Farm Fresh Apple Juice

Ah--autumn is almost here, and the apples are getting ripe.  I normally just make applesauce, until I remembered that Grandma had given me a steamer/juicer a few years back.  It's been hanging out in my basement, just waiting for me to have that ah-ha moment!

I'd never used one of these before, but the directions were pretty simple.  Core the apples and throw them in the fruit section.  Boil water in the water section.  Put the lid on and let it cook.  Once steam started appearing, the timer was set for 80 minutes. 

I had to add water once during that time.  A tip I read said to use marbles in the bottom section, so when you heard them you'd know the water was getting low.  That worked swell!

Once the timer went off, we released the clamp, and look at this:

Juice!  Straight from the tree to the jar.

A 5 gallon bucket 3/4 full of small apples produced just under half a gallon of juice.  We added a wee bit of sugar, as our apples are pretty tart.  The juice was good once it cooled!

And the best part?

All of that fruit that was left in the top section...yup--that became applesauce.  Just had to use the immersion blender on it in a bowl for a few minutes and add our cinnamon and sugar mixture.

I hope to make more soon! Getting applesauce in the freezer will be great.   

Have you ever used a steamer/juicer?  Any good recipe ideas for me to try?