The Rural Voice, 1991-10, Page 26r
FRESH PRESSED CIDER:
BOTTLED SUNSHINE THAT'S
TRULY "DOWN HOME" DELIGHT
story and photos
by Bonnie Beldan
Do you ever wish, as the brilliant
colours of October become the bare
branches and grey skies of November,
that you could bottle some beauty and
sunshine to savour on a dull day? An
impossible dream? Maybe. But a few
containers of fresh pressed apple cider
in your freezer will help. And if you
make a family outing to watch the
apples being pressed before you buy
the juice, you will have happy mem-
ories to add to the delight of the drink.
The Russell cider press, located at
Carlsruhe near Hanover, has been a
family operation since 1918 when it
was founded by Clarence Russell,
great-grandfather of the present own-
ers, John, Clare, and Greg Russell. In
those days, farmers brought apples in
horse-drawn wagons from their own
orchards. But these days most apples
arrive by the truckload from commer-
Greg Russell levels a blanket of pulp.
Anna Kate Beldan samples an apple from the holding area at the Russell Cider Press.
cial orchards around Thornbury.
The Russells still custom press
apples, but also serve as a retail outlet
for the many people who drive to the
site six days a week from 8:00 a.m. to
8:00 p.m.
You can find Russell's cider press
about five kilometres south of
Hanover, and 2 1/2 km. west of
County Road 10. If you go west on
the 17-18 concession of Normanby,
you will see the Carlsruhe Tavern on
the northwest corner of the first side
road. Turning right, it's only a short
distance to the first farm on the left
where black letters on the painted barn
announce the Warren Russell farm.
When you drive into the lane, past
the gabled stone farm house, you may
feel that you've stepped into a part of
rural Ontario that has remained un-
changed for many years. However,
one look at the gleaming stainless
steel holding tanks in the red building
at the west end of the yard tells you
that this is an up-to-date, efficient
business. The process is carried out
with care for cleanliness and whole-
someness.
"We make a pure, natural product,"
John Russell emphasizes. "There are
no additives. You buy apple juice,
nothing else."
The Russells use a variety of
apples, including McIntosh, Cortland,
and Spy. The blend on any given day
of pressing will depend on which
apples are available.
"We aim for a mixed load," ex-
plains Greg Russell, "because it gives
a better flavour."
The mechanical process of
pressing is direct and takes about 45
minutes to transform one and a quarter
tons of apples into about 675 litres of
fresh juice.
The apples are transported from a
large holding bin, through a series of
elevators, to a hammer mill located
quite high in the building. In the
elevators, the apples are thoroughly
washed in fresh well water.
The hammer mill turns apples into
pulp which is pressed through a sieve
and stored in a chute while a trolley is
prepared to receive it. A four -foot
square wooden frame, about four
inches high, and without top or
22 THE RURAL VOICE