Cider Pressing!

I was fortunate enough to get to intern with garden coordinator Renee Portanova this growing season!

These past few weeks, classes came out to the garden to learn how to make their very own apple cider.


To make the apple cider, we used a fruit press. Fruit and cider presses separate fruit solids, such as the skin and seeds, from the fruit juice.

While apple juice is filtered, unfiltered apple juice is called apple cider.


Making the cider

1. The first step involved cutting the apples and removing the apple cores.
2. Next, the apples were passed through an apple crusher. This step compresses the apples so that the juice is easier to extract from the solids.
3. The crushed apples were pressed in a cider press. This involved placing the fruit in the juicing cage, laying wooden blocks on top of the apples, and pushing the silver ratchet handle to extract the juice.
4. The juice funnels into a the container at the bottom of the press, and we enjoyed the most important step of the process: drinking the cider! It was wonderful to enjoy this 100% fresh and natural apple cider, without any added sugar or preservatives! Read more about the nutritional difference between juice and fruit drinks.

Want to press your own cider?

Purchase a fruit press, learn how to build your own, or attend CitySprouts' School Garden Celebration next year!

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_press
http://www.kitchengadgetry.com/kitchen/gadgets/fruit-press-c-32_164_280.html