Learn: How to Press Apples into Cider!

If you have a big pile of ground up apples and you are not sure what to do next, you came to the right place! This is when the process really starts to come together. This is the part most people envision when they think of cider making. 

If you don't already have a fruit press, we highly recommend the Harvest Fiesta Stainless Steel Fruit Press. It's amazing. It's U.S.A. made. It's hassle free. Most importantly, it's made entirely out of stainless steel and costs only a bit more than the wooden ones coming out of China. 

If you already own a fruit press, you should use that one. After all, it doesn't cost you anything, right? Just make sure to grab yourself a nylon filter bag. It'll make the job of loading and unloading the basket so much easier. 

Let's get to it:

• If you're using the Harvest Fiesta Fruit Press, you can screw it to a platform like a pallet if you like for extra stability.
• Put your catch bucket in place under the spout.
• Slide the basket out and line it with the filter bag.
• Dish the ground up apples into the basket/bag like it's Halloween Candy. Be generous, but don't overdo it. 
• After filling the bag about 3/4" full slide in back in a start cranking!
• As juice starts to flow put stead pressure on the apples by continuing the cranking.
• After juice stops flowing, raise the piston, pull the bag out, fluff your apples and give them a second pressing!No mercy. We're here for every last drop.
• Did you get that last part? About doing a second pressing? That's really important. Sometimes people will tell us they are not getting the juice yields they expected. There's lots of things you can do to help that. Like sweating your apples, using high quality fruits, etc. Having said that, doing a second pressing is the easiest thing you can do to get more juice. 

Once you're done, the Harvest Fiesta Fruit Press can be rinsed with a garden hose, and allowed to air dry. We suggest brushing the threaded rod with some of our food grade grease, if you're going to be storing it for a while.  If you're using a traditional fruit press, go ahead and brush the wooden slats with some flax seed oil after washing to keep it from drying out and cracking.

Super easy right? If for some reason you are pressing fruits inside during the winter, it wouldn't be out of the question to wash the press in your shower with the hand sprayer. Just make sure not to clog the drain with fruit pieces.

Visit our other How-To writeups to learn more about what to do with your fresh pressed cider.