Neighborhood Apples

[blasterooni]

Came across 2 apple trees today and picked 3 grocery bags full. Have no idea what they are, but one is pretty sweet, they are yellowish-green with a little orange color on the ones from the top of the tree, medium sized. I picked a bunch of not so ripe ones in hopes of getting some added tartness, if it even works that way. The other batch are greenish with a hint of red/orange and a little russeted, not too sweet, with a little tang id say, and smallish, probably a pippin since i come across this variety often the Berkeley/Oakland area. Im going to run them thru a juicer. If i get over 4 gallons, i may do at least one gallon using the wild yeast, the other 3, I'll go with D47, or 1118 at 60F. I know of a couple more trees that i could forage if i come up short, but it feels like 40-50 pounds. I also have a few pounds of store bought "heritage" apples that ill throw in as well. A few russets, and orange pippins are in that mix.
Definitely excited to see what comes of using fresh picked apples. The closest ive got to that was juice from an apple orchard.

 

[AzOr]

I’d wait to press until the flavors develop. If you have a refractometor, you can sample the sugar content. Pressing while they are under ripe will result in low sugar, bland juice.
If you’re already purchasing heritage apples, try to get a few bitters to balance your cider. All the varieties you mentioned are considered sharps.
Most crabapples are considered bitters and can add a lot of complexity.

 

[blasterooni]

I’d wait to press until the flavors develop. If you have a refractometor, you can sample the sugar content. Pressing while they are under ripe will result in low sugar, bland juice.
If you’re already purchasing heritage apples, try to get a few bitters to balance your cider. All the varieties you mentioned are considered sharps.
Most crabapples are considered bitters and can add a lot of complexity.

I tasted what looked to be an under ripe apple (totally green), and that little sucker was pretty damn sweet, not at all what I was expecting. I wonder if the fruit is fully ripe as far as sugar content is concerned without looking ripe. The ones that look ripe, were the ones that were exposed to the sun; they were picked mostly from the south and west sides of the tree, or at the top.

I wonder if there are any crabapples around. We had heaps of crabapples in Michigan, but I haven't seen any here in California. I'll research bitter apples, and see if I can source some around here. I don't imagine that a grocery store would sell them. Looks like a refracto-meter is the next toy to purchase...

So many factors go into making that perfect cider! One can make a good one from store bought juice, but I wonder what I could do with just the right blend of freshly picked apples?... Will it ever be achieved, this perfection? I guess you could say each batch is perfect for itself

 

[AzOr]

Check your CL. Search cider apples.

 

[Sequoiacider]

Awesome work Blasterooni! I neighborhood source all of my apples. It's amazing how many people have trees that they don't use! Especially in Northern California.

It is hard to tell just by looking at a tree if it is ripe or not, unless you are already familiar with that tree/variety. The best way to tell is by biting into an apple, looking for the mouthfeel of starchiness (Apple convert startches into Sugars as they Ripen). Fruit that is unripe will feel starchy on your toungue, like biting into a raw potato. I believe there is also a way to directly test the Starch level with a Potassium-Iodide solution, though I always use the taste/mouthfeel test.

Regarding you comment about the "Perfect" cider, that is a tough one. "Perfect" is very subjective. I have made some very good ciders with blends of different fruit, but my favorite ciders that I have made have been single-varietals with wild fermentation. Simultaneously, some of my least favorite ciders were also single-varietals, but I found those varieties to be good for blending with other types.

 

[gregbathurst]

It's important to test your apples for ripeness, the more ripe your fruit is the more flavour you will get in your cider. You can make good cider from just about any apples so long as you let them ripen fully.

 

[blasterooni]

Awesome work Blasterooni! I neighborhood source all of my apples. It's amazing how many people have trees that they don't use! Especially in Northern California.

It is hard to tell just by looking at a tree if it is ripe or not, unless you are already familiar with that tree/variety. The best way to tell is by biting into an apple, looking for the mouthfeel of starchiness (Apple convert startches into Sugars as they Ripen). Fruit that is unripe will feel starchy on your toungue, like biting into a raw potato. I believe there is also a way to directly test the Starch level with a Potassium-Iodide solution, though I always use the taste/mouthfeel test.

Regarding you comment about the "Perfect" cider, that is a tough one. "Perfect" is very subjective. I have made some very good ciders with blends of different fruit, but my favorite ciders that I have made have been single-varietals with wild fermentation. Simultaneously, some of my least favorite ciders were also single-varietals, but I found those varieties to be good for blending with other types.

I found 3 crabapple trees today! Didnt get many, but maybe a half pound or so. I read in a thread here that you can use 10-20% crab juice. Any thoughts on this?
I also picked two more backpacks full of mostly pippins as well, and boy are they tasty and in really good condition. There are soooo many apple trees ladden with fruit around town, and such a small percentage gets used... im going to start carrying an apple box with me in my van, and pick whenever i get a chance. Its a lot of work, but its even that much more FUN! My wife calls it the "fun factor". Next, we will have fun washing and juicing right into a carboy

 

[gregbathurst]

Its a lot of work, but its even that much more FUN! My wife calls it the "fun factor". Next, we will have fun washing and juicing right into a carboy

Picking apples is never work, apple season is my favourite time of year.

 

[AzOr]

I found 3 crabapple trees today! Didnt get many, but maybe a half pound or so. I read in a thread here that you can use 10-20% crab juice. Any thoughts on this?
I also picked two more backpacks full of mostly pippins as well, and boy are they tasty and in really good condition. There are soooo many apple trees ladden with fruit around town, and such a small percentage gets used... im going to start carrying an apple box with me in my van, and pick whenever i get a chance. Its a lot of work, but its even that much more FUN! My wife calls it the "fun factor". Next, we will have fun washing and juicing right into a carboy

I just learned that some of the smaller hobby orchards plant crabs because they are good pollinators. So if you ask around I'm sure you can find them easily.
As far as the percentage, just taste them. Some crabs are so bitter, it feels like you are biting chalk. Some are sweeter and have some acid content as well (bitter sharps). I have a few varieties this year that I'm not familiar with so I may ferment those in a gallon carboy and blend afterwards.

Gregbathurst- I agree 100%. It's not work if you like what you're doing. I recently took a day off work to go pick apples and my coworkers that I was crazy.

 

[blasterooni]

I just learned that some of the smaller hobby orchards plant crabs because they are good pollinators. So if you ask around I'm sure you can find them easily.
As far as the percentage, just taste them. Some crabs are so bitter, it feels like you are biting chalk. Some are sweeter and have some acid content as well (bitter sharps). I have a few varieties this year that I'm not familiar with so I may ferment those in a gallon carboy and blend afterwards.

Gregbathurst- I agree 100%. It's not work if you like what you're doing. I recently took a day off work to go pick apples and my coworkers that I was crazy.

I have such a small amount of crabs id have to ferment in a 12oz beer bottle

 

[blasterooni]

I got to juicing this weekend, a yielded just about 5 gallons of juice. I hit it with some campden tabs, but realized i was out of pectinase, so im going to get some tomorrow. The plan is to pitch kveik on tuesday, so i'll add DAP, and fermaid to keep the yeast happy. I noticed in my last two runs with kveik, i got some sulfury smell, which with some dap it went away quickly.
The SG is 1.064, and pH 3.4 (maybe the crabapples brought the pH down?). Cant wait to see what these neighborhood apples can do. All i know is that some were definitely pippins, and crabapples of probably two types, the rest of them i haven't a clue. I was surprised at the highish gravity. Thought i would need to add sugar. A Refractometer is on the list of next things to get. Ill keep posting as things progress

 

[blasterooni]

I pitched opshaug (Underpitched at 50% the recommended dosage) and whewy, it went berserk! It looked like it exploded when i got home from work today. I put a blow off tube into a jar of fresh apple juice. See what happens. Gotta run, more later

 

[Sequoiacider]

Nice! Sounds like you are well on your way. Those apples must have been absolutely at their peak of ripeness to have a gravity that high, and it sounds like the yeast are loving it!

 

[MarkKF]

The SG is 1.064, and pH 3.4 (maybe the crabapples brought the pH down?). Cant wait to see what these neighborhood apples can do.

That sounds fantastic!

 

[AzOr]

Nice! Sounds like you are well on your way. Those apples must have been absolutely at their peak of ripeness to have a gravity that high, and it sounds like the yeast are loving it!

I too did t think you could find apples that high in sugar. But I just bought 100lbs of King David’s and they are at 1.068. I think my #s are correct. I used my refractometer and it’s been calibrated. I recently tested it on some beer wort and my hydrometer #s matched.

 

[blasterooni]

Nice! Sounds like you are well on your way. Those apples must have been absolutely at their peak of ripeness to have a gravity that high, and it sounds like the yeast are loving it!

Guess I got lucky? And, yes the Kveik is loving it
I found two more crabapple trees yesterday with some nice big ones (for crabapples around here anyways), picked it clean, at least what was left of them. Most of them were smashed on the ground; a sad sight indeed!

 

[blasterooni]

I pitched opshaug (Underpitched at 50% the recommended dosage) and whewy, it went berserk! It looked like it exploded when i got home from work today. I put a blow off tube into a jar of fresh apple juice. See what happens. Gotta run, more later

I was watching a youtube video on Kveik, and the dude was saying that 3/4tsp of liquid kveik is the recommended dosage for 5 gallons, which is a bit less than half of the recommended dose from WLP. Even tho i "underpitched, its still over pitched according to the video. Here is the link

 

[Sequoiacider]

In general, I have found that with fresh pressed juice you can significantly under pitch and still have great results. I believe that the pressing process aerates the juice very well, allowing the yeast the utilize the dissolved oxygen during their initial reproductive phase, allowing them to rapidly increase their numbers. That is the only phase of fermentation where oxygen is actually desired.

 

[FunkyMunk]

I pitched opshaug (Underpitched at 50% the recommended dosage) and whewy, it went berserk! It looked like it exploded when i got home from work today. I put a blow off tube into a jar of fresh apple juice. See what happens. Gotta run, more later

Sorry, gotta ask, why did you put the blow off tube in a jar of apple juice?

 

[blasterooni]

Sorry, gotta ask, why did you put the blow off tube in a jar of apple juice?

I didnt have distilled water, and wanted to see what happens. Which is pretty obvious lol. I already have a bunch of top cropped opshaug, so i figured why not see what happens. In hindsight, it might have been a pretty silly idea

 

[MarkKF]

Also if you aggressively pour your juice into the fermenter before pitching the yeast it helps.

 

[blasterooni]

Also if you aggressively pour your juice into the fermenter before pitching the yeast it helps.

I actually shake the hell out of it before pitching at different intervals. For example, when the carboy has 3 gallons in it, I will add nutes, tannin, etc, and shake it (its only about 40lbs at this point), then I'll add another gallon and shake, and finally top it off. Seems to work really well

 

[Maylar]

Oxygen tank and a wand works for me.

 

[AzOr]

I too did t think you could find apples that high in sugar. But I just bought 100lbs of King David’s and they are at 1.068. I think my #s are correct. I used my refractometer and it’s been calibrated. I recently tested it on some beer wort and my hydrometer #s matched.

Correction- I just pressed these apples and my hydrometer says 1.064.
The juice is like a sugar bomb.
Tasty though.
I may freeze concentrate a portion of a 3 gallon batch to see if I can get the cider to 10%.

 

[blasterooni]

Correction- I just pressed these apples and my hydrometer says 1.064.
The juice is like a sugar bomb.
Tasty though.
I may freeze concentrate a portion of a 3 gallon batch to see if I can get the cider to 10%.

I was doing a hydro reading yesterday on a mixed fruit batch I am working on, and was surprised at the low numbers, so I tried a different hydrometer, and it came out the same. I sometimes wonder at the accuracy of these things, but i guess if two meters agree it must be at least close.

 

[FunkyMunk]

Just calibrate it in water, and it should read 1.000 at the calibration temperature. Sometimes the paper inside can slip out of place and cause the readings to be inaccurate but as far as I know that's the only thing that can throw them off.

 

[blasterooni]

I found about 8 crabapple trees in Chinatown San Francisco! Nice and juicy. My daughter and i picked a quart bag full (thats all i had in my backpack, would've filled my backpack, but it had other stuff in it). Might go back tomorrow and get more. Never thought id find em smack dab in the city and in excellent shape too! Urban foraging at its finest i have to say

If any of u are un SF, i think its saint marys park off of grant st near the main entrance to Chinatown, plenty to go around. If you see a bearded dude in shorts and a blue shirt in his late 40s, thats me, come say hello, and i just may have a fresh bottle of cider to share. Ill be there Nov 3, 2019 in the late morning early afternoon. Lets get those crabs!

 

[Sequoiacider]

Awesome tip blasterooni! If I was closer to SF I would definitely hit that up. Maybe I'll try to contact you up for a meet-up and cider trade next time I head down to The Bay.

 

[blasterooni]

Awesome tip blasterooni! If I was closer to SF I would definitely hit that up. Maybe I'll try to contact you up for a meet-up and cider trade next time I head down to The Bay.

Awesome!

 

[blasterooni]

Interesting variety i found while driving around. Not sure what variety yet. Picked three full grocery bags full, and with what i have at home, i just might have 5 gallons worth when its all said and done. I tasted one of the more ripe looking apples, and it had some pineapple/tropical fruit flavor. Kind of pondering which yeast to use for this batch of neighborhood apples cider...i liked how it came out last time with opshaug kveik, and now from what i have learned, i bet i could make it even better.

Its such a pleasant experience picking apples at sunset, listening to last chirps of the birds before they settle in for the night. The busy city lights flickering across the bay as the fog slowly moves inland over the hills of the peninsula. The bay bridge faintly visible in the misty marine layer...life aint too bad when you take a moment to slow down, pick some fruit and wonder about nothing in particular. The BART train in the distance like a banshees scream, im happy to be up on the hillside far from the bustle.

Have a good evening, and a tip of a glass of cold hard cider, Skal!

 

[blasterooni]

Interesting variety i found while driving around. Not sure what variety yet. Picked three full grocery bags full, and with what i have at home, i just might have 5 gallons worth when its all said and done. I tasted one of the more ripe looking apples, and it had some pineapple/tropical fruit flavor. Kind of pondering which yeast to use for this batch of neighborhood apples cider...i liked how it came out last time with opshaug kveik, and now from what i have learned, i bet i could make it even better.

Its such a pleasant experience picking apples at sunset, listening to last chirps of the birds before they settle in for the night. The busy city lights flickering across the bay as the fog slowly moves inland over the hills of the peninsula. The bay bridge faintly visible in the misty marine layer...life aint too bad when you take a moment to slow down, pick some fruit and wonder about nothing in particular. The BART train in the distance like a banshees scream, im happy to be up on the hillside far from the bustle.

Have a good evening, and a tip of a glass of cold hard cider, Skal!

I think its a newtown pippin, although I didn't find any pictures quite like the one I posted. Because of the pronounced pineapple flavor among other attributes including zone hardiness, it seems this is the best answer.

 

[AzOr]

If it is a Newtown pippin, according to google, they develop more flavor 1 or 2 months after picking.

What a score! Around my neighborhood I usually find neglected yard apples. Although I occasionally come across Gravensteins.

Also a crap ton of asian pear trees. Which yields really boring juice. I've been freeze concentrating this juice for back sweetening.

 

[AzOr]

Ever since I got my press, I have a mental map of at least 20-30 apple trees in my neighborhood. I've never biked/walked the kids so much. Good excuse to get outside.

 

[Sequoiacider]

Also a crap ton of asian pear trees. Which yields really boring juice. I've been freeze concentrating this juice for back sweetening.

You might want to give those Asian Pears another try. I made a Cider (actually a Perry) using 100% Asian Pears, and the end result was really nice and refreshing, perfect for drinking on a hot day.

 

[AzOr]

You might want to give those Asian Pears another try. I made a Cider (actually a Perry) using 100% Asian Pears, and the end result was really nice and refreshing, perfect for drinking on a hot day.

Good point. I have about 4 gallons of frozen pear juice from the neighborhood and about 3 quarts of freeze concentrated pear juice. I may cut it w graventeins and see what happens.

I am really excited about making a perry from chojuro pears. I only have about 3 gallons of frozen juice. These unfortunately were not found in the neighborhood. I picked them from an orchard. They have an intense malt/butterscotch flavor. Hopefully, the flavor says post fermentation. I wish I would have picked more but my freezers are filled to the brim with frozen aj. There's always next season......

 

[blasterooni]

Ever since I got my press, I have a mental map of at least 20-30 apple trees in my neighborhood. I've never biked/walked the kids so much. Good excuse to get outside.

Those "pippins" were falling off the tree as I picked them, it was raining apples! I juiced them and some others yesterday and into the wee morning hours, the OG was a whopping 1.072! There were other neighborhood apples in it, and crabs. I need a press big time. Using a juicer is too labor intensive with all that cleaning, and foaminess that needs to be separated out, thus losing a lot of juice in process. I started putting the foamy stuff in another jug to let it separate so I could get more juice in the end, which worked really well, but, it is yet another step.

I test myself the location of every apple tree I find, I am up to about 10. Haven't found any pears yet...

If it is a Newtown pippin, according to google, they develop more flavor 1 or 2 months after picking.

What a score! Around my neighborhood I usually find neglected yard apples. Although I occasionally come across Gravensteins.

Also a crap ton of asian pear trees. Which yields really boring juice. I've been freeze concentrating this juice for back sweetening.

I'm not sure its a Newtown, I showed a guy who owns a cider bar the apple and he thinks its a wild apple and that I should send one in for testing, though I don't know where to send a sample. I'll have to research that.

 

[MarkKF]

What a shame. You have all those heirlooms and no press. I have a scratter & a press but no apples!

 

[blasterooni]

What a shame. You have all those heirlooms and no press. I have a scratter & a press but no apples!

Lets meet in the middle somewhere, say Colorado, and get to making some cider! I look on CL and FB for used grinder and press everyday...one of these days I'll get one