Cleaning Apples

[rr326]

I have 10 trees with really good apples but the apples are covered with mildew or some other fungus. Last year I cleaned them by hand or peeled them, but I have hundreds of pounds of them, and it is by far the most time consuming part of the process.

Question: Is there a better way to clean my apples en mass? (Or should I not bother?)

I think I should clean them since I use an industrial juicer instead of a press and anything on the skin is going into the cider. I'm thinking maybe a solution of bleach, or peroxide, or vinegar, or maybe even the stuff I use to sterilize my equipment (I can't remember the name).

Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[cj8scrambler]

What timing. I just heard a story on the radio this morning about fruit washing techniques:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14540742

They found that a 30 second rinse with a 3:1 water:vinegar solution and then rinsing with water did the best job, removing 98% of the bacteria. It did a better job then scrubbing did. If your apples are covered with mildew, it might take longer than 30 seconds though.

 

[Bobby_M]

I'd give them a bath in sanitizer, why not. I use either Iodaphor or Onestep. As long as the skins are not damaged badly, I don't think it will soak into the pulp.