The pomace is placed inside the frame of the press, usually between layers of lightweight cloth to catch the seeds and stalks. Regardless of size the principle is the same. Cutting the apples into slices by hand generally doesn't work.Īgain, unlike soft fruits, which can often be turned into juice in a kitchen liquidizer, apples (or rather apple pomace) has to be pressed to release the juice.Īpple presses come in all sizes, from large old traditional ones turned by horse or cattle, to small domestic ones turned by hand. If you don't have a crusher, you can achieve a similar result by freezing and then thawing your apples (which breaks down the flesh) and then pounding them with a wooden post in a large bucket.
Often the crusher can be mounted on top of the press so that the pomace falls straight into it. The pomace falls out of the bottom and is collected ready for the next stage. Washed apples are fed whole (stalks and all) in to a hopper and then passed through rotating metal teeth, turned by a handle. Most apple press manufacturers offer dedicated crushers or 'scratters' for this purpose. Step 1 - Crushingįirstly the apples must be crushed or milled into very small pieces - known as 'pomace'. Instead making apple juice is a two-stage process. You could easily fit 12 dwarf trees in the same amount of space needed for a large traditional tree, and whilst each tree will not produce as many apples, collectively they will produce far more apples (and you can grow different varieties to give a range of flavours).Īpples are naturally hard fruits so unlike soft fruits and grapes, cannot just be pressed to release the juice. The reason is these figures do not take into account the space needed, so if you want to maximize your apple production in the least amount of space, do what commercial growers do, and grow trees on dwarf rootstocks. It might seem from these figures that you should always plant full-size trees to get the most production for juicing, but the reverse is actually true and if outright production is your goal then dwarf trees are the best choice. Yields of apple trees vary enormously depending on the variety, the rootstock, and the soil and climate conditions, but here are some approximate figures: Tree size / Rootstockĭwarf tree (e.g. How many apple trees will I need to make apple juice?
The quantities vary from one variety to another, and also depending on the power of the press you are using, but as a very rough estimate:ġ large supermarket plastic bag will hold enough apples to make 1 litre of apple juice You need a lot of apples to produce a small amount of juice. You can use the variety search page on our website to find varieties that produce good quality juice. The best juices often come from a blend of sharp apples (usually cooking apples) and sweet apples (usually eating apples). Which varieties are best for apple juice?Īll apple varieties can be used for juicing, but there are a number of varieties that are particularly useful because of the qualities of their juice, and these are highlighted on our website. Whilst juicing apples used to be seen primarily as a way of dealing with a surplus or using second-grade apples, customers are increasingly choosing to grow trees specifically for juicing. As long as they are still edible they can be used for juicing. Most gardeners and community orchard projects do not spray their trees, so inevitably there will be a proportion of second-grade fruits. Pressing them into apple juice is a great way to deal with a surplus. Within a few years the insignificant-looking young apple trees that you planted will start producing apples … and even dwarf apple trees are capable of producing very large quantities of apples. Freshly-pressed apple juice from home-grown apples has an intensity of flavor that is a far-cry from the long-life supermarket products.Īpple pressing is best when you have many hands to help, and is a great excuse to invite friends and family over to join in the fun - and to help clear up the mess afterwards! Children in particular seem to love watching the juice seeping out of the press, and nothing tastes quite like freshly-pressed apple juice. Apple juice or sweet cider is a refreshing healthy drink which can easily be made at home.
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