“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.”
~ Samuel Butler
Oh how true! Spending time wandering the woods and trails, breathing in the pungent scents of colorful leaves, listening to the rush of the tiny crisp waterfalls as it makes its way down to its winter home – wherever that may be…there is nothing so exhilarating. I just returned from a glorious run out in the most beautiful of all seasons and feel the high that only the God of nature can impart. I love life because of these moments.
I also love fall because of apple cider! Apple harvests have reached records for many orchards this year and the pressing of apples into cider can be quite the experience! I had the experience of doing so this past weekend with neighbors who have a home made press. Our trees were all so loaded this year, that between my neighbor, his aunt, and me, we had well over 1200 pounds of apples in bags and crates.
After some initial organization, we ended up working like a factory assembly line. Fill five gallon buckets half full with warm water. Dump apples in for rinsing. Place them up on the makeshift shelf and pick off any leaves or stems then transfer them to the wire basket. Dump the full basket into the bin where they were sent through the chopper below and into a wooden barrel about 18” tall and 20” in diameter. Slide the barrel over to where the disc could be cranked down on top to press the juice o ut and into a container then taken to the 50 gallon tank and run through a piece of cheesecloth. Fill the jugs and voila! Fresh pressed cider!
“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.”
~ William Cullen Bryant
My tree is a Goodmac variety. (Did you know there were over 7500 varieties of apples in the world! Find more apple facts HERE.) It yields a mildly sweet and lighter cider. We pressed all those separately. We combined all the other varieties together which produced a much darker richer and sweeter cider. It really doesn’t get any better! I don’t know how many gallons we bottled. We just shared the fruits of our labors!
Everyone joked and laughed and made wisecracks, adding to that priceless, good-neighbor atmosphere.
What is it about growing, maintaining, and harvesting that is so deeply satisfying? Maybe it goes way back to the days of pioneers when that was an absolute necessity in order to survive the harsh winters. Knowing you were well stocked and could feed the family must have lifted a huge burden and allowed for a much needed rest – just so you could do it all over again.
All I know, is that I love being a part of a community that can have fun while working, share freely, and genuinely cares for one another. No amount of money can buy that kind of joy and quality of life.
Let’s share a toast – a toast to community with fresh pressed apple cider!
“Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.”
~ Elizabeth Lawrence