Apple cider today

[5030]

What don't get 'ciderized' wind up as deer apples.

 

[Jstpssng]

I feed my two pigs a grain bag stuffed with apples every day. :thumbsup:

 

[Deere Dude]

How do you keep birds from pecking holes in all the riper ones?

Keep the feeders full at all times....lol

Seriously though, I had to pick my apples before they were ripe thinking they will ripen with a little age. As soon as they see a little red the birds can find them. Just enough damage to make harvesting a pain.

 

[oosik]

One year most of our apples ended up on the ground. Between the leaping deer and the adult coons sending their babies out the limbs - there was little left on the trees. So we just scooped them all up - cleaned them up - made cider. Ran them thru the food processor - used the neighbors small press. Best cider ever.

We never had problems with birds. The black birds & magpies don't seem to bother. The yellow jackets will chew H*LL out of the ripe ones though.

 

[5030]

From my perspective, I don't like mashing apples on the ground because they usually get bruised in the fall from the tree and various animals like to 'graze' on them. I prefer to pick them off the trees. Right now, I have 6 gunny sacks full of drops, all destined to become deer bait on my buddy's farm where we will hunt this fall. We own property in north central Michigan that is loaded with deer, turkeys and a few bear but it's a CWD area so any deer you harvest there must be inspected by the DNR whereas down here in SE Michigan, CWD isn't an issue (at least yet) so any deer harvested can be processed without the hassle of dealing with the DNR.

Every year, my 4 trees are positively loaded with apples. I cannot remember a year when they weren't.

I'll probably load at least 6 more gunny sacks with apples before it's over with.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Bought a gallon of cider today from a local orchard. Very good.

 

[5030]

Just looked in the deep freeze a little while ago (had to get a loaf of Povitica out (I won't get into what Povitica is except to say it's Polish nut bread) and looked at the cider, all 9 gallons of it. Frozen solid in gallon jugs. Couple are going to good friends and a couple will make the journey across the country to friends we have in Maine and Florida. Those will wait until winter and get backed in boxes with ice packs and wrapped in foil-bubble- foil insulating blanket.

Killed my first gallon already and it's keeping me very regular.......