Monday, October 3, 2011

A Pressing Matter!

We broke out the cider press yesterday,
and though the day was dreary and damp,
made some luscious, fresh squeezed
apple cider!

 The cider press was a Christmas gift
to me a few years ago from
my dear Gentleman Farmer!

After picking the apples and washing them off
with fresh clear water,
we drop them in the hopper of the press.

Turn the crank and the apples are chopped
and drop into the awaiting basket below.


The top is set on and the basket moved to the press...


the press is turned and turned..

compressing the apples until...


the flowing juices drain into a cheesecloth
covered pan.

The juice is then strained again into a clean
jar to be frozen for the coming winter
(I like to freeze it instead of canning
so as not to destroy all of the healthy benefits
of the fresh cider.)...


 or poured into a frosty mug to be enjoyed right away!
~*~
"Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Thy wings,"
Psalm 17:8
"Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances."
Proverbs 25:11

~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~

18 comments:

Nadine said...

Oh..you are so blessed to have your own cider press! We use to have a orchard near by that sold fresh cider each year, but sadly they are no longer in business.
I love fresh cider...enjoy a cup for me! :)

Blessings!
~Nadine

Farmgirl Cyn said...

You have no idea how many times I have wished my blogging friends were my neighbors....mmmm...fresh squeezed cider!

Emily Fay said...

Oh you are sooooo lucky and blessed! I would love to have a cider press! :)

Anonymous said...

Oh Raeann, what a blessing this is :) I must share that I do not particularly like apple cider - but juice - now that I do like :)

blessings dear friend,

Maria

Marqueta (Mar-kee-ta) G. said...

Dear Lady Farmer,

(I think my last comment was eaten; it it wasn't, you can delete this one!)

What a blessing to have your own cider, and for Gentleman Farmer to give you your own press!

I hope that the sun comes out soon for you.

Love,

Marqueta

dr momi said...

an apple press for Christmas -- I wonder if I can convince him :-)

Gina said...

Raeann,

So interesting! And thank you for including pictures. I wondered if you peeled the apples first but it looks like you don't. :)

Your cider must be so delicious! Do you have a extra big freezer to freeze everything in?

Lady Farmer said...

Nadine~ Oh, so sad that the orchard is no longer in business! I certainly will enjoy a cup in your honor! :~P

Cindy ~ I wish we were neighbors, too! You have so many great ideas and we share the same interests. Wish you could help me with my culturing! I'm trying Sourdough starter again, and I don't think it is working again. My house is just too cold. Guess I need to build a fire! :~/

Emily Fay ~ Yes! I am blessed ~ not only with a grand cider press, but with my darling husband as well! :~}

Maria ~ How sad that you do not like cider! It is so much better for you than pastuerized juice! Perhaps you would like it if you could have fresh pressed! There is nothing like it, my friend! :~?

Marqueta ~ (It wasn't, and I did!)
Yep! I am a blessed country girl!
It's okay with me if the sun doesn't come out. It's (almost) always sunny in my heart! I have the most wonderful bunch of blogging friends! :~D

Lady Farmer said...

dr momi~
Oh! I do hope you can convince him!
:~D

Gina~
Yes! It is very delicious! I have one nice upright freezer that I put my fruit, vegetables, applesauce and juice in, but I need to purchase a chest freezer soon. We just purchased a 1/2 organic beef side (sharing with a daughter and her family) and hopefully Gentleman Farmer will fill his tag this year for a deer! I'm hoping not to have to do much grocery shopping this winter! ;~P

Jennifer said...

I have a silly - "cityfied" - question....what would you do differently do get apple juice as opposed to cider?? I truly believe you are the only one I've ever known to own an apple press...pretty nifty:)

Lady Farmer said...

Jennifer~
Your question is neither sill nor 'cityfied'! I had to look it up, too!
Some say there is no difference, but I beg to differ! Cider is the fresh, pressed juice from apples,unfiltered, undiluted, not concentrated, nor heated and pasteurized as is apple juice which has been filtered several time to remove all the 'sediment' and most of the good stuff from the cider. Also, the juice has been heated and pasteurized to kill any 'bad' stuff ~ but killing the vitamins and other healthy things in the process. Cider is as close as you can get to biting into a delicious, crisp apple, only without the work! :~D
Here in Washington, we are one of the largest apple producing states, and any farmer worth his salt, has a cider press for his apples. Just kidding, but we do have several friends who have a press and on occasion have cider pressing parties. They are great fun!
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! So glad you asked!
:~P

Heather said...

Oh that looks so yummy I so wish I could try some!! What a wonderful thing to have a cider press ~Enjoy your cider ~Love Heather

Cheri said...

Love, love, love home made fresh pressed cider. Anything from the store is a pale comparison. We made some years ago with friends back when we homeschooled the boys. Maybe someday when we live close to all the kids, I'll invest in a cider press.

Lady Farmer said...

Heather~ I wish you could be here, too my friend, to taste this wonderful cider! We are blessed not only with the great cider press, but a lovely old orchard that enables us to put it to use!
:~}

Cheri! ~ I love, love, love fresh pressed cider, too! I reminisced so much to my dear hubby about how, when I was young our neighbors had a press and we, as kids, would make cider to sell. We sold lots of things along side of the road in our little valley, but nothing sold like that delicious fresh cider! (Better than lemonade anyday!) Memories like the ones you made with your boys are certainly cherished and would be wonderful to make again with your grandchildren, wouldn't it?
:~D

Camille said...

Oh YUM!!! And how FUN is that?!! I can just about taste it.

Love,
Camille

Maiden Princess said...

What fun! I love freshly made apple products! Thanks for the pictures, I think you've inspired this country girl to try making cider one day ;) Enjoy this harvesting season!

In the Messiah's Love,
Maiden Princess

Niki said...

Where did you purchase your press from? I have an orchard on my land, and I'm always struggling to use them all up! I love cider.

Jami @ An Oregon Cottage said...

I love apple pressing days with our family- it really is a bonding time and we all have so much fun. We do can our "juice" 'cause we make so much and none of us have enough room in our freezers, but our juice is not filtered much (like yours- just cheesecloth to get out the large chunks), so it is still cloudy with sediment. Hmmm, cider or juice? Who cares- it's wonderful! :-)

Thanks for linking up!
-Jami