Posts Tagged Cider press
Spring Time Projects – Pressing Matters
Posted by Granny in Cider & Apples, The Frugal Yard & Garden on 03/19/2013
These days, it seems difficult to begin any article without pointing out that spring is at our door. Yet as I write this, today, it snows and snows and snows. Just 24 hours ago, the ground was nearly bare and we could be walking on grass again by Friday. Everything is possible.
Maybe stating that spring is here is a personal reminder for all of us. We do this instinctively, as if we could hear our internal clock urging us to get busy. So many projects await in the garden shed, in the yard and the kitchen. Here in the northeast, gardens are merely a thought at this time, yet we are already planning canning projects. Apple season is even further down the road, but the arrival of spring brings fresh energy and we will be busy preparing, repairing and cleaning equipment so that all is in order well before it is needed.
Yesterday, I shared a great picture of an antique cider press on our Facebook page. This reminded me that preparing the cider press for the new season will be on many to-do lists this spring, so I thought I’d review a few frequently asked questions about cider and fruit presses.
1- Why is there a grinder? Won’t the press itself do the grinding? The press alone compresses the fruit to extract its juices. The grinder’s purpose is to turn your fruit to the right consistency for maximum juice with minimum effort, because small pieces mean there is less resistance to compression. It makes the pressing process efficient and fast. Chopped fruit offers more exposed flesh, which increases juice flow. Without a grinder, you would have to pre-chop your apples (or other fruit) for optimal results. Can you imagine doing that, bushel after bushel?
2- What is the best way to clean a cider press thoroughly? As with any tool, appliance or implement that is used to process food, proper cleaning is vital. A dirty cider press puts you at risk for food-borne illness. To clean your press adequately, you will need a hose, hot water, a clean sponge, mild soap and chlorine bleach. First, rinse the cider press down with the hose. This will remove any food particles. After this, you must still clean the cider press thoroughly with warm water and soap. Water pressure alone will not suffice.
Disassemble the cider press and thoroughly wash each component by hand with hot, soapy water. This will discourage bacterial growth. When this is done, rinse all parts with the hose. Next, rinse again, using a sanitizing solution made of 2 ounces of chlorine bleach and 10 gallons of water. When this is done, rinse twice with the hose, to ensure all sanitizing solution is removed. Allow to dry completely before re-assembling.
Disassembling your fruit or cider press to clean it thoroughly also gives you an opportunity to inspect all of its components and make sure everything is in good order. Cider presses are extremely well built pieces of equipment, but they have moving parts and this means normal wear and tear over time.
3- Are pressing bags really necessary? Pressing bags allow you to get more juice out of your fruit. They help contain the pulp within the pressing barrel while allowing juices to flow out.
If you are not yet familiar with cider presses, the pressing bag is inserted in the barrel with its opening folded over the sides. Apples (or other fruit) fall into the barrel from the grinder. When the barrel is filled to desired volume, a plug (pressing cover) is fitted to the mechanism above it. As pressure is applied, pulp, seeds and skins remain in the barrel, within the pressing bag, and the juice filters through in perfect drinking consistency. Without the pressing bags, you would get very chunky cider and pressing would be inefficient since the pieces of fruit could escape through the slats of the barrel. Pressing bags are reusable, of course.
4- Do I have to seal the wood on my cider press? How do I do this so it does not end up in the cider? The barrel and all wooden parts of your cider or wine-press should be sealed so that moisture does not damage the wood. This also prevents mold from forming. To this end, be sure to use a non-toxic, food-grade polyurethane. We have used and recommended the EZ-DO Polyurethane Gel for many years with all of our fruit and wine presses. It is an FDA approved, food safe product. Ordinary lacquer or varnish seal wood, but are not food safe and do not have the durability of a specifically designed product like the EZ-DO gel.
The next question is for you to answer: What wonderful wine or cider concoction will you be making this year?
Sipping Cider Through a Straw
Posted by Granny in Canning, Cider & Apples, Lifestyle on 08/08/2012
Do you sometimes hum a tune as you go about your daily chores and projects? While cleaning the house, while weeding the garden or canning or making pickles? Our connection to the land, whether it be on a full-size farm or in a modest backyard garden, inspires a tune in spite of us. Even if it is silent, it manifests in the form of a peaceful new rhythm in the body. It begins at the fingertips, perhaps, as you gently lower the canning jars into the water bath or as you turn the vise on the cider press.
Summer is a time for picnics and carefree meals shared under the sun, with the tablecloth dancing in the wind at each corner of an abundantly garnished table. If you send the children to camp for a week or so, they return full of stories and memories that will last a lifetime. They also return with fun, silly campfire songs they will repeat over and over in the days to come.
If you are all grown up (while remaining a child at heart, of course), you have surely heard the many versions of Jack & Jill went up the hill. How about Mary had a little lamb? Mary had a little lamb, she also had a bear. I saw her little lamb, but I never saw her …. Ha! I can see the smirks on your faces. You made up your own lyrics, didn’t you? And you still remember every word. Go ahead. Giggle away. It’s good for you.
Here are a couple of silly songs about cider, slightly edited I admit. We must have a sense of decorum after all, must we not? But I know they will make you smile.
I have a theory. The rich taste and pure nourishment of fresh produce, even apples turned to cider, relax the mind and enhance our connections with others, because the garden itself is a community. Thus, as we partake of the garden, so do we embrace community. Once consumed, the harvest sings through our voice. The garden is not burdened by the worries of the world, so it inspires silly songs. This is how it laughs. This is how it reminds us to laugh.
Sipping cider through a straw
The prettiest girl I ever saw was sipping cider through a straw
The prettiest girl I ever saw was sipping cider through a straw
I asked her if she’d teach me how to sip some cider through a straw
First cheek to cheek, then jaw to jaw, we sipped that cider through a straw
And now and then that straw did slip and we’d sip cider lip to lip
Now forty-nine kids all call me “pa” from sipping cider through a straw
The moral of this little joke is don’t sip cider, sip a Coke!
………………………………………………………………………………….
I am a cider drinker
When the moon shines on the cow shed and we’re rollin’ in the hay
All the cows are out there grazing and the milk is on its way.
I am a cider drinker, I drinks it all of the day
I am a cider drinker, it soothes all me troubles away
Oh arr oh arr aay, oh arr oh arr aay.
It’s so cosy in the kitchen with the smell of rabbit stew
When the breeze blows ‘cross the farmyard, you can smell the cow sheds too.
I am a cider drinker, I drinks it all of the day
I am a cider drinker, it soothes all me troubles away
………………………………………………………………………………….
When a Rain Barrel Becomes a Cannon – A Quirky Look at Bad Translation
Posted by Granny in Food Prep & Dehydration, Kitchen Products on 10/22/2011
Social Media provide an open and global market for commerce and individuals. Since this is an ever-evolving system, it naturally leads to constant adaptation and innovation. One such innovation is the automated online translator.
While this is a feat in itself, it is far from perfect. In fact, it drives real translators out of their minds when some professional establishments insist on using these free-of-cost services to translate product descriptions or entire websites, resulting in sometimes hilarious copy and a clear sub-text that screams, “We cut corners.”
Apparently, or should I say obviously, an online application is not designed to assess emotional and cultural nuances in written text; at least not yet. Consider the phrase “Made to last a lifetime.” A translation to French using various automated online translation sites resulted in variations of, “Made for a love of life.”
I asked a professional translator what she thought about this. She laughed as she pointed out, “We get this all the time, especially with start-up companies. They are trying to save money, of course, so someone decides to translate product copy using an automated online service. Inevitably, a business partner suggests they should at least have it proofread, just this once, just in case, just to be sure. We, the translators, end up doing the entire work over. There is no proofreading. It is usually well beyond that and when you point out how ridiculous the automated translation sounds, first the client has a good laugh and then they never do it again.”
As a light-hearted weekend topic, I decided to explore the possibilities. To this end, I ran some of our products’ descriptions through automated online translations. Here are some excerpts you might enjoy. Text in italics is the bad translation.
Jaffrey Cider Press
“A quality cider press that can be passed on from generation to generation” – Bad translation: A press of quality cider that can get run over from generation to generation.
“The Jaffrey Cider Press is the only apple cider press your family will ever need to purchase” – Bad translation: The Jaffrey Cider Press is the only apple cider press your family should never purchase. (Remember, we are examining bad translation, DO NOT follow these instructions literally!!).
“Watch faces around you light up with anticipation as the fresh, sparkling cider begins flowing into your collecting bucket” – Bad translation: Wristwatch faces around you light up with impatience as fresh and shimmering cider begins to flow into your rally bucket.
Squeezo Strainer
“The Squeezo Strainer made by Best Products today is the same as the old Garden Way Squeezo Strainer later made by Lemra Products” – Bad translation: The Thames of Squeezo made by the best products is today identical to old later Thames of Squeezo of the manner of gardens made by Lemra products. (Do you see the connection? Strainer, Thames. I sure don’t).
“… then watch as the sauce and juice pours down the drain tray into your bowl…” – Bad translation: And the wristwatch, as a sauce and juice, flows beneath the drain tray into your sink. (All that work down the drain!).
Wesson Manual Wheatgrass Juicer
“The Wesson Manual Juicer” – Bad translation: The Wesson Manual centrifuge. (Watch out for grass flying all over the place).
“Clamp on style easily attaches to any counter top up to 1.5″ thick” – Bad translation: Pinch on the style to easily counter any size up to 1.5″ of thickness. (A more diplomatic way of saying “tuck it in?”).
Rainsaver Rain Barrel
“The 38 Gallon Rainsaver Rain Barrel” – Bad translation: The 38-gallon Rainsaver rain cannon.
“Lightweight – can be moved around by 1 person when empty” – Bad translation: Light. Can be moved by one empty person. (Did you see the invisible man move that rain barrel?)
“The back of the barrel is flat, and hugs the side of the house without any room for weeds to grow” – Bad translation: The return of the barrel is flat and runs past the house without any place to insert weeds. (We tried and tried, but could not insert any weeds).
Victorio Kitchen Garden Sprouter
“The easy-to-use Kitchen Sprouter will have you in sprouts with a few minutes of set-up and three to five days growing time” – Bad translation: The easy to use Sprouter kitchen will have you shoot with a few progress reports of installation and three to five days of increasing time. (Proving once more that time is relative).
“Also includes drain tray and crisper lid” – Bad translation: Otherwise includes the bath drain tray and the packed vegetables lid.
After further consideration, I believe the translation at the beginning of this article might be perfectly adequate. “Made to last a lifetime” are words that can be found in the Squeezo Strainer description. The translation, “Made for a love of life,” is perfectly in line with the product which, in itself, provides the user with the means to transform produce into wholesome culinary experiences. Perhaps automated translators might be put to good use while brainstorming company slogans.
I leave you with this little gem: English text, “Enjoy a fresh harvest of healthy sprouts” became, “Enjoy the new culture of health streams” in French. See what I mean?
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Your Host ~ Granny Wise
Granny Wise is All Seasons Homestead Helpers' writer and sustainability enthusiast. All Season's Homestead Helpers owns and distributes THE ORIGINAL SQUEEZO STRAINER since 2006. The Squeezo Strainer, a staple in kitchens for over 50 years, is the only all-metal sauce maker and it is entirely made in the US. We carry all Squeezo parts. We also carry a carefully selected line of kitchen, lawn and garden equipment including indoor and outdoor compost bins, rain barrels, water bath and steam canners, fruit and cider presses, greenhouses, cold frames, tool carts, kitchen and patio gardens, juicers, grain mills, weed mats and much more.
