Category Archives: Orchard

Wow! Pink apple juice!

Someone brought in a large-ish batch of apples of mixed varieties to be pressed. By sheer chance, the first batch I did produced juice of an amazing pink colour. It was sheer chance that I noticed — if it hadn’t … Continue reading

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It seems pears don’t stick

to the inside of the press cloth like apples do 😀 I had another test of the settling “tank” with the pear juice too. This is the sediment from about forty litres of juice… And the pear juice, with apple … Continue reading

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There will be quincequonces…

… if I don’t use these soon. But for what, hmmm?

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Testing apple juice settling tank

To reduce the amount of sediment in bottles of apple juice I have been testing an extra step in the process — leaving the juice in a barrel or tank for twenty-four hours prior to syphoning off the juice and … Continue reading

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Apple juice with a bit of bite

Or sting, more accurately. This is the end of one of the syphons in a bottle filler. It’s not uncommon for people to start them off by sucking juice through the syphon via this hole. Note to self: check the … Continue reading

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Get a load of my plums!

Victoria plums, that is. I’ve never had so many before. We can’t eat them all right now, so most will be destoned and frozen.

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Pressing the first batch of my own apples

In the past I’ve mostly mixed up all my apples to press, but there were so many in 2025 that varietal pressings became viable. This is the first batch, of Blenheim Orange. After the Blenheim Orange I had some Ashmeads … Continue reading

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Speidel apple press bladder replacement

Oh no! Fortunately it is possible to buy replacement bladders. Unfortunately, removing the old bladder can be something of a pain. It would appear that from the factory, the pipework for the hose connections and pressure release valve is put … Continue reading

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Happy Birthday to you…

I realised this evening that last apple season was the tenth anniversary of building my own pack press. And sadly the press didn’t get used this year, as I had access to a hydropress that was much quicker and less … Continue reading

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Memory Lane, 28th August 2023: Damsons and plums

Freshly picked…

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