The word for this weekend is most certainly “extraction” – that is, getting the juice from what mother nature has given us. Gently pressing, or violently smashing, it’s all good. On Saturday, I helped the Specters press their grapes in Dave’s refurbished grape press. On Sunday, we did our “1st Annual Apple Smash” using the cider press my dad refurbished but never got to use. Many years later, it finally did it’s maiden smash. Two truckloads of green, red and yellow apples, a dedicated cart, wash, cut and smash crew, and we have 47 gallons of liquid gold. Everyone took home more then enough, and I have enough left to make 20 gallons of apple wine… and 5 gallons of Apple Jack.
Thanks to Dave and Sara Specter, Mark and Tracy Webster, Libby, the kids and my wonderful wife Susan. Special thanks to the Kinkers for providing the beautiful venue, the means, and some mysteriously good coconut curry soup.
With a week of gloomy, dank, cold rainy weather a week before, and a frost the night before, it turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL day and a perfect end to a summer with a very strange crop cycle. I look forward to doing it again next year!
I love your cider press. Do you have any information about it? I am looking to restore a very similar one but it is missing the crank handles, and gear/shaft they mount to.
Hi Dan, sorry I’m so late to reply. Totally missed your comment. I inherited this press from my dad and he restored it. I don’t really have much more info on it. I’d do some internet searches on the name and see what you can find. Sorry I’m not much of a help. Good luck.