Milkbarn Conversations: Hey, Let's Make some Cider!?

Apple tree bonanza has happened at the Milkbarn

We have some out of control crab apple trees growing on our property

and one golden delicious tree twisting up through the crab apple

(you can see the trunk below!).

Clay and Lucy were in charge of our family home evening treat so they thought we should make cider.

We can't really pick the apples, so leave it to Clay to have a method.

Paint tarp, check.

Four Collins kids to hold corners, check.

Shake shake shake
Can you see him on the roof? Through the branches?
This is when I'm like...aren't these apples going to pummel us on the way down?

Part of the load...all golden delicious

Sorting.

I heard a lot of "there's an earwig!! there's an earwig!!"

None of us really like bugs.

It must be hereditary.

By the way, we were pummeled by apples.

Photo op.

Try and look natural, okay?

Goobers.

I love it when he rakes and forgets what he is doing and begins some kind of ninja training session.

The girls were the assigned apple cutters

Boiling apples

Now this is when we had a glitch

At this point I stopped taking pictures.
No cheesecloth to strain it with.
I can't believe I don't have that handy.
I mean, has Martha taught me nothing?
So, Clay grabbed a wash cloth.
Uh, that did not work.

Maybe an apple press is in need here?
I know about those from Clay and Williams Sonoma catalogs.
I mean, why don't I have an apple press on hand?
I'll add that to the list with baked donut pan(I really want one of those but Clay keeps scoffing at the notion of baking a donut), a decent muffin pan( in 2004 it slid off the roof of my car, I was pregnant okay!), a blender(but that just barely broke 6 months ago), oooh maybe a turkey fryer?
...you see the trend.

Anyway, the tee shirt was good enough to yield 3 1/2 cups of pulpy apple cider.
I forgot to take a photo of it.
I think this was one of those times the process is the event and the outcome is a trip to Trader Joe's.

Our seasons worth.

It's a beautiful fall season out here in Eldorado Springs and a year since we moved into our Milkbarn.

We'll be finished putting in all the windows tomorrow and maybe paint our front door if the sun is out.

I pinky swear, my next post will have some progress with lovely random photos of debris.

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