Asapple ciderstarts make its way to the ledge of grocery stores and orchard shop , those of us growing yield on our own farm start dream about all the succus we can make for ourselves . Just about any juicy fruit can be dump right away into a fruit press . ( You ’ll want to remove the pits of stone fruits first to avoiding damage the fag mechanism . ) Whether you take a simple hand - operated press or a big major power press to squeeze the scrumptious liquid from your produce , the results will be awesome : gallon of tasty juice from fruits like apples , crabapple , pears , grapes and berries , which can be preserved by canning or freeze , or even by makingwines , Mead and syrups .
That ’s the good news .
The realism is that fruit press and their grinder affixation are major purchases , rove from about $ 150 to well over $ 1,000 , so it ’s important to protect your equipment with proper maintenance and storehouse in the off time of year . A well - keep fruit closet can last for generations . Some antique cider imperativeness are still in workings order and bear on 100 years old , so a sturdy , attractively crafted new press and grinder , like those from Kansas - basedHappy Valley Cider Presses , may be around until the 22nd century .
How Fruit Presses Work
The account for this is easy : They iron out fruit … really unvoiced . However , allow ’s take a confining look at a mid - range hand - operate cyder press , which can bear about 5 gallon of raw yield .
Typically , a fruit press has a cornerstone made of enameled metal , with a triad of legs to keep it steady and eminent enough off the terra firma to place a haul basin for the juice ; a lip directs the menses of juice into a bowl or pitcher . Next come a cylindrical “ basket ” made of wooden slat with blank space in between so the juice can flow through — for best results the basket should be nearly full of chopped or ground fruit when you set out press . A stalwart upright screw passes through the basket of fruit and serves as the backbone for the pressing mechanism . That mechanism include a handgrip that act as a level to turn a pair of wooden plateful . Those dental plate fit over the handbasket full of yield and exert pressure equally .
Once you begin wrench the lever the succus set off to fall . Collect the juice in bowls until the fruit has been pressed juiceless .
find how the watchword “ hero ” sustain appear . That ’s because larger yield , like apples and pears , have to be chop into bits before pressing or else they wo n’t give up their succus . Berries , grape vine and other soft fruits do n’t need dig . Depending on the modelling of yield press , the grinder may be part of the unit or a separate attachment . In either compositor’s case , it ’s made up of row of discriminating teeth .
Before labour and pressing fruit , you ’ll want to rinse the yield to remove debris , sticks , leaves and insects . And you may also postulate to separate out tonic juice through a fine sieve before processing to off any undesired pulp magazine or debris .
Caring For Your Equipment
A fruit press sits idle for most of the yr , so your destination should be to keep worm , cast , mildew and rubble away from it . If you hope to make wine-colored , it ’s also important to screen the pressing from wild yeasts in the air . Finally , the metal parts of the chemical mechanism should be dry and lightly coated with a food - grade lubricant before store to keep them rust complimentary .
Those commonsense precautions will aid you get the most and longest use of your beautiful fruit press .
