apples and juicing - some excellent ideas here!

[fatbloke]

Just found this, for apple handling....

Brilliant if you ask me.....

I'm off to look out the prices.....

regards

jtfb

[Cellar_Rat]

Freeze em Thaw em and then straight in the press. Tried this for the first time last year - brilliant.

No crushing, scratting or grinding - marvellous

[fatbloke]

Freeze em Thaw em and then straight in the press. Tried this for the first time last year - brilliant.

No crushing, scratting or grinding - marvellous

only downside of that, is that you must have to freeze them for a week or so otherwise you can't guarantee that they've frozen all the way through and the freezing action has broken down all of the juice cells, reducing the pressing efficiency....

Plus if you have a decent quantity of apples... I certainly wouldn't have a freezer large enough for a couple of hundred kilo's.....

Ha! I haven't even got the freezer space for 10 kilo's right now..........

regards

jtfb

[Mamgiowl]

Me neither - all four are full of green beans, peas, courgettes, cauliflower, blueberries. gooseberries, more courgettes, home made soups, carrots and even more bloody courgettes. Despite the overstocking of the latter I am still 'blessed' with about a dozen really huge marrows and no-one to give them to. I guess I'll have to have another go at fermenting them again - despite the fact that the last time I tried it wasn't wonderful.

Oh well.

[Cellar_Rat]

Good point I only did one Carboy last year. Previously I have used a garden shredder. Also works but is something else to wash.

[spritzer]

Me neither - all four are full of green beans, peas, courgettes, cauliflower, blueberries. gooseberries, more courgettes, home made soups, carrots and even more bloody courgettes. Despite the overstocking of the latter I am still 'blessed' with about a dozen really huge marrows and no-one to give them to. I guess I'll have to have another go at fermenting them again - despite the fact that the last time I tried it wasn't wonderful.

Oh well.

I have a cracking recipe for a chocolate courgette cake. It may work well with marrow too. I can post/PM it if you wish

[Mamgiowl]

Coo - yes please

I've tried courgette and walnut 'bread' and that was very good too.

[benarnold]

Just found this, for apple handling....

Brilliant if you ask me.....

I'm off to look out the prices.....

What is that, a waste disposal system embedded in a movable "sink" shelf? Nice idea, but the waste disposals we get are about £100 last time I looked (very briefly, about a year ago).

My press had its first coat of varnish this afternoon. All I need now is a scratter - the cheap food processor nearly blew up last year. I'm tempted by a Pulp Master as it's relatively cheap and easy. Must remember to see if Karl stocks them.

We definitely don't have room in our freezer, even for enough apples to make a gallon.

[spritzer]

Coo - yes please

I've tried courgette and walnut 'bread' and that was very good too.

No probs
Here it is .... Its actually made in a loaf tin, and its from the Greens & Black, chocolate recipes book...

Ingredients ....
175g (6oz) dark chocolate
225g (8oz) finey grated courgettes
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicorbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
110g (4oz) castor sugar
175ml (6fl oz) sunflower/veg oil
2 medium eggs

ICING
175G (6oz) unsalted butter, softened
350g (12oz) icing sugar
50g (2oz) cocoa powder


Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark

Line the tin, with oil, flour.

Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl, over a bowl of boiling water...ie .. bain marie method

Sift the dry ingredients...flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, sugar, cinnamon....

Mix the grated courgette into the dry ingredients.

In another bowl beat together the wet ingredients.... oil, eggs.....
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.....then add the melted chocolate

Pour mixture into prepared loaf tin and bake for 50 - 60- mins

This is a fragile loaf... so best to leave to cool in the tin, for a good 30 mins, before turning out....

Icing....

Cream butter and sugar together, add cocoa powder...you may need a spot of water to get a good consistancy.
Ice cooled cake
Yum

[fatbloke]

What is that, a waste disposal system embedded in a movable "sink" shelf? Nice idea, but the waste disposals we get are about £100 last time I looked (very briefly, about a year ago).

My press had its first coat of varnish this afternoon. All I need now is a scratter - the cheap food processor nearly blew up last year. I'm tempted by a Pulp Master as it's relatively cheap and easy. Must remember to see if Karl stocks them.

We definitely don't have room in our freezer, even for enough apples to make a gallon.

So the cheapest "scratter" or crusher that vigo list is £195 so a "wunner" for a garbage disposal and what, £20 or £30 for the wood and time beats a manual one hands down.

Last time I looked a workshop press (12 tonne pressure) was less than £100 as well, so the cost of making some pressing boards and a frame for support still beat their prices for nice, pretty spindle presses.

Just get the pressing cloths from them and bingo......

I nearly got crucified by getting the food processor to cut out on the thermal safety trigger.... and a 4x2 in a large bucket is too laborious for any decent amount of apples.....

If money were no object I'd just throw some at Brouwland for a commercial crusher and belt press......vv nice

[benarnold]

So the cheapest "scratter" or crusher that vigo list is £195 so a "wunner" for a garbage disposal and what, £20 or £30 for the wood and time beats a manual one hands down.

Well, yes that's true. I just think in terms of £1s rather than £10s whenver I can It does look like it mashes up the apples pretty good, which should give you an excellent juice extraction rate.

Last time I looked a workshop press (12 tonne pressure) was less than £100 as well, so the cost of making some pressing boards and a frame for support still beat their prices for nice, pretty spindle presses.

I built mine out of 4m of 6"x3", simply cut into four pieces and coach-bolts screwing it together in a rectangle. The press plates are two pieces of kitchen worksurface left over from someone redoing a kitchen. It's not quite as robust as a steel frame, but for £30 for the wood, £11 for a 2tonne bottle jack and £5 per Wilkos cheapest net curtain (which makes 2 cheese cloths) I'm pretty happy.

I nearly got crucified by getting the food processor to cut out on the thermal safety trigger.... and a 4x2 in a large bucket is too laborious for any decent amount of apples.....

Yeah, I'm not allowed to use the food processor again either I tried the stick-in-a-bucket a few years ago, and all I achieved was to put a hole in the bucket!

[Mamgiowl]

No probs
Here it is .... Its actually made in a loaf tin, and its from the Greens & Black, chocolate recipes book...

Thanks Spritzer I'll give it a whirl.

Now - has anyone got any idea what to do with the other 29.5lbs of marrow?

[danpug]

I got a local cider producer to crush and press my apples a couple of years ago, cost me £60 but i did have a ton of them! Even ended up giving him 200 litres of juice as i had so much and couldn't get it all in the car!

[fatbloke]

I got a local cider producer to crush and press my apples a couple of years ago, cost me £60 but i did have a ton of them! Even ended up giving him 200 litres of juice as i had so much and couldn't get it all in the car!

damn! what a shame....... though for that price it's a bargain, I reckon anyway.

I keep on the look out for barrels. I know where I can get a used red wine barrel in very good nick for about £70 - only downside is that it's only medium toasted.

I haven't managed to find a supplier for used whiskey barrels (except one in the US, but they wanted to ship a container full). As I reckon I could russel up enough apples for about 250 litres or so......

Dunno what erindoors would say though

regards

fatbloke

[danpug]

To be honest i was glad to get rid of some, it was far too much for me to deal with! Good learning experience though, going from 5 gallon batches to that amount.