Recently launched onto the market is the Juice and Strain kit created by retired industrial chemist Nevin Stewart, which provides the means to produce clear apple juice or cider from apples in a domestic kitchen.
At its core, the kit – which was developed in collaboration with friends and neighbours in Guildford (aka the Scillonian Road cider cooperative) – is a high performance centrifugal juicer connected through a pipe to a strainer which separates the solids from the juice. This sits on top of a 25 litre fermenting bin with a draw-off tap.
The product has been brought to market by Vigo Presses of Devon, which comments: “Anyone processing up to 100kg of apples can generate a higher juice yield than someone employing a small press, and the apples are processed in a shorter time. Overall, modern process-thinking coupled with recent advances in centrifugal juicer performance and technology reduce a two-step pulp and then press method to one that has a single synchronous step. Whole apples are fed in at one end and clear apple juice is drawn off by the gallon at the other. The product can be enjoyed as is or fermented to a dry crystal clear cider.”
Stewart adds: “I do believe that adopting the Juice and Strain process domestically will contribute to a significant reduction in the annual wastage of surplus garden fruit. Instead this valuable resource will be put to productive food use.”
