Happy Fall Traditions: How to Press Apples with a Cider Press
Nothing says fall like fresh pressed apple cider. It is a wonderful activity that young and old enjoy and is a perfect way to enjoy seasonal living. Here is how to press, freeze, or can fresh apple cider.
The Mossygoat cider press is from Happy Valley Ranch. It is the homesteader model. This is a very expensive investment although it is a heirloom item if cared for properly. If you have an orchard the ability to process large amounts of fruit quickly is important.
Supplies Needed
To press apple cider you will need:
An apple press with grinder
A pressing bag
Apples. Use as many different varieties as you can. Pears are a great addition as well.
Buckets or containers to hold apples and clean apples
A stainless steel milk bucket or a clean food grade plastic bucket for the cider
Quart or half gallon mason jars
Cleaning the Cider Press and Apples.
When pressing apple cider, cleanliness is important. If your goal is to drink raw unpasteurized apple cider you need to be sure to keep everything as clean as possible throughout the process. Sterilization is not really a possibility in the field working with a wooden press. But you can still work hard on being as sanitary as possible. Water is your friend when pressing. Thoroughly wash your press before and after every use. Make sure to run water through the grinder and wash all parts. This will remove any dust and debris that has settled on the different parts of the press.
Don’t forget to wash the apples as well. Simply placing them in a bucket of water will suffice. A big muck bucket that works really well as do water buckets. Make sure the muck bucket has never been used for mucking. Clean kitty liter buckets with handles also work really well in fruit season for picking and storing.
You can press with just one type of apple and your cider will be fine. However, using as many different varieties as possible gives you the best tasting apple cider. I even like to throw a few pears in. Pear cider alone, although still delightful, just isn’t the same as the deeper flavored apple cider.
Some apples are sweet, some of more sour, some are dry, and some have fuller flavor. Mixing the flavors gives you the best of everything.
You do not need to core and peel apples to press them. You should remove any twigs and leaves before you throw them into the grinder. Small stems are fine. The water usually removes a few bugs and that isn’t something to worry about.
Pressing Apple Cider.
Now that you have a clean grinder and clean apples, it is time to press. The slated rack that the basket sits on is an inch or two smaller than the platform it sits on. The rack can be easily slid forward or backward depending on if you are grinding or pressing. The basket should be towards the front when you are grinding. Be sure to have your pressing bag in place.
Do not over fill your tub. Fill your tub half way to two-thirds full. Filling ground apples to the top of your tub will make pressing harder. Slide your slated juice rack to the back of the press so that it is centered under the pressure foot. Place the pressing disc in the tub and slowly lower the pressure foot. Adjust your basket or pressing ring as needed to ensure that the pressure foot sits in the middle.
Place a stainless steel milking bucket or a food grade plastic bucket on a towel on the ground in front of the pour sprout. Turn the top to lower the pressure foot and squeeze the juice out. We put an old broom handle in the top between the spikes to get more leverage. Do not over squeeze. When the whole press wants to turn then you know that it is done pressing.
The color of the juice will depend on the types of apples you are using. It can be lighter to quite dark. Apple cider will begin to darken within minutes of pressing. This is oxidation and is the similar to a cut apple turning brown.
Campden tablets can be added to the bucket while pressing if you plan to turn your apple cider into hard apple cider. Use one campden tablet per gallon. The campden tablets are a type of sulfite that kills harmful bacteria and prevents the oxidation that darkens the cider.
Canning apple cider slightly reduces the nutrition and changes the flavor. It does pasteurize the apple cider in the process and also allows for long shelf-stable storage. Heat the apple cider to boiling and fill your hot mason jars to 1/4" headspace. Process pints or quarts for five minutes. There is no official recommendations for canning in half gallon jars. Usually the food processed in half gallon jars is unsafe to consume. However, because this is a highly acidic juice you can use your own judgement. The juice will heat evenly and thoroughly. Process half gallon jars for 10 minutes. Do not can jelly, applesauce, or other apple products in half gallon jars.
If you are going to freeze or refrigerate your cider you can choose to filter or not filter. Apple cider being used to make alcohol should be filtered. You can use several layers of cheesecloth over your jars or a strainer. Yes, you can freeze in mason jars. Fill the cider to 1” below the shoulder of the jar if you plan on freezing the cider. The cider will save for one week in the refrigerator and one year if frozen.
There are many used for apple cider other than drinking. Apple cider can be used as the liquid to make applesauce to increase the apple flavor in your sauce. It can be used instead of milk or water in baking and pie recipes. It can also be used to make apple jelly.
Cleaning and Storing the Cider Press
Many apple presses are made out of wood. Before you use your press you will need to place a food grade coating on the wood to help preserve it. It MUST be food grade because your press is being used for food. The Happy Valley Ranch website sells two different food grade options. We simply used food grade mineral oil. It is important to note that not all mineral oil is food grade. Food grade, or USP grade, mineral oil is also often used for wood cutting boards and butcher blocks. It is simple to apply. You just dip a cloth in mineral oil and rub it on the wood in the direction of the grain. It does need to be reapplied as needed.
Keeping your press clean and dry and storing it properly will help keep it working for many years. Clean your press immediately after every use, even if you are going to use it again the next day or week. The grinder and press are very easy to clean with a jet stream of water from a hose. Do not allow apple particles to dry onto the wood surface. This makes them harder to clean and makes a more unsanitary surface. Store your press in an area that is protected from the elements and where it can be kept dry and relatively clean.
Happy cider pressing! We want to hear about your cider pressing adventures! Email us and tell us about it.