Water Press Makes Cider Production Easier

Water Press Makes Cider Production Easier FARM HOME Food The Lancman water press can get as much as 3 gal of cider from a bushel of apples This is significantly more than most small cider presses according to Sukie Kindwall OESCO Inc North American distributor of the Lancman press All it takes to operate is a water hose with normal pressure “The yield from the Lancman is surprisingly high ” says Kindwall “It is also quite fast You can do 2 pressings of 4 1/2 bu of ground apples per hour ” Most presses use hydraulic or screw pressure to squeeze juice out The Lancman uses a flexible rubber bladder in the center of a slotted cylindrical stainless steel basket Ground fruit is dropped into the filter sleeve around the bladder Once the basket is full a hose is attached to the valve on the bladder As water fills the bladder it presses on the surrounding fruit “There are no electrical connections and no levers or wheels applying force ” says Kindwall “The water does all the work It yields about 90 percent of the juice that you’d get from a rack and cloth press at a fraction of the cost ” OESCO offers 4 Lancman models ranging from 4 1/2 to 13 bu in size Prices for the stainless steel presses range from $1 865 to $3 225 Grinders are extra OESCO makes a 1/2 hp 115-volt motor grinder priced at $1 925 and a 1 hp 220-volt grinder with an elevator for loading a large press It’s priced at $5 770 OESCO also manufactures large commercial cider presses as well as a press with a built-in grinder for small-scale hobbyists When company representatives saw the Lancman made in Slovenia they recognized it fit between the two types of presses they were already selling She warns that the biggest challenge with cider making is to give the press time “If you increase pressure too fast in any press it actually locks the juice in the apple tissue ” says Kindwall “A slow steady pressure increase releases more juice It also releases less sediment into the juice ” Kindwall reports that the press also works with grapes and other fruit such as strawberries and is expected to work equally well on vegetables like tomatoes “We had a customer buy one for use with almonds ” says Kindwall “They intend to make almond milk with it ” The press is easy to empty and clean It rotates into a horizontal position and the filter with the pressed fruit pulp easily slides out Contact: FARM SHOW Followup OESCO Inc P O Box 540 Conway Mass 01341 ph 413 369-4335 or 800 634-5557; info@oescoinc com; www oescoinc com

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