Cider press

[richyrich]

Drew, you after a couple of tasters or something? I've got access to a couple of good pear trees too so might have a crack at Perri. I can't believe there's a pear tree growing in the middle of Taupo CBD (hardly a CBD but that's what they call it) and the fruit is just going to waste. The tree looks like an old one too and is full of fruit. What a waste.

 

i set some perry going other month. i mashed them up in a tub with a birch branch. they were that juicy i didn't need a press- just put pulp in a t-shirt with its arms cable tied and squeezed the juice out.

do not wash the pears as you are relying on yeast on them.

put juice in a sterilised container with airlock and leave for a few months. apparently 2 stages of fermentation- 2nd one later on when weather warms up.

[Derek Trimblits]

Think I've been watching too much of Hugh fearlessly eats it all and after being T total for several years I have regained my thirst for good cider. Unfortunately we don't have a large choice in NZ and much of the stuff here is that awful very fizzy diamond white tasting stuff. Cider presses are few and far between so figured I'd get someone to make me a half decent one, something like that one in other thread or powered with a bottle jack.

 

Used to enjoy the odd Monteiths but agree most are pretty poor.

 

I made about 5 gallons last year -most of its gone now!!!!!

Hardest part was pulping them up good call using that electric garden chipper!!!

 

Can't beat home brewed drinks made with ingredients most folk leave to rot!

[Marlin.45]

As most of us UK based blokes will have seen fruit has been in an abundance this year so while I make something more based towards alchohol Mrs Marlin has been mass producing jam.

 

So far it has been blackcurrant, apple, medlar, and some wild plum thing we have in the garden (relieved that of 40kg of fruit alone!)

 

Oh, but she did sway and put on 4 litres of Sloe gin

[Taupotreeman]

Well, I never got around to making the press but my old man moves over from blighty next week so I might see if I can swindle him into making me one up while he's busy enjoying his retirement. As for the fruit; we have heaps of apple and pear trees all growing wild around the area and I recently did a pruning job in an orchard for part cash and part fruit payment. The owners said they'd dump me a few buckets off when the season kicks in as most of it they can't manage and it goes for pig food. Not sure if I'll be making anymore haw jam though. Gets a bit painful after a while. No sloes around these parts either which is unfortunate for the old fella who's a dab hand at making sloe gin.

[Marlin.45]

The only downside of making scrumpy is what my heavy producing neighbour call the 'apple mist'. After a while all you see is fruit going to waste and you just want to process more and more