drinkable reno-tahoe
FALL PRESS
Do-it-yourself apple and stone fruit juice.
WRITTEN BY ERIN MEYERING
PHOTOS BY ASA GILMORE
This fall, drink up the season’s abundance of fruits — literally.
Imbibing fresh, local apples pressed into cider or ripe apricots made into juice can be a great way to taste the season.
“In Western Nevada, the stone fruits — cherry (sweet and tart), apricot, nectarine, peach, and plum — are adapted for our climate,” says Tom Henderson, president and owner of Healthy Trees, a Carson City tree care company, and The Fruit Barons, a gleaning group.
In addition, mulberries, apples, and pears commonly can be found or grown in the area.
“There’s nothing like fresh apple juice,” says Tim Elam of Enchanted Garden, the Reno cottage and grounds that hosts a fall harvest festival each October. “You can’t compare it [to store bought].”
First, you’ll need to collect apples. According to Orangepippintrees.com, a purveyor of fruit trees and source of extensive information about stone fruits, one large supermarket plastic bag, filled, will yield about 34 ounces of fresh apple juice.
Elam explains that you then clean and crush the apples into a pulp with a crusher. The crusher often can be mounted in a way that allows the apple pieces to fall right into the presser.
Finally, the hard apple chunks need to be pressed to release juice. (The resources section, below, includes details about where you can press your fruit, as well as other helpful information.)
In addition to pressing, you have options. You can easily can or freeze stone fruit, preserving a bounty of fall favorites to enjoy all year. Pies, tarts, smoothies, jams, and more can be made from the preserved fruit.
Fruit collectors
Unable to harvest your fruit? No problem. The Fruit Barons and the Reno Gleaning Project are here to help.
The Fruit Barons, a volunteer group created by Tom Henderson several years ago, will pick up unwanted fruit in the Carson City area. The fruit sometimes is pressed, and the majority of the product goes to local charitable organizations, including the Carson City Senior Center, Food for Thought, Do Drop Inn, Advocates to End Domestic Violence, and The Salvation Army. The Reno Gleaning Project, run by Pamela Mayne, offers the same service in the Reno area.
“When such organizations beg us not to bring any more fruit, then we have outlets for horse and livestock owners,” Henderson says. “Then we go looking for brewers and ethanol producers.”
Erin Meyering, staff writer for edible Reno-Tahoe, remembers pressing apples on a school field trip when she was younger. She looks forward to this season’s harvest.
Resources
Reno Homebrewer
2335 Dickerson Road, Reno
The shop offers the community a fruit press right outside the store. Reserve and press for $20/hour. For details, call 775-329-2537 or visit http://www.Renohomebrewer.com
Just Brew It
1214 N. Carson St., Carson City
Rent a fruit press or crusher from this shop. For pricing and rental options, call 775-461-0641 or visit http://www.Justbrewitcarsoncity.com
Enchanted Garden Apple Harvest Festival
Noon – 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18
2775 Mayberry Drive, Reno
You may press your own apples (but bring your own container for the juice) and enjoy crafts, family fun, and, of course, plenty of apples.
• Need to tame a fruit tree? Michael Janik provides pruning services through his business, Michael’s Apples. Janik specializes in caring for fruit trees — he owns a collection orchard in Northern Nevada that contains stone fruits, including 100 varieties of apples — and also is a dealer of dwarf apple trees in March and April. For tips on growing and pruning fruit trees, including a calendar of monthly maintenance activities for tree owners, as well as recipes, visit http://www.Michaelsapples.com
• If you have more fruit than you can ever imagine using, consider donating the excess to one of the gleaning organizations in the area:
The Fruit Barons in Carson City is a volunteer group that helps the community by picking up and pressing fruit for those who request it. The fruit is shared among volunteers but primarily is donated to organizations working to feed others. For details on having fruit picked up or to volunteer, call 775-220-6330.
In Reno and Sparks, contact Pamela Mayne at the Reno Gleaning Project at Renogleaningproject@yahoo.com. In your message, include your name, address, phone number, and the fruits you have, and she will get back to you. After you have selected the fruit you want to keep, her volunteers will go collect the rest of your crop and donate it to needy folks in the Reno area.
• Find ripe and ready apples at Agape Organics in Washoe Valley (775-885-1988, Delane@agapeorganics.com), Apple Hill in Camino, Calif., (http://www.Applehill.com), or the Great Basin Community Food Co-op (http://www.Greatbasinfood.coop), which supports local growers, Whole Food Market (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/reno), and Tahoe Central Market (http://www.tahoecentralmarket.com).
• To create hard cider, check out The New Cider Maker’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Craft Producers by Claude Jolicoeur, which provides information on old-school pressing and new techniques in cider making, to take your homemade cider to the next level.
