using a garden shredder for apple pulping

[mcblades]

HI

I seem to remember Cellar Rat advocating the use of a garden shredder for pulpin apples. I was windering if mine might be suitable. I have a bosch helical screw type shredder (slow speed rather tan the wizzy razor blade style)

Will this be any good or should I stick to a bucket and a fence post?

cheeers

Mark

[Cellar_Rat]

do you had a link to it ?

[fatbloke]

Dunno about garden shredders, unless they're new, but I've seen videos where a new kitchen disposal unit has been bought and fitted in a holding frame/hopper affair.

Then you get pulp of an "apple sauce" consistency, which is easily pressed in cloth/board/hydraulic work shop bench press adapted to take the "cheeses" produced from the garbage disposal/pressing cloths.....

regards

fatbloke

[mcblades]

Hi

its a bosch axt2000 hp shredder. Uses a helical screw self feeding mechanism and as such is quite quiet.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-AXT-2000-Quiet-Shredder/dp/B001J797MK

not a very helpful link but i think shredder designs have moved on.

fredshed.co.uk says this:

Bosch AXT 1600 HP , AXT 2000 HP and AXT 2200HP Quiet Shredders

(all discontinued)

This is the older range of Bosch shredders that are also branded ATCO since Bosch owns the ATCO brand.

Like most equipment you get what you pay for and these Quiet shredders are more expensive as they are well engineered and contain more components than simple spinning blade shredders.

These were German made machines and in normal use will last years. However eventually if you do a lot of shredding even this machine will need new parts, (most probably the cog, or screw, bearings or plastic roller)

Unlike spinning blade type shredders the Bosch AXT1600HP and AXT2000 HP are unique as they use a spiral screw to crush the branches and pull them in. A replacement spiral screw costs about £80 and is quite a job to replace. Although these machines are good quality they are most prone to problems so I prefer to recommend other machines and would advised Bosch to discontinue them.( which they did!)

any advice gratefully received

cheers

mark

[Cellar_Rat]

Both Vigo and BRewland do 'graden shredder' type crushers.

I used a bucket full of apples as a wash throuugh. Chuck 1/2 in. Wait 5 (aples are acid. Chuck in the other half. Throw all of it away. Now start crushing proper.

I reckon this one will work too.

As apple are acid remeber to wash is through to finish. - some moist branches would be good - conifer / or grape vine.


Worked a treat - made loads and loads of great cider!

[mcblades]

thanks I shall give it a whirl so to speak today

[mcblades]

Right,

I have now tested the shredder and find it pretty inadequate as an apple chopper. I put through 2 bucket fulls which was enough to fill my 11litre press. From the press I got about 1.5L of juice and when I looked at the pommice there was plenty of juice left in it.

So, I used the old pulp master to compare and got about 4 L of juice out of an 11 litre pressing. The pommice was much drier also. The drawback of the pulp master is that the blades tend to miss the edges of the bucket leaving quite a lot of large lumps of apple.

I may try shredding and then pulpmastering the pommice to give a bit more consistency.

cheers

mark

[lockwood1956]

*I am fairrly confident if you freeze/thaw and then press your yield will at least double

[Cellar_Rat]

Yup. Different sort of juice too - v clear.

[mcblades]

Right you are,

Shall make some room in the freezer and fill it with apples.

thanks

Mark

ps The 2 gallons I have so far collected i added a campden tablet to to inhibit wild yeasties. How long can I leave it before I hace to pitch the yeast? Should I pitch now and add further juice when ready or wait until I have freeze/thawed the rest of the apples.

[Cellar_Rat]

Mark,

Can I apologise - I answered you question 'as is', when really 'freeze and thaw' (which I have also used) is a better idea provided you want a clear juice.

Brian

[mcblades]

Hi Brian

Is there any reason why a clearjuice should be a problem? just wondering as I am a bit of a cyder newbie. I must say I was surprised at the sugar level (13.5 Brix on the refractometer) as the apples were mainly cookers and quite tart.

As the birds have had all my grapes while we were enjoying the french sunshine it looks like I will only be pressing apples this year.

Also, unless I hear otherwise, I shall start the ferment with the 2 gals of juice already collected and add more as it becomes available.

cheers

Mark

[Cellar_Rat]

Some people prefer cyder cloudy with lumps in !! 'tis that simple.

If you have a good supply of apples - consider Apple wine. Surprisingly like the real thing. (... who am I to say !! White should be kept exclusibley for sprinkling on Fish and chips!)
There's a chap on here - wossis name - Bob summat - recommended adding a bit of eldferflower - marvelous.

Re keep topping up. You can - but better might be to use the working stuff as a starter and let the original finish - else you won't have anything to drink for quacking ages!

If you have a large amount consider apple jack too.

[mcblades]

Thanks for the advice guys. I tried freezing some apples and the yield was about 50% better than my pulped juice. As you say Brian, the juice was clear and also had a slightly different taste to the pulped juice. I think as the skins are macerated by the pulper there is more of an astringent quality to the resulting juice. It definitely has an apple skin component to it (at least form the cookers that I pulped). The clear juice has a less complex taste.

Big advantage of freezing is the yield (nearly a gallon a time from the 11 L press) and the great lack of clearing up to do as you end up with a load of flat, prune like apples and that's it! MAkes it easier to clean out the pillow case that was used as a press bag. Don't think it'll go under SWMBO's radar though.

I now have 6 gals on the go and another tree to harvest. May try some apple wine with this lot.

cheers

Mark