This year the apple boughs have been laden, and we have had some lovely varieties brought to the shop by customers. (including Cat’s Head and Bramley – thanks Mavis and Melita). We also have local Discovery, Worcester, Russet and others available.
Many of you have been wondering what to do with all the apples, and short of getting yourself a hog, one option is to juice them. We have a scratter and press available to hire at the shop if this is of interest? It’s a fairly labour intensive job, but a great family activity that can involve all ages, and you get to enjoy the fruits of your labour for the rest of the year.
You can then either bottle and pasteurize the apple juice, or bag and freeze it. If you have more than one type of apple available, then you can mix the varieties to get your desired taste. Then you can take it a step further and make cider.
First you need to quarter the apples, then they are crushed into the barrel with the scratter. Once you have a barrel full of crushed apple, you wind the handle to squeeze out the juice. This works well with young kids who can burn off energy spinning the handle round, while watching the juice pour out at the bottom.
Apple Press for Hire: Rates for hiring are £20 per day and you can either do your pressing at the farm shop, or you can take the equipment home with you (with a deposit).
However, there is an easier way to enjoy fantastic local apple juice, and that’s with Wobblegate Apple Juice and cider. They have a fantastic range of juices that come from their own Sussex fruit farm in Bolney. They also have cider in cans and bottles that is seriously tasty and drinkable.
