Organic Apple Juice With Healthy Enzymes!

If you want good quality, great tasting, apple juice, try this method.  It's healthier and delicious-ier!

 First, some science:

Organic apple juice is very healthy, particularly for its enzymes.  Our body uses 3,000 or more enzymes to carry on our body's chemical functions.  However, many concentrates on the market destroy this benefit through their process used in making their concentrate.

If the juice says it is “concentrated”, the question becomes how was it  “concentrated”?  Was it a heat process or a cold process?   Temperatures above 103 degrees start to degrade or destroy most enzymes.  Pasteurization, which uses heat, is used by most commercial ciders, due to health laws.  In some cases,  you end up with sugar water and some flavor. 

This recipe uses the cold process, and keeps the enzymes.

Materials: 

·         Organic apples (they can be off the tree or apples that have fallen on the ground)  17 pounds of apples will create approx. 1 gal of juice.

·         Clorox and a tub of water (1 tablespoon bleach per gallon of water)
·         Safe plastic bags to freeze apples in
·         Freezer
·         Gallon-sized clean plastic jugs (you can use glass, but be careful of expansion on freezing)
·         Apple press with net bags, catch pan, and a fine screen sieve

Process:

1.         Prepare the apples by cleaning and freezing

Freezing the apples breaks down their cell structure, releasing more of the natural juice during pressing.

Fill tub with water and add Clorox.  Clorox will kill surface fungi and will disappear when the apples air-dry after washing.  Stir well.  Drop clean, fresh apples into the tub and let set for five minutes.  Remove the apples and air-dry overnight in a clean area.

Place apples into a large plastic bags and freeze for four to five days.

2.         Thaw the apples

Pull the bags out and let thaw on catch trays (large cafeteria trays work well) for 2 to 3 days.  They may look wrinkly.  Botox will not be necessary.

3.         Press the apples

Take the apples and run through an apple press that has an attached grinder/chopper.  This creates apple pumice (chopped up apples).  Place the net bag into the press to keep the pumice and juice from spilling out during the process.

Fill the press catch basket with apple pumice, as full as possible.  Put the press lid in place.  We use a metal lid because it's stainless, easy to clean, sanitary, and won't break too easily.  Place the catch-pot under the press catch.  Press the apple pumice.

The apple juice will drop out of the press into the catch pot. Don't worry about the foam - it will disappear.

Strain the juice through a fine screen sieve into gallon jugs.  Leave about 3 inches of space in the top of the jug for freezing expansion and freeze the juice.

4.         Drink or freeze the juice

The juice will be a concentrate, so you may want to thin it with water when drinking.  I use 50% juice and 50% water when I have a glass.  Also, the juice will freeze easily for future consumption.  Frozen juice is good for up to a year.

A note about Pumice

The remaining apple pumice is great feed for sheep, cattle, pigs, rabbits or goats.  If the stems were removed during the cleaning process, the pumice can be used in baking (freeze the pumice if you will use it later).  It is high in fiber, enzymes, pectin and flavor.  Run the seedless, stemless pumice through a food processor first.  Add this to your apple pies or smoothies for taste and healthy benefits!