Apple juice making :)

Some time ago we were invited, by our neighbour living on the same property, for juice making!

He's been making it every single year since he was 18. So probably for over 30 years now! (although I am not entirely sure how old he is ;) )

The juice.

It is made from apples picked from a few places where Sebastian works as a handyman and there are  sacks of them offered to him as the owners are not going to make any use of them. This way, every year at early fall, he starts his apple juice production in his hut, which is built in the furthest corner of 'our' garden. He lives there, in that hut. He built it himself many years ago out of recycled material and made it self-efficient energy-wise. 

Now, to the point > about the juice:

To start with - cleaning the bottles:

Using branch shredder - apples are getting shredded to a pulp:

then it's taken in a bucket to a tumble-drier (yep, the one for clothes) and part by part placed in a cloth-wrap with a zip (being simply a pillow-case used only for that purpose):

the cloth inside of a tumble-drier

all that's been used and squeezed off already goes to be fed to cows
on that here wheelbarrow :)

which goes to the drum. The latter goes into the whirling motion and then to another bucket is placed underneath:

out to the bucket it flows!

the raw juice then flows out thru the vent (as on the picture). This juice is later on heated up in big pots into 80C and, previously sterilised (with boiled water), bottles are filled with that apple brew to the very top:

There can't be any space left in the bottle, so filling it one must make sure the juice was literally overflowing when the top was placed and thoroughly twisted on.

Then each bottle is cleaned with water from what's got spilled on its walls:

and goes to a crate, where it cools down and, gradually the juice's level drops and the vacuum appears. Such prepared bottles can wait for being opened all year long, or more. (based on Sebastian's experience)

We got quite a few bottles ourselves, for our own consumption. The whole crate actually, yuumm :))

2 of the bottles - with a raw pre-cooked apple juice. Raw and delicious!

This method Sebastian elaborated over the years, also after looking up youtube tutorials. As simple as that ;)

Anyone dares to take up the challenge of making such a delicacy at home? Instead of using shredder and tumble-drier one can simply use a juice maker machine and proceed with its pasteurization.

Good luck! 💚