day then cold crash them and drink. Basically found this on YouTube from a guy named eattheweeds. I thought it was simple and a fun way to start.
Space is limited, eventually I will be using one gallon wine jugs and doing only small batches. And I need to order some #6 bungs to fit the bottles. So all this is basically about the starter.

If I cold crash the starter do I want the sediment on the bottom? Can I pour off most of the liquid first?
That for the help. Going to do a apple and a cherry apple. Hope it works

So you want to drink off the cider and re-pitch the yeast cake to get the next batch going?

Assuming you're quickly going from batch to batch I don't really see a need to wash the yeast cake before re-pitching this first time, just top it off again with more cider and let it go. Assuming you're going to keep this moving you may want to wash the yeast every other time you re-use it. Since your batch size is so small I think it would be more trouble than it is worth to wash every time you want to make a 2L-1gal. batch of cider.

I would also wash the yeast if it sat in primary, dry, for more than a couple of weeks weeks. But since you're cold crashing this shouldn't be an issue.

Best batch of cider I ever made was with a wild yeast strain.

Thanks for the help. I split my yeast into two 20oz bottles. Then pitched one into my juice and one into the fridge for later. Hope this works out