Juicing Apples

10 years ago

Very soon, I will be harvesting a large quantity of apples. I will keep many for eating out of hand, but would like to juice and then ferment the majority. I have looked into presses and steam extraction, but really don't want to spend a few hundred dollars on something that won't get a lot of use. I don't know anyone with this equipment that I could borrow it from, so that is not an option.

I have read about cooking the apples until mush, and then straining the juice out out by hanging it in a jelly bag. I don't want to make jelly, or apple sauce. I will slice and dehydrate some, but mostly I want the juice and to play with making hard / sparkling cider.

My question then is, is cooking and straining a viable way to extract the juice, or will it be too "cooked" to be of any use? And will cooking compromise the flavor? Willing to consider all options. TYIA

Steve

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Comments (7)

myfamilysfarm
10 years ago
I cook my apples til just fork tender, then run them thru my Kitchenaid strainer attachment. After I do that, I use a giant jelly bag to strain the juice further. By heat the apples, they give off more juice.

I've also used a Foley mill, but that is LOTS of work.

definitely heat those apples, you won't need to core or peel.
digdirt2
10 years ago
Have you considered making your own home made apple press? There are many different plans available on the web - some quite cheap using 5 gallon plastic buckets drilled with holes and some a bit fancier if you are at all handy with tools.

Just something to consider.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: DIY Apple Press
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skeip
Original Author
10 years ago
thanks Myfamiliesfarm and Dave for the advice. Dave, other than the"live food" thing, keeping all the enzymes, etc, is there any distinct difference in taste or preservability between cold pressed and cooked?

Steve
digdirt2
10 years ago
I guess I'd have to say that is a personal tastebud thing. To me and the wife the cooked tastes flatter for want of a better word, and the texture is very different. Don't get me wrong it is still very good, just less robust, less rich tasting if that makes sense.

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PS: but then we have very old tastebuds too :)
pqtex
10 years ago
I have a Roma sauce maker. I have pear trees. When the pears are very, very ripe (and at their sweetest), they will be soft enough to run through the sauce maker without cooking. I only have to quarter them or cut in big chunks. If they aren't ripe enough to go through the sauce maker without straining the spiral, I will cook them only long enough to soften them. After the sauce maker separates the juice/pulp from the peels and seeds, I further strain the juice, then let it sit in the refrigerator 24 hours to settle, then pour off and strain again. I love canned pear juice, which would be prepared the same as apple juice. If you want a true apple press, do a google search and you will find a lot of instructions and directions to make your own. Good luck. Making your own apple juice is definitely worth your time.

Jill
balloonflower
10 years ago
I have an old squeezo strainer (guessing similar to last poster's Roma) that works great for applesauce, but not sure how much pulpy stuff you want in your juice, even on the smallest cone. I prefer cooked enough to soften as well. If you're going to be doing this every year, it would be worth it to have equipment.

Jill, do you use the pulp that you strain out of the juice?
pqtex
10 years ago
Yes, the roma sauce maker is similar to the old squeezo, although yours will be all metal and mine has some plastic parts. I use the screen designed for tomato/apples. The juice that comes through is pretty thick. I don't want pear nectar, which is what I think it would be if I didn't strain it...I want pear juice. I save what is left in the straining bag for making pear sauce. I just didn't make reference to that since the OP stated they weren't making apple sauce. Using the sauce maker makes pretty quick work of things...although I have considered buying a steam juicer. Our first big crop of grapes is coming in now...I've been throwing them in the freezer because I've been busy with some out of town training for work. I have enough grapes in the freezer to juice now. Will try with the grape spiral and screen with the roma sauce maker (another similar brand is victorio), but I don't know whether that is the best method, or if steam juicing will be better. Have to work with what I have for the time being.

Jill

Juicing Apples

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myfamilysfarm

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Juicing Apples

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myfamilysfarm

digdirt2

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digdirt2

pqtex

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