Our first apple harvest was a success!
My Dream Come True
I've dreamed of having a place where I can use all the skills I have accumulated in my nearly 59 years. Down the Rabbit Hole Acres seems to be a great fit. Along with existing skills I am adding a few new ones!
Cider Making
Cider making! I remember the year I picked over 100 lbs of apples at a local orchard. That harvest became pint and quart jars of applesauce, apple pie filling, frozen apple pies, muffins....you name it. If it had apples in it I made it. That is except for cider. I didn't have the equipment nor the time. But, today I do! AND, I have the apple trees. They are known to the locals to produce delicious winesap and Jonathan apples. The previous property owner would can and preserve all they could use and share the extras with friends and neighbors. So, I have carried on the farm tradition. I picked, and picked, and bought a long handled picking basket to pick some more. A new neighbor, her daughter-in-law and 4 grandkids came by to pick even more. We even shared some with the deer!
I have apple sauce, and apple butter, and apple pie filling and apple slices canned. But this time I have apple cider, too! Now THAT is a workout. You have to pick, wash, and cut the apples. Then you put them through a "fruit grinder." It was suggested to grind them twice to get more of the juice out and I can attest to that being true. After the grinder comes the actual pressing. The pulp is poured into a mesh bag fitted inside my hand-cranked fruit press. Wooden blocks go on top of that bag and the crank is fitted on top. Then you get quite the bicep and tricep workout cranking that sucker down as far as you can. The reward is a fine but steady trickle of golden brown liquid yumminess. It takes about 7 gallons of apples to produce 8 quarts of cider. Well, at least with our apples. I've discovered that the cider has a slightly different taste as the season progresses. The first couple of pressings yielded a lip puckering juice as the apples may not have reached full maturity. Still delicious but reminded me of the sour apple and caramel suckers I used to love back in the '70s. As the apples matured the juice became sweeter and richer. I even have a gallon of "hard" cider in the works. My fingers are crossed that it actually becomes an alcoholic beverage and not a strong vinegar. I can use either but I'd feel quite accomplished if I produce a fine, hard cider in my first attempt.
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