Personal Pages/Apple Harvest 2018

Schneider apples

The two apples trees on the field are "Schneider Apples", a variety local to Zurich, discovered/named in 1746. I have registered domains 1746.ch, 1746.eu, schneider1746.com and schneider1746.ch

Chronology

2018/09/15 The maize harvest team moved in and cleared the access to the two apple trees. 2018/09/16 picked up 4 x 17kg, Aksel picked up 8kg, so about 75kg. Plenty more left on the ground and still hung on the trees. 2018/09/22 Sat have squeezed 2 of the frozen crates, looks like about 20litres. Have 6-7 green crates waiting for washing and cutting. 2018/09/24 Mon have squeezed 1 frozen crate. Two more getting ready to defrost by Wednesday, then press Friday. 2018/10/04 Thu have about 80litres of juice for making cidre. 2018/10/22 Mon the cidre is bubbling happily, although with the occasional break. 2018/10/22 Mon the two 100 litre vats with "brown" stuff are pretty much full, I can still sneak in a pot full or two. Bubbling happily. 2018/10/22 Mon the two 150 litre vats are about 2/3 full, both have plenty of room. 3 x 10kg crates in the freezer, 1 defrosting, probably 8 left outside. Bubbling happily. 2018/10/28 Sun have finished with the two 100litre vats. Might fit more, but there isn't any point. 2018/10/28 Sun still apples remaining for at least 10kg, maybe 15kg. Currently one 10kg crate defrosting, 3 in the freezer. 2018/10/31 Wed Last apple cut. Currently one 10kg crate defrosting, 3 in the freezer. 2018/11/01 Thu There are still apples on the trees and on the ground. I considered going to pick another few kilos, but with the winter wheat sprouting ... 2018/11/02 Fri One crate ready to be moved to a vat, one crate defrosting, 2 crates still in the freezer.

This season

This season I am doing it slightly differently. I am making:

• one portion of cidre, in a 100litre vat.
• two 100litre vats with all the leftover bits, brown, black, rotten etc.
• two 150litre vats for apple, cut and frozen.
• one 100litre vat for the trester from the juicing. Will be adding water+sugar.

I saw a documentary about the making of Williams brand - they never juiced anything, they put the mushed/crushed fruit direct into the fermentation tanks. I presume plus maybe some anti-pection enzyme? Apparently the taste is in the skin of the fruit. I am going to try the same, so still washing, cutting and freezing, and then straight into the vat(s).

For crushing the leftover bits into a pulp, I bought a hand-operated "mincer" in the Brocki. It has no knives that will cut the pips or any bits of apple stalk. To the first vat, I simply added a yeast starter, for the second vat, I added enough fermenting mush from the first vat. 20181004 They are both bubbling happily.

Some loose comments:

• The 300litre vat is too big to handle, takes up too much space. I think it would also be difficult to scoop any solids out of it for distilling, so really for fluid/juice only. I don't see myself doing 250-300litres of apple juice?
• might be useful with a metal frame support for the vat instead of the Rako boxes with the wooden shelf on top.
• because I am also using the cut-away bits, I am being a little more generous when cutting them away.
• the 150lite vat that wasn't tight - it's now tight. I wetted the rubber ring, and changed the bezel. I guess I was able to screw it on a bit harder.
• one odd 100litre vat - Graf plast, and I don't have a lid+bezel that fits.

experiment #1

It seems to me that yeast bacteria ought to have little problem with the cell walls? The bacteria that eat away at the apples when they grow brown and finally black certainly make an apple all squishy. Maybe I don't need to freeze the apple at all?

20181005 I have taken 3.5kg apples cut over about 24hours, and put them in a small 15litre vat. I then added 2ml of fermenting juice (from the cidre). 20181013 I added a few more handfuls of freshly cut apples. It's all bubbling nicely. Because there is no oxygen in the vat, the fruit doesn't oxidise and go brown. 20181020 I moved to a 30litre vat, and added a few kilos. It looks full. Bubbling nicely. 20181028 I think the vat has maybe 12kilos, maybe room for 2-3-4 kilos more. Bubbling nicely.

experiment #2

I have taken some of the fully black/brown apples, washed and quartered them, then stuck them in a 30litre vat. I'll be adding more, up to 25litres I think. I took 2ml juice from one of two 100litre vats, then another 2ml from the cidre vat and added that.

20181014 Started. 20181016 No bubbling yet. 20181020 Bubbling, maybe since 1-2 days.

1746

I'm toying with the idea of naming the Schnapps "1746".

braun the "brown" stuff, i.e. from the leftovers and brown bits.

schwarz the "black" stuff, i.e. from the 30litre vat with black appples.

grün the regular stuff, 2 x 150litres.

weiss the 30litre vat with the unfrozen stuff.

Tambel

Name it "Tambel" ?