What's the secret behind apple cider? Hard work and FUN!
When I was 9 years old, my family made apple cider for Thanksgiving. We only made about 2 gallons, but the next year that changed. In 6 years we went from making 2 gallons to 443 gallons! We started with 4 adults, and a bunch of little kids - we've now expanded to 35+ adults/older children.
In the cider making process everyone has a job.
On Friday we gather apples in Southern Vermont. Because some of us are home-schooled, we can help gather drops. With 10-15 people working, we can fill two 8-foot-truck-beds with apples in 3-4 hours.
On Sunday people arrive at my house at 10:30. [The night before pressing, we clean and prepare Dad's shop. We set up the press, wash area and filter system.] As soon as we have help we start working. We start washing apples, while Dad rinses down the press. Once our first batch of cider is made, I transfer over to manage the filter system.
The process starts with the wash cycle: four people wash the apples, while two people cut out the bad spots and rinse the apples.
To operate the press you need two or more people; someone to crank and another to throw apples. Because our press has space for two wooden baskets, we can grind and press at the same time. It takes a lot of strength to press the ground-up apple bits, so we use a baseball bat for leverage.
Once the cider is pressed it’s brought over to the filter system. From atop the ladder the cider is poured into a filter screen. After the fourth screen it’s clear of sediment. Then we bottle, cap, and number it. The gallon jugs we use are clean recycled water bottles. With three people working, the filter system goes quite smooth. Depending on the apples, we have to clean out the filter screens in the top of the buckets every so often.
We work straight through lunch time, cycling people out to eat soup and sandwiches. We finish around 5:00PM. It takes us about an hour or so to wash down the press and drain the wash bins. Then we head off to watch the football game a neighbor recorded.
Our cider pressing stretches over three weekends. The more people the merrier. With a crowd of 15 working folk, we can go through an 8 foot bin in about 4 hours.
Making apple cider is the highlight of my Fall. I’m thankful I have this experience to share with my friends.
-Autumn Story Mott
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