Before


After


Magnolia tripetala Umbrella Magnolia


Asimina Paw Paw


My favorite time of the year is harvest! That's the time when the apples are ready to be picked for cider making.


I searched for apple varieties like Arkansas Black, Enterprise, Gold Rush, Ben Davis, Falawater, Lady, and Newton Pippin. The apple blend resulted in a high sugar, however low tannin, cider. The older varieties of apples were not as plentiful to have an impact on the dryness of this year's drink.

As for equipment, I purchased a 1/2 horsepower garbage disposal to use as a grinder. It worked well; however, it did overheat a few times as it was powering through 3 1/2 bushels of apples. For the second year in a row, we used our hands to press the mash rather than a machine. I haven't quite had the time or resources to build a proper press.
Cutting Gold Rush Apples

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