Apples cider, applesauce, apple pie…I just love apples!
Although the kids and I had picked a few apples and worked them up into applesauce and apple pie in a jar we hadn’t done any apple juice until today. We were waiting on Scott to get the modifications done on the apple press.
Last year we had borrowed a 1/6 hp motor to run the crusher. This motor didn’t have the power to efficiently run it. We also wanted to get a motor that we could leave on the press. So after much looking we were able find and purchase a used 1/2 hp motor for $40. There were a few other things he wanted to tweak to make the crusher run more smoothly and efficiently.
Thankfully, Scott was able to finish the modifications Monday evening. So on Tuesday evening we went as a family to pick apples off two trees. (We do not have any of our own apple trees. Thankfully we have been blessed to find people who have extra apples and are willing to share. I look forward to owning our own land so that we can plant lots of fruit trees!)
Anyway the kids and I were able to get 4 gallons of juice today. The kids each had a job to do ranging from rinsing apples, to putting them in the crusher, to straining the juice once it made it to the kitchen. Oh they also had to “taste test” the juice to make sure it was up to par. We are looking forward to picking more apples at another location to add to our stock of apple juice.
We ran out of last year’s juice a few weeks ago so I want to have a big supply on the shelves this year. Unfortunately I didn’t write down how much juice I canned last year, oops! So now it is a guessing game as to how much we will need for a year. This year I am keeping a better record of what/how much we are canning, thanks in large part to blogging about it. 🙂
What is your favorite way to have apples?
Blessings,
Jennifer