It's Apple Season

[punkin]

It's nearly that time of year again and i'm getting excited. :icon_cheers:

Went to check some roadside trees i know about and to spot some new ones just after New Year. All looking good with some colour on the small fruit already.

Looking back on last years bounty it was early march we found them. Some of the trees we were slightly too late for and a couple we were a week or two too early.

So thinking of making two trips this year to add to the apples off my own trees.

Last year we picked nearly three bins full to get 70kg, using a good sunbeam juicer we ended up with 40l of cider...







This year i'd like to double that at least. :icon_chickcheers:




I'm in Northern tablelands of NSW, what time of year does everyone else get their apples in different regions, and how do you store them if they are ready at different times?

 

[paul]

It's nearly that time of year again and i'm getting excited. :icon_cheers:

Went to check some roadside trees i know about and to spot some new ones just after New Year. All looking good with some colour on the small fruit already.

Looking back on last years bounty it was early march we found them. Some of the trees we were slightly too late for and a couple we were a week or two too early.

So thinking of making two trips this year to add to the apples off my own trees.

Last year we picked nearly three bins full to get 70kg, using a good sunbeam juicer we ended up with 40l of cider...

View attachment 51520

View attachment 51521



This year i'd like to double that at least. :icon_chickcheers:




I'm in Northern tablelands of NSW, what time of year does everyone else get their apples in different regions, and how do you store them if they are ready at different times?

Apples store fine in the fridge.

How did you make your cider?

I made a big batch a few years ago from apples and pear. I boiled it, cooled it and fermented it with reclutured Coopers yeast. It came out fairly dry and made you wobbly really quick.

 

[Steve@PMF82]

I stored my apples from trees here last year in ventilated cardboard boxes, in the darkest / coolest spot i could find.
It was a couple of months before they started going down hill.
A refrigerated cool room with humidity control would be best, but ,my lotto numbers have not come up as yet.

 

[punkin]

I made it by extracting the juice and pitching yeast. Definately didn't boil it.

I used some Danstil A distillers yeast i had in the fridge, but will probably use a bulk white wine yeast or a cider yeast this year.

It was a few weeks in primary (probably a month) and the same in secondary.

I'm going to sample some this afternoon to try and define a sourness on the back pallatte with some email help and will take a picture then.

It's quite dry, with a beautiful copper colour and the slightest sparkle.

I bottled with a teaspoon of white sugar, but i used a two handled wing capper on twist toppped longnecks. I heard that these will not give a proper seal and i put that down as the reason it doesn't sparkle.


I really, really like it as is, just need to identify if the late sourness is an infection or a PH issue.

 

[Greg.L]

My apples are looking good but the crop is much smaller than last year due to frost. At least a smaller crop means the apples ripen better, I'm hoping the sg will go above 1.050. I have heaps of seedling crab fruit this year so I will find out what the cider is like with lots of bitterness from crabs, they also keep the pH down which is good.

 

[punkin]

Yes we noticed the wild trees were all much barer in fruit than last year. It's been a wet, mild spring and summer here, so that may have something to do with it.

 

[punkin]

Got excited talking about it and went and cracked a sunday morning bottle...



No justice in the pics, it's a lighter colour and crystal clear without the condensation.

 

[Airgead]

I have heaps of seedling crab fruit this year so I will find out what the cider is like with lots of bitterness from crabs, they also keep the pH down which is good.

I found that around 5% crab apple was about the spot to aim for. Any more and its too astringent. Even a tiny amount makes a huger difference to the cider.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Greg.L]

I found that around 5% crab apple was about the spot to aim for. Any more and its too astringent. Even a tiny amount makes a huger difference to the cider.

Cheers
Dave

Well, you can't really generalise about crabs, especially seedling crabs. Some of mine don't have much bitterness and some are very bitter, especially the small ones. I mainly use the bigger ones because you get more for your effort. I use well over 5%, this year more like 30% because I have so many and I want to test the limits of how much bitterness I can enjoy.

Mine are mainly John Downie seedlings.

Greg

 

[Airgead]

Well, you can't really generalise about crabs, especially seedling crabs. Some of mine don't have much bitterness and some are very bitter, especially the small ones. I mainly use the bigger ones because you get more for your effort. I use well over 5%, this year more like 30% because I have so many and I want to test the limits of how much bitterness I can enjoy.

Mine are mainly John Downie seedlings.

Greg

That's right... you grow from seed don't you. They will vary a lot.

Mine are tiny and super astringent. And not much juice. It normally takes me the whole tree worth just to get 5% by volume of juice.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Greg.L]

Here's a picture of one of my seedling crabs today.

 

[pmunny]

Me and the bro n law have been waiting all year to make some "roadsider"!
Heaps of them down near our farm

 

[drsmurto]

Currently supping on a glass of the Natural Selection Theory cider.

I really need to pull the finger out and brew a cider using the wild yeast on the skins to ferment it.

So wonderfully appley, dry, tart, cloudy with a touch of funk.

It screams old world cider, not that clear, characterless shite that is commercially available (Strongbow, Magners/Bulmers, etc etc)

 

[manticle]

Currently supping on a glass of the Natural Selection Theory cider.

I really need to pull the finger out and brew a cider using the wild yeast on the skins to ferment it.

So wonderfully appley, dry, tart, cloudy with a touch of funk.

It screams old world cider, not that clear, characterless shite that is commercially available (Strongbow, Magners/Bulmers, etc etc)

Ever tried reculturing yeast from a bottle conditioned breton/normandy? Something I might try (although their keeving process etc might completely destroy it???)

 

[punkin]

Currently supping on a glass of the Natural Selection Theory cider.

I really need to pull the finger out and brew a cider using the wild yeast on the skins to ferment it.

So wonderfully appley, dry, tart, cloudy with a touch of funk.

It screams old world cider, not that clear, characterless shite that is commercially available (Strongbow, Magners/Bulmers, etc etc)

If you really are keening for that type of taste, i have a beauty from last years crop :icon_cheers:

Me and the bro n law have been waiting all year to make some "roadsider"!
Heaps of them down near our farm

I'm so bloody gald i'm not the only one :beerbang:

Greg, i'd kill for a box of them crabs.

 

[Greg.L]

Greg, i'd kill for a box of them crabs.

I may have enough to sell some crabapple juice this year, but you would have to come to bathurst.

Greg

 

[punkin]

hmmmmm.. got anything to fish for or to shoot at?


TemptingPunkin

 

[Greg.L]

Definitely no hunting or fishing here, this is very much a hippy-type place. I don't even spray insects, it's all karma man.

Greg

 

[punkin]

No worries. I'll keep it in mind. Maybe next year, i'm going to play with pectinase and a tartaric acid blend this year.

Tossing up on this yeast..

http://www.enoltech.com.au/products/ever-m...erm-cru-05.html

The bloke i've been talking to reccomends this pretty strongly as a primary yeast that loves to eat fructose and can convert malic acid without a malolactic ferment..

# Apples are very high in Fructose, most yeast do not like. Cru 05 is Fructophilic so it will not cause an issue in getting it dry. More ripe more Fructose

# If you wish to reduce Malic Acid without Malolactic ferment, this yeast will degrade up to 30% of the Malic acid through the primary ferment. More ripe less Malic, hence higher pH

# High Glycerin production 8-10g/l adding viscosity giving a softer mouth feel.

Anyone interested in splitting a pack?

I could throw in some bulk white wine yeast that would be perfect fro cleaning up in secondary and ensuring dryness, as i have stacks of it.

 

[Airgead]

I may have enough to sell some crabapple juice this year, but you would have to come to bathurst.

Greg

If you do, drop me a line and I'm there... I'll even help you pick and juice them.

Cheers
Dave