DIY Apple Press

 

My pa put together his own apple press. Here's the low-down on all the bits and pieces! Plus some fun prairie moments...

 



Here's the wooden supports for the grinder (left) and press (right).



Mama looking oh-so-joyous.



Dad assembling the hopper for grinding apples.



The hopper assembled. The cast-iron parts are the only part he
purchased instead of making himself.



The hopper wheel.



Adding water to the wheelbarrow of apples.



All set for grinding some apples!! The pieces will go into a
lined stainless steel bin underneath.



A bin full of crushed apples all ready to press. There's a hole
in the underside for the juice to run out into the bucket below.



There's bar drain pieces on the bottom and along the side above the drain hole to allow juices to
flow easily down and out of the bin.



He adds a hydraulic jack between the press board and the board above.



After the apples have been pressed as much as possible
with the original board, he adds blocks between.



Beautiful fresh pressed cider!



Running the hopper.

 

Pasteurizing and canning the cider.

 

 

 

It was a great time with the padres at home! Plus they sent several gallons of cider home with me. Now, to make some hard cider and some apple cider vinegar...

Fall Apples

A day at my parents' place, picking apples and pressing cider.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Episode 9: I Spy

for a preface, see the home page of my work stories: Paradise (aka The Job)

In the dining room, I spy some grungy little details:

super indelible lipstick stains on juice cup rims
a red "x" marking the only pan that doesn't heat-warp
a mop head on the floor to soak up a constant drip from the ceiling vent
a wedge of sheetrock missing from a doorway where the cart shaved it off
one burnt out bulb in the wall sconces
four clocks, all reading slightly different times
and a cupboard corner full of ownerless items:
   a black mug
   a white one with a blue stripe
   a squat, round vase
   a half-pint canning jar
   a floral-handled spoon
   a blue plastic cup.

This is not the rural Midwest of your homesteading blogs,
pristine white farmhouses and chickens and overalls.
This is where we are now.
Things are underfunded and worn out.
People are worn out and wearing out their complaints.

People with no place to be and no schedule to obey
asking sternly or frantically, mostly accusingly:
"Is my toast done yet?"

A River Run

The park was calling to me in the worst way yesterday, the last day of August. In a way it was the last hurrah of summer to get out jogging and photographing in a local park. It's been a very wet summer, so the water is still high in the river and the mosquitos are out in droves.

 

Minnesota may be the land of over 10,000 lakes, but it's also land of 10,000 millions of mosquitos. My bites are big as bagels, but it was worth it to have one last taste of August.

 

 

Prairie Town Jogging

 

The crunch of gravel or asphalt underfoot and the sweep of grass swaying in the breeze. Sumac and blazing star lend their color to the green of Minnesota summer.

 

Wild grapvines cover the roadside ditch in translucent bright green color.

Blazing star rises out of the grass in plumes of bright lilac.

 

A grove of poplars sway, their leaves rustling and shimmering.

Shade and sun mingle on a Minnesota summer afternoon.

The view above is from a small wilderness hidden in Redwood County, Minnesota. You could easily miss it, driving along quiet highway 19 as cornfields and bean fields flash past. There's trees only wherever there's a farm site or a creek and the prairie rolls out in all directions. You cross a river, blink a few times through the town of Redwood Falls, and continue on into more farms and fields.

What you don't know is that you've missed a little piece of the wild: hidden beyond the little houses is the largest municipal park in Minnesota, Alexander Ramsey Park, nicknamed "Little Yellowstone."

If you're headed through the area and looking to enjoy some beauties of nature, this is the place to stop, and there's several ways to enjoy it.

Take a look
If you're short on time, make sure you at least stop by the overlook of Ramsey Falls. Waterfalls are an unusual site in rolling farm country, and the falls are mesmerizing to watch. Don't want to take a long walk? That's fine. There's vehicle access to a parking lot right near the overlook.

Take a walk
There's pathways that wind through the park, crossing the river at several points and offering views of riverside cliffs, rushing water, and all kinds of native plants. For people with kids, there are a few playgrounds within the park. There's also a zoo that features farm animals like goats and chickens, as well as animals native to Minnesota prairies, including buffalo, elk, and prairie dogs.

Have a seat
First, there's benches throughout the park as well as shelters with picnic tables, all perfect for eating or chatting while admiring nature. What I highly recommend is bringing a folding chair and setting it in the shallow creek that flows away from the falls. While the Redwood River is too swift flowing and deep for this, the creek is a perfect spot to set up a chair and enjoy the cool water on your feet while reading a book or watching dragon flies zooming about.

Camp out
If you want to stay a little while, the park features electric and "rustic" (non-electric) campsites with full bathroom facilities nearby, all at reasonable rates. The whole place is so close to town that if your campfire cooking goes awry, you always have the options of some local restaurants. 

Follow a bunny trail
What I mean is, follow a deer trail. This I recommend with a caution that once you do this, you're on your own on uneven and sometimes steep or narrow trails. However, if your joints and fitness level are up to this, you're in for some fantastic scenery, wildlife, and nature. I personally find it thrilling to see the ground fall away steeply from the trail to either side or to army crawl up to a cliff edge or stumble upon riverside cactus nestled in the rocks (yes, cactus in Minnesota!).

Take a dip
Like the last suggestion, this one is at-your-own-risk. It is a park, so don't expect lifeguards or warning signs. However, as long as you use common sense, this can be a fun way to spend a hot, muggy Minnesota summer day. The river is too fast and deep for this, so keep your swimming limited to Ramsey Creek. Some good places to get wet: at the head of Ramsey Falls when the water is low and slow, or further upstream when the water is high and fast. There's a path that crosses the creek near these spots, so it's very easy to access. It's cool to think about how the water rushing past will join the Redwood River, then the Minnesota River, then the Mississippi, and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.


Do you know of any hidden wildernesses or best kept secrets of Minnesota? I'd love to hear about them in the comments and have the opportunity to explore them myself.

Ramsey Falls is quite the view (though here it's blocked by our arms!)

This could be your spot in Ramsey Creek

This hidden beach is on my picnic bucket list

Steep terrain leading down to the river



Riverside rocks: a great place to look for Prickly Pear Cactus

A cactus close-up

#GreaterMinnesota #camping #parks