ANTIQUE CIDER MILL & CIDER
- Fresh Cider due August 27th 2009
Great apple cider begins it's life with the selection of the freshest apples possible. A good blend of sweet, tart and juicy apples is required for the best of juices.
The apples then need to be rushed into a sanitary processing facility where the apples are inspected, cleaned, washed and rinsed.
These select apples are then cut into a pomace by a rotating knife drum that spins at about 3000 RPM (revolutions per minute). This apple pomace is then gently pumped over to the rack and cloth press.
The cheeses all sit in a wooden (now lined with stainless steel) trolley car. The trolley has wheels that allow it to be rolled onto the press plate. It also has a drain hole at one end to facilitate the cider to drain down into a holding tank.
Once the trolley is rolled on the press plate the hydraulic
ram lifts the entire pressing up against the press plate and
squeezes the juice from the apples. We do one pressing of the
pomace to a pressure of 2,200 pounds per square inch. The
9 to 12 cheeses that formed the pressing were at a height of
about 27 inches high when the trolley car went under the press
plate. After, the 2200 psi pressing the trolley exits with
the pressed height at about 5 inches.
The juice from this single pressing has drained into the holding tank where it will sit for about 20 minutes. This resting period is important to the formation of superior cider. It allows the juice to relax and more importantly it allows the juice to oxidize to obtain that nice golden brown cider tone.
Meanwhile, the pressed chesses are taken apart and the almost sawdust like pomace is taken out to our compost. Here it is recycled into our vineyard to feed our grape vines.
The 28 inch wood rack and cloth press has been producing cider for over 50 years in this same manner. Today, to protect the public health from possible bacterial contamination, Elfs Farm flash pasteurizes. Our highly efficient heat plate unit takes our cider from 45 to 60 degrees (ambient temperature when pressed), to 160 degrees Fahrenheit and back down to 80 degrees in 6 seconds. It exits the pasteurizer into a refrigerated tank where the temperature is reduced to 39 degrees.
This fresh micro crafted cider is then bottled cold, and dated so everyone knows its born on date.
Mill Tours
Come see this working antique cider mill. It has been estimated that the 28 inch rack and cloth oak cider mill is well over 50 years old. When the head elf found it in an old barn west of Albany, just outside of St. Johnsbury it had not been used for over 15 years, That was in 2005. The previous owner had bought the cider press and production line from a farm near Middleberry, Vermont, where it had made cider for well over 50 years!
The Elfs hauled the machinery back to Elfs Farm and worked on refurbishing and overhauling it for two years 2006-2007. Finally in the fall of 2008, just before Christmas - the Elfs got the entire line working and made their first cider.
Today you can come and see our wood rack and canvas cloth hydraulic cider press in it's restored state. We regularly press cider so you may be fortunate enough to see the entire process at our free Cider Mill Tour.
Even if the cider mill is not actually in production you can still sample our cider (for free) or enjoy a free sample of the jams, jellies and syrup we carry. You can walk thru our vineyard on a free self-guided tour and you certainly can enjoy one of our picnic tables to rest or enjoy your basket lunch. Our winery on the same premises may even have a hard cider or wine of your liking. One way to find out is do the wine tasting and enjoy a take home souvenir elf glass.