Yep, just like the subject line states, I AM loved. There is not a man in his right mind that would have spent time to design and build something as incredible as what my man has designed and built for me. Yes, he had pictures of what an apple press should look like, so he could follow that, to create a thing of beauty. So not totally his design, but he did a good part of it himself. The object still needs a little more tweaking after using it yesterday, but that will certainly be a good thing, smoothing out the wrinkles in one part of the design.
This has been a long piece of work. The hours spent working with wood, metal and such stuff could never be entered into the equation of cost, as this would probably have become a thousand dollar item, smiling.
I knew the end product was coming nigh, as my Husband had asked Son-in-Law to do the last part, welding of the frame. It was done.
I had gone out yesterday morning early to food shop, and came home to gather eggs from the chickens. Son-in-Law came over and asked where my man was. This is what he affectionately calls his Father-in-Law, “your man”. I told him, dunno, probably doing some work at home. He told me to tell him to come down and start to work with the press on our deck. Smile.....then he says, “wanna see it?” Oops. Not sure about that. I think Husband would have liked to show me firstly, but I can keep a secret. I can look at it and tell Hubby that I had not seen it yet, when he did bring it up to show me....Son-in-Law must be very, very excited if he wants me to come and have a look at the machine in his shop. So I follow him into the shop. There in the middle of the workshop was the most incredible thing I have ever laid eyes on. I had no clue what this apparatus looked like, only the very first thing, when the barrel was being constructed. Son-in-Law was very proud of what papa bear had done. Still feeling a little guilty about looking at it before my Husband had shown me his treasure, I allowed Son-in-Law to show me how the thingamabobthatdoesthejob worked. With such pride he demonstrated. And then he again told me to tell Husband to get off his arse and come down and bring it home. I left the workshop, went home and told Husband that Son-in-Law had told me to tell him to get off his arse and go get the machine. He asked me if I had seen it. Drat. I can’t lie, just not in me. Told papa bear that yes, I had, Son-in-Law was so proud of the object, that he just had to show me and demonstrate how it worked. Husband is a very understanding man, and knows full well what pride does, it is a very difficult emotion to control, and this had to be shown – to the woman where the end product will be given. Husband went down and put object into the trunk and brought it home to our porch. And we began to play. We cut up apples. Put the apples into an old cloth bag that I had and then into the barrel of the press. The intention was to just put the apples into the barrel of that press. The wood has been cut so that there is a 1/16 opening between the slats, so the barrel could be filled with apples and the juices come out between the slats. But I firstly thought we should try it with a cloth bag, in the event that something needed tweaking, the barrel would not be full of apple stuff. May still use only a bag for the apples to be in. I am picking up some muslin today and will create a beautiful bag to hold the apple pieces regardless. I just think it would make for much more easier clean up than trying to wash the wooden apple press barrel.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Yes, perhaps more tweaking as we go along, but the initial design is in place and it is totally working well. Very heavy, oooh so heavy. But then that is good, doubt if it would ever fall over. I cannot explain the excitement that I felt when I saw this monster of a job on our deck. The day was nice and reasonably warm, I would venture to say about 3 degrees C and we fiddled and fooled around. And had the most beautiful cup of apple juice that tasted like nothing on this earth I have ever tasted. We only could get about a cup of wonderous liquid out. Something needed to be tweaked, as the wood that presses on the apples was not sitting quite straight, hence just not doing a job full well. Husband is getting another piece of metal, the disk that sits on the wood, in which the crank goes in, must be made the entire width of the barrel, it was not quite wide enough and the wood was not squished down evenly. But we got to taste what there will be much more of to come. Still have about 100 pounds of apples that will be pressed.
A dear friend of ours had given us copious amounts of apples this fall. She is most generous with this fruit, and asked that we take as much as we desired. I got greedy and asked if we could take all of it. I know for surely that it would ALL be used and put to good, and she knew that too. I don’t know if you would call this greed, or if it is just something that is good. I’ll consider it good, as our friend did not have to bend over and rake and pick up the apples. Others that may have wanted the apples too, were given the option. But the apples were still on the trees in copious amounts. So we took those apples and headed home with them. Not any has been wasted, and all are being put to good and wonderful use. I will be bringing her a gift from the apples that she so graciously offered to us. The gift of cold pressed apple cider and heat steamed apple juice. Oh as an aside, did you know that apple cider is cold pressed, no heat used, that is called cider. It is when the apples are heated to extract juice that the product then becomes apple juice, just a little trivia for those that like trivia. So Heather, again, thank you my fine woman. The first variety was MacIntosh. Those have all been eaten up in different ways. Juice made with my steamer, dehydrated and plain outright frozen. The apples we are working on now are a smaller, but a most delightful tasting and extremely crisp fruit. I think this will make a nicer juice apple. When I steam the apples to obtain the juice, two quarts of liquid gold are obtained per bucket. It will be interesting to see how much juice come from the cold pressed apples. I will make mental notes, but honestly, thinking that pressing will give much, much more juice. Next year I can certainly see lots of arm muscles being developed in fall, whence those apples become ready. It’s OK, I do so like to have those toned biceps, smiling.
So enjoy the pictures, enjoy the feelings of pride and happiness that I feel, enjoy the very fact that I feel like I am loved. And with that, all my wishes for us to have a most wonderful day, a day with good health and know that we are all loved. CynthiaM.
This is the thing of beauty that graces our deck. It will be put under cover so no moisture goes on it and will be stored in the workshop of our Son-in-Law’s whence the finishing of apple pressing is complete. To keep it safe and sound until the work it will do for us next year.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
To turn the handle and get the post to move down does take a good many twists of such, but it is powerful and finally does the work that it is intended to do. Again. Probably still a good many tweaks will yet to come.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
And the juice doth flow....
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
A product that was nothing short of beautiful. The apples were cold as cold could be, the juice was the same, chilled to much more cold than any fridge could ever have been, smiling. Bordering the point of freeze. I am stoked. I am excited. And I can’t wait until tomorrow, when the first tweaking of the machine has been done. Today is the day that the disk will be made to be a better way to press the juice....
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
This has been a long piece of work. The hours spent working with wood, metal and such stuff could never be entered into the equation of cost, as this would probably have become a thousand dollar item, smiling.
I knew the end product was coming nigh, as my Husband had asked Son-in-Law to do the last part, welding of the frame. It was done.
I had gone out yesterday morning early to food shop, and came home to gather eggs from the chickens. Son-in-Law came over and asked where my man was. This is what he affectionately calls his Father-in-Law, “your man”. I told him, dunno, probably doing some work at home. He told me to tell him to come down and start to work with the press on our deck. Smile.....then he says, “wanna see it?” Oops. Not sure about that. I think Husband would have liked to show me firstly, but I can keep a secret. I can look at it and tell Hubby that I had not seen it yet, when he did bring it up to show me....Son-in-Law must be very, very excited if he wants me to come and have a look at the machine in his shop. So I follow him into the shop. There in the middle of the workshop was the most incredible thing I have ever laid eyes on. I had no clue what this apparatus looked like, only the very first thing, when the barrel was being constructed. Son-in-Law was very proud of what papa bear had done. Still feeling a little guilty about looking at it before my Husband had shown me his treasure, I allowed Son-in-Law to show me how the thingamabobthatdoesthejob worked. With such pride he demonstrated. And then he again told me to tell Husband to get off his arse and come down and bring it home. I left the workshop, went home and told Husband that Son-in-Law had told me to tell him to get off his arse and go get the machine. He asked me if I had seen it. Drat. I can’t lie, just not in me. Told papa bear that yes, I had, Son-in-Law was so proud of the object, that he just had to show me and demonstrate how it worked. Husband is a very understanding man, and knows full well what pride does, it is a very difficult emotion to control, and this had to be shown – to the woman where the end product will be given. Husband went down and put object into the trunk and brought it home to our porch. And we began to play. We cut up apples. Put the apples into an old cloth bag that I had and then into the barrel of the press. The intention was to just put the apples into the barrel of that press. The wood has been cut so that there is a 1/16 opening between the slats, so the barrel could be filled with apples and the juices come out between the slats. But I firstly thought we should try it with a cloth bag, in the event that something needed tweaking, the barrel would not be full of apple stuff. May still use only a bag for the apples to be in. I am picking up some muslin today and will create a beautiful bag to hold the apple pieces regardless. I just think it would make for much more easier clean up than trying to wash the wooden apple press barrel.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Yes, perhaps more tweaking as we go along, but the initial design is in place and it is totally working well. Very heavy, oooh so heavy. But then that is good, doubt if it would ever fall over. I cannot explain the excitement that I felt when I saw this monster of a job on our deck. The day was nice and reasonably warm, I would venture to say about 3 degrees C and we fiddled and fooled around. And had the most beautiful cup of apple juice that tasted like nothing on this earth I have ever tasted. We only could get about a cup of wonderous liquid out. Something needed to be tweaked, as the wood that presses on the apples was not sitting quite straight, hence just not doing a job full well. Husband is getting another piece of metal, the disk that sits on the wood, in which the crank goes in, must be made the entire width of the barrel, it was not quite wide enough and the wood was not squished down evenly. But we got to taste what there will be much more of to come. Still have about 100 pounds of apples that will be pressed.
A dear friend of ours had given us copious amounts of apples this fall. She is most generous with this fruit, and asked that we take as much as we desired. I got greedy and asked if we could take all of it. I know for surely that it would ALL be used and put to good, and she knew that too. I don’t know if you would call this greed, or if it is just something that is good. I’ll consider it good, as our friend did not have to bend over and rake and pick up the apples. Others that may have wanted the apples too, were given the option. But the apples were still on the trees in copious amounts. So we took those apples and headed home with them. Not any has been wasted, and all are being put to good and wonderful use. I will be bringing her a gift from the apples that she so graciously offered to us. The gift of cold pressed apple cider and heat steamed apple juice. Oh as an aside, did you know that apple cider is cold pressed, no heat used, that is called cider. It is when the apples are heated to extract juice that the product then becomes apple juice, just a little trivia for those that like trivia. So Heather, again, thank you my fine woman. The first variety was MacIntosh. Those have all been eaten up in different ways. Juice made with my steamer, dehydrated and plain outright frozen. The apples we are working on now are a smaller, but a most delightful tasting and extremely crisp fruit. I think this will make a nicer juice apple. When I steam the apples to obtain the juice, two quarts of liquid gold are obtained per bucket. It will be interesting to see how much juice come from the cold pressed apples. I will make mental notes, but honestly, thinking that pressing will give much, much more juice. Next year I can certainly see lots of arm muscles being developed in fall, whence those apples become ready. It’s OK, I do so like to have those toned biceps, smiling.
So enjoy the pictures, enjoy the feelings of pride and happiness that I feel, enjoy the very fact that I feel like I am loved. And with that, all my wishes for us to have a most wonderful day, a day with good health and know that we are all loved. CynthiaM.
This is the thing of beauty that graces our deck. It will be put under cover so no moisture goes on it and will be stored in the workshop of our Son-in-Law’s whence the finishing of apple pressing is complete. To keep it safe and sound until the work it will do for us next year.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
To turn the handle and get the post to move down does take a good many twists of such, but it is powerful and finally does the work that it is intended to do. Again. Probably still a good many tweaks will yet to come.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
And the juice doth flow....
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
A product that was nothing short of beautiful. The apples were cold as cold could be, the juice was the same, chilled to much more cold than any fridge could ever have been, smiling. Bordering the point of freeze. I am stoked. I am excited. And I can’t wait until tomorrow, when the first tweaking of the machine has been done. Today is the day that the disk will be made to be a better way to press the juice....
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
