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Re: Pressing Apples



In article <842425021snz@ozzz.demon.co.uk>, oz <oz@ozzz.demon.co.uk>
writes
>It may be rash of me (I doubt it actually) but I'm not particularly
>well off and I've just sent off for a 9 litre apple press and small
>crusher which you use with an electric drill - total cost 150 quid (sterling).
>The suppliers are called Vigo.
>
>I have great plans. My father in law has a small orchard (3 acres) and
>every year a good few crates of apples rot in his cellar. My wife
>often buys farm pressed apple juice from the supermarket at nearly
>2 quid a litre. Apart from ourselves I reckon family and friends would
>be most appreciative of the odd litre of home pressed apple juice.
>I plan to freeze it and I'll try pasturising it at 70 C in jars or
>bottles, I think. Never been a great cider drinker but there are 
>possibilities there to. We do use cider vinegar sometimes. 
>
>It also occurs to me that instead of buying freshly squeezed orange
>juice from supermarkets, street vendors and others, perhaps people would be 
>interested
>in freshly pressed apple juice. My LETS scheme might be a good outlet
>to begin with.
>
>But alas, no-one is backing me. My wife and my father in law think I'm 
>crazy to spemd all that money, my parents were decidedly luke warm about it, 
>and even friends who I would have thought would know better seem to show
>no enthusiasm. Moreover, it has been extremely difficult to find any
>inf. at all about pressing and presses. And for me that's the clincher.
>I know its a good idea, but because no one else seems to realise it 
>perhaps its a very good idea.
>
>Anyway, I'm posting off the order today.
>
>Can anyone give me any advice on any of the problems I am soon to encounter?
>Thanks in advance. I'll make further postings here as things develop.
>
I bought a kitchen-type presser and pulper from Vigo and have used them
extensively. In this area (Ross-on-Wye, UK) there are a number of
orchards where I am able to buy apples direct from the growers who will
sell fruit that will not grade i.e. too small, too large, odd shape or
bird damaged, this sort of fruit is very reasonable.
I have found that the preperation of the fruit to be somewhat tedious,
cutting and pulping, but the resulting juice is excellent.
I have also noticed that some commercially available apple juice has the
appearence of not having been oxidised in the pulping process i.e. all
my juice turns out brown from the natural oxidation that occurs during
pulping. On examining the packaging of these "unoxidised" juices I note
that Vit C has been added and it occurred to me that as Vit C is an
anti-oxidant this may have had the (intentional?) effect of producing a
more cosmetically attractive product.
I think that locally produced apple juices will have good consumer
acceptance and I will certainly follow you onto the market.
Good Luck,
       gerry@ghods.demon.co.uk
-- 
G.M.Hodson



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