Apple picking

[SJAughton]

Hi All

Last autumn I moved home and discovered my new garden has a beautiful apply tree with most thr apples now on ground rotting away.. #missopportunity

I love scrumpy cider, so come late Aug I wanna start collecting those apples

I was wondering while others Rippon ready for picking how can I store those ready or fallen until I've got enough to make my cider ?

My spring trest is a fruit press (shush wife don't know yet)

Any tips or perhaps recipe? I do favour a good carbonation these days but wanna keep as dry as can.

Thanks all

 

[foxy]

Hi All

Last autumn I moved home and discovered my new garden has a beautiful apply tree with most thr apples now on ground rotting away.. #missopportunity

I love scrumpy cider, so come late Aug I wanna start collecting those apples

I was wondering while others Rippon ready for picking how can I store those ready or fallen until I've got enough to make my cider ?

My spring trest is a fruit press (shush wife don't know yet)

Any tips or perhaps recipe? I do favour a good carbonation these days but wanna keep as dry as can.

Thanks all

Wrap in newspaper and store in a cool dry place. Any that are rotting, apple peel, and cores. Make cider vinegar

 

[jof]

Following foxy recommendation on wrapping apples for storage, check them once a week, as you don't want 1 bad one spreading to the rest of them.

Depending on the apple variety, they could be on the tree until early November.
You might want to press your juice when you have enough apples & do a few batches - again depending on how many you get.

As I was using cider yeast & not risking wild yeast, I washed the apples in weak sodium metabisulphide solution before starting.

I pulped apples in a food processor, and used a "brew in the bag" mesh bag inside the apple press.

Tradition also suggests once the first pressing has been done, you can add a little water to the old pulp & press again to get "boys cider" - lower strength for the lads who worked the land.

 

[SJAughton]

Wrap in newspaper and store in a cool dry place. Any that are rotting, apple peel, and cores. Make cider vinegar

Brilliant thanks!! Great tip on the vinegar

 

[MashBag]

Best way by far. Freeze them. When you get a press full. COMPLETELY thaw and then press. Hard.

No need to scratch, the freezer has done the work for you. The juice shoukd flow easily. Pot met will stop any oxidisation, and it will now make a stunning white wine or a cider.

If you can find another tree locally a mix of sweet and sharp apples is best.

White grape juice conc helps % and elder flowers give the wine mosel finish.

 

[SJAughton]

Best way by far. Freeze them. When you get a press full. COMPLETELY thaw and then press. Hard.

No need to scratch, the freezer has done the work for you. The juice shoukd flow easily. Pot met will stop any oxidisation, and it will now make a stunning white wine or a cider.

If you can find another tree locally a mix of sweet and sharp apples is best.

White grape juice conc helps % and elder flowers give the wine mosel finish.

Great thank

I've made kits and turbo before but now I have a tree with a really good season last year I wanna take advantage.

I'm estimating about 9kg to get 1 5 gallon?

Hadn't tho8ghtvof grape conc that be a good mix will look into that

Any yeast reecommdations good at consuming the fructose?

 

[jof]

Oh & you don't want any more than 30% cooking apples unless you like it really sharp.

@MashBag do you really have that much freezer space? I wish I had

 

[MashBag]

Yup.

 

[MashBag]

Any yeast reecommdations good at consuming the fructose?

Lalvin K1-V1116 Yeast.

Stunning performer

 

[MattH1973]

if you have a look at mine and Freesters annual threads in the Brewdays section you will see step by step instructions for cider from apples. A few more thoughts re the specifics on here:

1. I dont freeze as I invested in an electric scratter. I'd say if you are making 30 litres plus per year this is well worth it (and of course freezer space may be an issue).
2. I store mine in netted sacks, but as someone said you do need to check periodically for bad apples.
3. Bruised fallers often become bad apples. So when picking in advance only get the perfect ones, then a day or 2 before you press grab all the useable fallers.
4. Dont worry about peeling or coring. Just scrat and press. Cider juice is very acidic and therefore very resilient as long as it doesn't oxidise. I have insects and all sorts in my apples - and they all go in the press !
5. My personal preferred yeast is Love Brewing champagne yeast.
6. But try a 5litre demijohn with no yeast at all (Au Naturel in the threads) and see what happens.

HTH