Back from deep space

Thanks Scotty! Loving it.

 

Can you legally discharge a gun or trap there? Goats and chickens are easy prey for what you already have pictures of.

 

Not sure about trapping. Couple weekends back you could hear many locals testing out there hunting implements. I was a little nervous the first time I fired on the property because if I tried that where I lived before a swat team would show up.

Dogs, cats, coyote, raccons, fox , opposum, hawk, owls ,bears, skunks ...probably got them all. Have to take the necessary precautions.

 

Check into it Spock, your animals need to be safe and you will likely need to use more than one method to provide that safety despite what some folks say. The predators are not stupid and the drive to eat is very, very, strong.

 

SmokeyTheBear apples abundant this year. The 5 trees on the property were over burdened and broke branches. Will need to trim them as they have been neglected over the years. In any event we harvest a LOT of apples and I sure would be interested in how you make your cider...

 

I know and thanks for the heads up. Been talking to many folk with chicken experience and getting real world experaince. Good vids on youtube as well. Best defense for the chickens is a secure run and a good coop.The solar electric fence on the way is to free range them as much as possible. It will be a constant battle of wits and I am sure they will win once in while...

 

Looking forward to it. Be great if I catch some of those crits on motion camera...

 

You need to talk to lukem and some others one here, I don't press my own cider, just ferment it. Fermenting it is easy the recipe is fill a sanitized fermenter with several gallons of fresh pressed cider that you have heated (do not boil) to 165 degrees to kill the natural bacteria in the cider and pitch a package of champagne yeast after the heated cider cools a bit, insert an air lock and let set until it stops burping CO2 or a couple of months, transfer the liquid (called racking) to another sanitized bottle with an air lock let sit until spring, then bottle and let sit until at least summer. You can also chemically kill the bacteria by grinding up 1 campden tablet per gallon of cider and letting it sit covered by cheese cloth for 24 hours stirring with a sanitized spoon every 6 hours. You can also use u/v light cold pasteurized cider. You need to kill the wild bacteria and keep all items that come into contact with the cider sanitized.

 

Awesome. Sounds like I have all the equipment and chem I need to ferment . I wonder how involved it is to press cider? Calling lukem !

 

Reporting for duty.

Apple Cider | Firewood Hoarders Club

 

Hi Lukem, Smokey mentioned that you have experience pressing cider. I would be interested in learning about it.

 

Got a press and grinder? If I can do it anyone can. It's not rocket surgery.

 

When it comes to making cider and I am as green as they come. Smokey gave me instruction on how to ferment. So I need a press and a grinder..sounds easy so far...

 

Night all...good to hear from everyone and I'll stop back in next change I get.

 

Pressing apples is physical work, but there's nothing complicated about it.

1. Get apples. Apples that have fallen on the ground are fine as long as they don't have big holes or rotten spots in them. You're going to need 2-5 gallons of apples for every gallon of cider...which depends mostly on how well you're able to shred and press them.

2. Wash apples. They don't need to be squeeky clean, but you don't want bugs and grit in your cider. I lay mine out on a trailer with an expanded metal deck and hose them down real good.

3. Grind apples. The better the grind, the more cider you'll get.

4. Press the ground apples. Pretty self explanatory.

5. Filter and bottle. I use disposable mesh paint strainers to get the chunks out and bottle in old milk jugs. If you are going to freeze cider like I do then only fill them about 3/4 full.

6. Drink/freeze/ferment cider. I don't pasteurize. Some people say you will die if you don't, but I ain't dead yet. One word of caution...it will clean you out if you aren't used to it.

 

Yes, it will clean you out and depending upon what the bacteria cultures are in the cider you may think you got a hold of some sammy nella laced raw chicken or e-colli laced hamburger. Whether it will do you in depends upon how well your body's immune system is. There is a reason why cider is pasteurized or otherwise treated. You now can decide what method you are going to use to do your internal plumbing flush with.
.

 

My favourite words. Out for delivery, now let's see if FedEx can find my place. KC would like to be a warm kitty this winter.

 

I've never got it that bad before....just a good "cleanse".

 

I get that from cheap whiskey.