To press or not to press...

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agent44

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I was just given two wooden crates full of small tart apples today, now I have neither press or juicer, so what are my options to make them into cider, should I throw them into a food processor and then throw all the pulp into a fermenter and add water, or could I chop them up and top off with store bought juice, any good ideas for me. Kind of don't need a lot of more work, I'm still dealing with like twenty pounds of blackberries and like fifty pounds of plums. I put the word out I wanted fruit and fruit I got lol!
 
Processing it will take longer than you think. It will give you a bit of juice on its own but pressing afterwards is recommended. I think fermenting pulp would incur too much of a racking loss unless you overshoot your volume.

If you deal in fruit often, a press can be used for really any fruit - and not terribly challenging to DIY provided you have the necessary power tools.
 
Not sure about all apples by the way, but my cider was like 1.040 OG? So keep that in mind if topping off with water.
 
Yeah I think water is out of the question, I'm thinking more about topping off with juice, or just making a cider with store bought juice and fermenting with the tart apples chopped up in it, and maybe adding more in secondary, just not sure if I would extract enought from them. I'll phone the lhbs and see if they have a press for rent.
 
Yeah so no press for rent around here, so I think I will cut them up and freeze because I'm going away for a bit, and then make a cider with store bought juice and toss the apple pieces in to add some added flavor and tannins.
 
Pulping them by hand after they thaw and keeping in straining bag will minimize your losses in that case.
I'm sure you're aware but I'll say it just to be safe: don't forget your pectic enzyme and don't use store bought juice with preservatives. Hope your batch turns out well!
 
My first cider was done like this.... got give a few kilos of apples and have no press e.c.t so i chopped the apples placed in bucket with rasins poured over boiling water added campden and left for 24 odd hours then added bout 2 kg of sugar and pitched yeast and waway we went... i now know I should have added pectonase and frozen frozen the apples first.

cider turned out very light and dry but drinkable and enjoyable.
 
Yeah so no press for rent around here, so I think I will cut them up and freeze because I'm going away for a bit, and then make a cider with store bought juice and toss the apple pieces in to add some added flavor and tannins.

I know of one on my side of the creek you could rent for pretty cheap, might be a bit of a haul for you...

Alternatively, I would chop and destem, freeze. Then place in cheese cloth in bucket. Pour heated (140f) store bought AJ with extra fermentables if desired over your cheese cloths. Sanitize hands and pinch, crush the apples in the cloth.
Camden 12 hrs, pectic 12more hrs, yeast.

I did a recent similar experiment with cherries for cherry wine. :tank:
 
Cool thanks for the responses, I bought some cheesecloth a couple days ago for my blackberry wine I'm making so I'll use some for the apples, this isn't my first cider but it is my first using whole apples, I'm pretty excited, I'll post pics when I get it together in October.
 
I had a similar problem with pears. I chopped them up in the food processor, put the pulp into a paint strainer, squeezed and repeat. I don't recomend this method, but it can be done.
 
Crushing apples is as easy and putting them in a bucket and dropping a clean sledge hammer over and over until they are pulp. Pressing can be easy too. Build a small (2 ft wide x 3 ft tall) frame from 2x4s or 4x4s. Take a plastic bucket and cut holes in it and use a cheese and cloth system. A small bottle jack works well. I found this version on line. It's a little different but still easy to make. It fits on a tabletop.
 
If I had a steady supply of apples I would for sure make a press, but I don't, not to mention I live in a town home with limited storage, I have a hard enough time storing all of my tools. I've thought of making a press that disassembles and could be stored easier. We shall see.
 
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