Apple grinding question?

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Buckshott

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Hey new to this apple cider thing but my process is wash apples peel and core cut bad parts out grind and press... needless to say it takes a long time do I have to worry about bad spots?? Or the core and seeds? Can I just throw them in the grinder and let them go threw?? Thanks
 
Wash & destem, freeze whole for a few days, then thaw & press. Freezing will break down the structure of the fruit, making it quite soft & easy to press without grinding, though you certainly could grind if you want. Granted this is all dependent on how much freezer space you have, but it works well. I've crushed crab apples by hand after freezing/thawing. Might work well for you too.
Regards, GF.
 
Thanks so much for the help... wow I feel dumb for all the time I wasted washing peeling cutting out bad spots this is going to be way better thanks again!!! Never tried the freezing idea but I do have one big chest freezer I don't have much in I'll give it a shot.
 
I don't necessarily agree about more bad spots the better...I think some bad apples (the kind that are really rotty in the middle) are not necessarily what you want. A few bugs, not such a problem, more protein for your diet! :)
 
You don't need to core them. If you have mushy spots cut that off or you risk acetobacter (vinegar) spoiling the cider. I do 1500lbs of apples a year, will post up the grinder and press I built soon. I wash them a bucket full at a time shaking it with a hose sprating in, clean off mushy spots ditch bad looking apples and grind em up.
 
I tried it tonight on a tub of apples worked great!!! Just quatered them the bad apples tossed out but wasn't more then a hand full as for bad mushy spots wasn't much at all of that went threw the grinder just fine and got a gallon and a half more then what I did core and peeling them.... if everything works out the way it should I will have 10 gallons of wine and 5 gallons of hard apple cider....... as of now can't wait for more apples thanks again for the advice and help
 
So this is what I use to pick apples every tub gets me 5 gallons of fresh pressed cider give or take size but my first year I'm loving it!!

Screenshot_2016-09-16-14-25-01.jpg
 
A few things to try: Let the apples sit a cool spot few weeks or a month or more. This is an old traditional method called "sweating". They'll get more ripe and soften up a little. Some water weight is lost, but that concentrates the flavor. I sort out the apples before grinding and toss the ones with bad spots or cut the bad spots out.
You can also grind the apples and put them in 5 gallon buckets with a lid and then grind them the next day. I seem to get a little more juice and tannins from the skins doing this. I usually start gathering apples now, but won't make cider until the end of October. I've found that late season apples make better cider, and mix the varieties available now with some later ripening varieties.
 
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