Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Making 1400 Quarts of Apple Juice!

Put these two together...

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(They really are the cutest couple.)

...add ten crates of these, donated by some very generous local farmers...

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...and you have the makings of over 400 gallons of fresh-squeezed apple juice!

Now, I am no apple juice making expert, so I'm not even going to try to explain to you how this was done, exactly, but I will do my best to give you a general idea, using pictures. Here goes!

As mentioned above, you start with ten crates of these...

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...then random people, including myself, put them in these...

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....in which they are hauled to the pulverizer (I'm just making up these names.)...

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After being pulverized, they then go to the super-pulverizer...

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....then to the press...

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....where the juice is released into a tube, then into a bucket...

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After the lids are sterilized...

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...the juice is then poured in jars....

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...by women with fancy aprons...

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(apparently engrossed in intriguing conversation)

....then is transported to the steamers...

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John was in charge of keeping the steamers running...

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...and spent about nine hours doing this altogether.

The "timers" kept track of how long the apple juice was steamed...

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....which job, according to them, was extremely important...

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After being carefully timed, they are ready to be taken out and packed into crates for takin' home...

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This day was so fun! There was never a shortage of snacks...

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...and it was wonderful working with such beautiful people, both inside and out...

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Thanks so much to those who organized this amazing event and to all who participated. This experience is one I won't soon forget. :)




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10 comments:

Lynn said...

What an AWESOME ward/community activity!!! Loved your pictures and commentary. You are so funny. I get your humor.

Anonymous said...

What a great idea. Looks like a fun group activity. Yummy too!

BarbaraJo said...

I stole two of the pictures from this post. Amazing photography! Thanks.

Mom2my10 @ 11th Heaven said...

Steal away, BJ! They're your cute kids!

Janiece said...

Was this a church activity or neighborhood? what ever it is AWESOME!
I would have to say that was some of the most creative canning equipment I have seen. Very impressed. I wish I could have been there.

Mom2my10 @ 11th Heaven said...

Janiece, it's hard to answer that. Everything in our community seems to be combined with the church, so I guess it was a ward/community activity!

Mom2my10 @ 11th Heaven said...

Lynn, thanks! And I wasn't even trying to be funny! :D

Keeley said...

That is so fabulous!!! What a great activity - very Amish of you. =) How many did you take home? =)

Expat Mom said...

That's so awesome! I remember doing this with my mom, but we had only five of us doing the work. We gathered the apples off the golf course (free!), then used a guy's apple press in exchange for some of the juice. I think my mother froze most of her juice, though . . . or traded it for other things like firewood . . . she's excellent at bartering!

Farnsworth Family said...

Looks like fun! I have to agree that my in-laws are the cutest couple! They were so kind to bring some apple juice to us, and it is Delicious! I love the photos!