Saladbar: Thanks for your report on using the disposal apple grinder. 60 gallons is a lot. I have done 40, but 60 -- wow. I have been posting descriptions of this adaptation for nearly 10 years, on the NAFEX board, Cider-Request, and the Fruit Forum, but seldom hear from people who have actually built and used one. Mostly, I get feedback trying to pick the idea apart, but without trying it. Human nature, I guess. I figure it's their loss, because it does work, and it's not patented nor could it be. From the outset, I have noted the problem with overheating, since the disposal motor is a sealed unit with no provision for cooling other than the cool liquid passing across the top. But, as you point out, the overheating can be dealt with by a little patience, running the disposal no more than about 20 consecutive minutes. Repeated overloads on the thermal breaker do not seem to harm it. Must be a bi-metal. Most of my apples will not fit into the disposal without cutting in half, so I consider this a routine part of the process. It doesn't slow things down much. Over the years, I have tried to figure out some way to deal with the overheating problem -- aluminum fins, fans, or even drilling cooling holes in the motor case. Most of these seem impractical or downright foolish, such as drilling holes in the motor. My Badger is an ISE product, with the induction coils just beneath the case. ISE dominates the market where I live, with Waste King far behind. Fine, because I think the lower-RPM ISE is better for this application anyway. Recently, I have been thinking of trying another solution to overheating, which would be to wrap the motor case top to bottom with 3/8 copper tubing, using appropriate brass ferrules and other hardware, a little flow control valve, ending up with a female inlet fitting that could be attached to a garden hose. Discharge would be on the lawn away from the unit via copper or plastic tubing. The copper tubing would have to be in full contact with the motor case throughout its length, as well as firmly attached. I haven't figured that part out yet. But I don't see why it wouldn't work, since liquid is an excellent way to carry away heat, and it wouldn't take much of a water flow to do it. Installation of the tubing and fittings would involve a few more shop skills than building a simple table, but if you are building a new unit you might want to try it since it would be easier to do on the motor before installation. On the other hand, you may be happy with what you've got. I may try wrapping my motor this winter when all there is to do is split firewood. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

I use my Kitchaid mixer with juicer attachments.

I'm surprised no one mentioned using nylon stockings in this old forum thread. I've used my wife's "retired" nylon stockings since the late 1970's to make dewberry/blackberrt jelly. I cut the legs into 12 inch or so long segments, tying off the ends if not using the foot, and putting them 3 or 4 thick to make the bag. A canning funnel helps to keep the bag open to load it with mashed fruit. I'm in the group that likes to squeeze the bag to shorten the collection time. Althouth, this does make the juice cloudy as noted above.. I will empty and clean the nylon bags using a garden hose nozzel for the final step in cleaning the nylon segments. and then reassemble the nylon segments and repeat the juice collection process. It usually takes about 5 to 6 collection cycles to get 6 to 7 qts of juice. After collecting the juice I put it in the refrigerator in 48 to 64 oz clear plastic bottles. In 24 or so hours, the cloudy juice settles to the bottom of the bottles and clear juice remains above. I then make as many recipes of clear jelly as I can and then finish with cloudy jelly to not waste any juice. No difference in flavor of clear vs cloudy jelly...it's only the look. Having said the above, I'm not sure nylon stockings are available anymore. They don't seem to be in fashion today. But luckily, I happen to have an old stash/supply that ceased to be replinished about 15 or so years ago.

Well, I have done a little reading, and here are my impressions, which seem consistent with what has been mentioned in this thread so far. A centrifugal juicer such as mine separates liquid from solids. The solids contain most of the vegetable's fiber and pulp. Fiber is typically considered to have about 2 calories per gram or 56 calories per ounce, when eaten by people. It actually has more energy, but we are not able to extract much of it. How much, depends on if the fiber is soluble or insoluble in water. Which means that I could do a little weighing and estimate the calories in the juice and in the solids. The pulp contains exactly what, I dunno, but apparently skin, pith, etc are nutritionally significant in some way. The juice contains most of the vegetable's nutrients - vitamins etc - and sugar. The advantages of drinking juice include rapid and convenient consumption of a large quantity of vegetables, or at least the veg sans fiber and pulp. The disadvantages include rapid consumption of a quantity of sugar. I tend to juice vegetables more than fruit, which might reduce the sugar content. When the vegetable is juiced, it starts to oxidize and lose some nutritional value, compared to the whole vegetable. I can't find any reliable information about how quickly, or how significantly, that happens. It may not be meaningful at all. I mostly juice beets, and mix it with a small amount of carrot juice and apple juice. I started doing this because I like beets. Now I want to test the effect of beet juice, and whole beets, in reducing blood pressure.