more cider.

we made cider again. seven gallons this time, and in the daylight, for the most part. we got about 95 pounds of cidering apples from an orchard close by in addyston and spent sunday afternoon pressing cider. the tohline's came over to help too, which made it super awesome.

this is box 1 of 2 full of apples. we got a mix of four different kinds from the farmer. we didn't ask what kinds of apples they were, because he already seemed leery that we were aiming to steal his cider business when we asked to buy apples. we do look like the type to have an illegal cider selling ring.


because we use a garbage disposal to crush the apples, they have to be cut into manageable sized pieces first. for 95 pounds of apples, that's a lot of cutting.


after the apples pass through the garbage disposal, this is what you have. i think this 5 gallon bucket full of mush was from the first box of apples. looks tasty, eh?


for the press that we made, the apple mush needs to be wrapped in cheese cloth and stacked in the press. this keeps little bits of apple from ending up in the finished product. by this point the apple mush has already oxidized and turned brown. this is what gives the cider its final delicious color. its a sticky process and takes many hands. thankfully, starla was there to capture it in photos.

finally, after all this hard work, the actual pressing can begin. a bottle jack applies the pressure and the cider runs out a slit in the corner of the press, into an eagerly awaiting bucket below.


of the seven gallons, jon is making three into hard cider. the other four are almost gone. about a half of a gallon remains. so if you'd like to try some, stop by soon.