Working toward food self sufficiency

Wider spacing between rows also makes them more resistant to drought. This is true for any plant. I space my plants about 3 feet between minimum for the rows in areas I can’t set up a sprinkler. The corn and other wind pollinated plants don’t enjoy it as much because it lowers chances to pollinate.

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Steve, and all,
That book is available to read and/or download in the internet archives.

I am starting to read it, having downloaded the pdf. also available in text only. (much smaller file size).

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I looked it up and read reviews and people are happy with the book and amazed how much to do with those four staples.

Thank you Mike, free is hard to resist even though I do like to physically hold a book when reading. :smiley:

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Have any of you made apple cider?
Is it easy and tastes good, can I make an apple press?

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Jan I think it would be fairly easy to make an apple press.
Matthias Wandel on YouTube known as Woodgears has an apple shredder to chunk down the apples before pressing.

I would core out the apples before pressing or shredding, and you could make apple cider vinegar from the cores.

https://woodgears.ca/cider/apple_grinder.html

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Jan, I believe @KristijanL has made quite a bit of apple cider if I remember correctly. I read it in the all about brewing thread
All About Brewing

However, there was not much said about cider making more than the mentioning that it was made.

Edit: I have also been wanting to make cider but as I understand it most cider is made from tart apples and I don’t have any of those. My grandfather was grafting some appletrees here on the farm and I am also keeping up that tradition so we are starting to have many appletrees here so perhaps I should graft some tart ciderapples too.

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Don’t you get more weed pressure with more space between the rows?

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My wife thinks I’m weird (well not just her) but I don’t like the fact that so many apples go to waste every fall.
As far as I understand, you can make cider from all apples.

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Yes this true any apple will make cider, the sweeter the Apple the sweeter the cider. Here where I live we have lots of apple, pear, cherry, apricot, peach, orchards and grapes. Making pear cider is good one too.

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Well, then I don’t know what is keeping me from that anymore, I like both the tart ciders and the sweet ones too.

It seems I got myself yet another project :smile:

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I have been summoned :smile: yes, we used to make a lot, over 1000l a year if the harvest was good.
Indeed, tart, even wild ungrafted (crabaples) ones make best cider. The acids and tannins are preservatives and make clear, stable cider.
Sweet apples will not make sweeter cider, the sugar just turns to more alcohol. We did this but this cider has a shorter life span and once the sugar is fermented, since they are low on acid, the flavour is kinda empty. Also it turns brown in air fast (like an apple) because the lack of preserving acids.

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Oh you guys are talking about hard cider, not just apple juice cider. Well then a more tart apples are better for this kind of cider. Here we call fresh pressed unfiltered a cider also.

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Yes, hard cider is what I was talking about Bob. I did not know that you guys in the US said cider about applejuice.

Would you mind telling us your procedure Kristijan, if you add things, timings, your steps essentially? And anyone else that wants to share of course.
I understand if you don’t want to write it down as in being a hassle (or perhaps even a secret :grinning:).

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We make apple sauce/jam and also dried apple slices, but most of our apples our neighbour takes care of. He runs them in a garden shredder, presses it and pasturizes? - nothing added - and bag up (bag-in-box bags). We emptied our last bag from last year just weeks ago. Still as fresh as new - and that’s ordinary junk apples - transparant blanche?
I have no experience with making hard cider though, but I bet @KristijanL , being Slovenian, knows every alcohol related recipe :smile:
Edit: Now that I think about it I did make a 25l cider batch a couple years ago and Kristijan was involved. As I remember it I just filled up a 25l can of apple chunks and added water. It sat for a few weeks and reached 7% if I remember correctly. After botteling it, it developed a sparkling caracter over time. Brobably access fruit sugar. No best seller material, but ok.

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Mums.

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We call unfiltered apple juice cider and filtered apple juice is just apple juice. :slight_smile:

If you are going to make hard cider, you want to blend a couple of different varieties in to give it more flavor. Otherwise it is rather bland. Even drops from the overgrown tree at the end of a lane is fine. And worms add necessary protein and flavor. :slight_smile:

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!Mums

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I might ask JO to translate, but (mums) something good or very good.
Can’t you show me your tomatoes Tom, I don’t understand how you can grow tomatoes outside, you saw what my plant looked like, it probably thinks it’s cold here.

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mums are short for chrysanthemum the flower. :slight_smile:

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Wondering if I should make slits instead of holes, it looks like there will be a lot of juice at the top?

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