150lbs of free Macintosh Apples

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My buddy just dropped off 150 pounds of fresh macintosh apples. I do not have a press and the local supply store wont have theirs available in time before they go bad. Aprt from buying a press any suggestions on what I could turn these beautiful things into?
 
Apple Pie!!!

I think in order to make a good apple wine it takes various varieties just like cider. I may be wrong though. I always buy unpasteurized cider to make my apple wine.
 
Straight McIntosh apples don't make an especially good wine or cider. Like Runningwolf said, a blend makes a better cider or wine. You can freeze them like dralarms said and keep them until a press becomes available. You can thaw them out and get more juice than if you try it out of fresh apples.
 
if you can't wait , chop the apples add one gallon of water to about 6-10 lbs of apples. use one frozen white grape concentrate per gallon. go to Jack Kellers web site for further additions and various apple recipes. Keller uses acid blend, for apples I would use malic acid the natural acid in apples. previous remarks about mixed blend are correct but a good summer sipping wine can be made with Mac's.
 
I disagree with salcoco,

Add NO water. Freeze them, start thawing and then as they thaw cut in 1/2 or as long as you break the skin good, add pectic enzyme, cover with some kmeta and let thaw, as they thaw they will juice themselves. I have a big potato masher I use to push them down.

I took my pears out on Friday and today they are covered in juice and still partially frozen. I just got in from cutting them in 1/2 and adding more pectic enzyme.

Word of advise, don't steam juice pears, they turn brown quick.
 
I freeze them first and let them thaw And put them thru crusher and I made 15 gallons plus a and bottled it all last week after back sweeting
 
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Here apples are cheap so I use straight juice from apples (Champlain Valley produces over 2 million bushels of apples a year- about 80,000,000 pounds). I just use fresh pressed cider and adjust the sugar levels up to the desired amount. No water is needed. If you got 150 pounds of apples, that is almost 4 bushels or around 15 gallons of straight juice. However you make it good luck and enjoy the wine.
 
I'd kill for 150 lbs of macs (my favorite apple). I core them and add to my Blendtec and make the most amazing cider. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
 
Mac harvest began this last week. They are picked in 20 bushel bins by crews of dozens and dozens of specialized jamaican pickers. The orchards are still growing thousands of acres of Macs but are switching over to apples more in demand as this country's tastes change. They can do that fairly quickly by planting the vines on trellises like grapes and get a new orchard in full production (a thousand bushels per acre or so) within a few years.
 
Grapeman, apples dont grow on vines:) Hopefully some of the orchards are paying attention to the resurgence of cidermaking and are planting more traditional cidermaking apples on their high density tall spindle systems. WVMJ
 
What kind of setup are you guys using to get 80% yield? WVMJ

Here apples are cheap so I use straight juice from apples (Champlain Valley produces over 2 million bushels of apples a year- about 80,000,000 pounds). I just use fresh pressed cider and adjust the sugar levels up to the desired amount. No water is needed. If you got 150 pounds of apples, that is almost 4 bushels or around 15 gallons of straight juice. However you make it good luck and enjoy the wine.
 
They can do that fairly quickly by planting the vines on trellises like grapes and get a new orchard in full production (a thousand bushels per acre or so) within a few years.

I also started growing my apples the same way. I have three trees trained on three wires strung just like you would for grapes. It makes spraying and harvesting a lot easier and allows for better sun light.
 
Here's what I am thinking. I'll freeze them whole. Buy some unpasteurized cider. Thaw apples, cut in half, mix with cider. Make a large patch of wine �� and cider. What yall think? Thank you all much for the responses!! I am also in the process of making a homemade crusher. If it fails I have a back up. We have a hydraulic press at work. I'll take a 6 gallon bucket for the outer and drill holes in a smaller ale pale.
 
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Well, this has prompted me to get a crusher so when I take mine out of the freezer I guess I get to crush them.

Are you getting a crusher and desteamer ?

I have just a crusher only and it works well for me because of the fruit wines and where we go to pick grapes already has a crusher - destemmer on site
 
You need to crush the apples up to get the juice out, cutting them in half aint going to do it, youll end up with 300 pounds of lees at the bottom of your fermentor. Just get a 4x4 made of poplar or something foodsafe and smash them in a bucket, you dont have so many apples that this would be to much work. On the other hand, if you can get nice cider already pressed why would you muck it up by adding a bunch of apples that are not really good cider apples? Free apples not always a good bargain:)

WVMJ



Here's what I am thinking. I'll freeze them whole. Buy some unpasteurized cider. Thaw apples, cut in half, mix with cider. Make a large patch of wine �� and cider. What yall think? Thank you all much for the responses!! I am also in the process of making a homemade crusher. If it fails I have a back up. We have a hydraulic press at work. I'll take a 6 gallon bucket for the outer and drill holes in a smaller ale pale.
 
Are you getting a crusher and desteamer ?

I have just a crusher only and it works well for me because of the fruit wines and where we go to pick grapes already has a crusher - destemmer on site

Crusher only. Got it mainly for fruit. Grapes I still do by hand. So far anyway..
 

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