A chilly autumnal day (this word autumnal needs to be said out loud, I think it has the most beautiful sound). Today we begin to make the pear cider.
The pears have been sitting in the shed quietly ripening and now they are looking juicy and sweet. Except for that greenish one, I am going to eat that one. I love crisp pears!
First they are crushed in this massive crusher that John made out of an old beer keg. Basically it just rips and mashes everything up. You can see the spiky bits. It is powered by the little John Deere. 
It does not have its lid on yet but you can see the concept this way. 
Pears get thrown into the crusher and are smashed up at an alarming speed. I forgot to take a shot of the chickens who have surrounded us and are risking life and limb darting in and gobbling up anything that hits the ground. There is no two second rule with chooks. Nothing stays on the ground that long!
Here is the lid coming Off. Just try to look as though you are interested! I know this is not for everyone. Sustainable is eclectic remember. Sometimes we have to do boring stuff too!
The crushed pears sit in their vessels for at least two hours and preferably over night.
Then we press the crushed pears in our trusty press. You have seen this in action before. It is a genuine antique and Johns thinks it was designed as a sausage press. But those attachments are long since gone. You will see that he was able to re-attach the handle that I broke off when we were pressing the grapes. Phew.
He is always a little worried when tightening it down, that something will break. But it looks pretty strong.
The juice is heated to kill any wild yeasts. (Anything wild sounds good to me but John says No.) Then the juice sits in its sterile bucket to settle. Tonight he will take all the readings and then we will syphon off the juice, leaving the sediment and begin with the fermentation process. 
See? That was not so bad! I will let you know how it goes!
The left over pulp is mixed with beet shreds and eggs, garlic and cider vinegar,yum (that is your recipe for today) then fed to the stock. Daisy will take down fences for this feed.
Here is one lot of chickens who have had enough pear and are off home to the barn.
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
84 responses to “Making pear cider on the Sustainable Farm – Nothing is Wasted.”
What a great tractor powered Scratter that is, have been making my own cider recently, apple and a mix of apple and pear, love the sweet crispness from pear, it’s a different flavour totally.
Great post, looking forward to hearing how the results end up.
I use a campden tablet instead of heat to kill off the wild yeast and add some cider yeast.
Cheers
Marcus
a Scratter! Excellent -now it has a name.. I think John adds the yeast tonight after he pours it off. I don’t know. My job is to grow the food. He does the other stuff.. Thanks Marcus c
Ha, chicken butts. Oh sorry, I was all about the cider and got distracted. What great photos. Can’t wait to hear how it comes out.
That is the worst of it – The WAITING!.. and that shot made me laugh too.. all 16 of them rushing after Ma.. Wait for me! c
I’m filled with admiration for your husbands’s engineering feats. I get a gold medal if I hang a picture frame. Apart from that I love pear cider – they make some delicious versions in Brittany. I also have a penchant for the eau de vie “Poire William”.
eau de vie is amazing. Pear would be a fascinating one. I would need tons of pears to make that. Thanks Roger. One day I am going to grow pears into the bottles and make a pear brandy! That will be fun. Maybe next year. c
I’d like a taste of that!
So would I but like I said we have to wait (sad waiting face) c
It’s about time you had some additional “making alcohol” post here. This blog was starting to get way to dry for my tastes. However, you’ve redeemed yourself with the fact that you used a former container for alcohol to help in the process of making more alcohol. Brilliant!
Just quietly Jed, I am making limoncello as soon as I can ‘acquire’ the organic lemons that are on a tree at my sons place in california!! So we will not be dry for long.. !
This is what I like to hear! 😉
This process is really cool and I love seeing the equipment, I feel like I was there. Can’t wait to hear how your cider turns out. Such a cute shot of the chickens, too!
Thank you Breadcrumbs, and wonderful to see you on the pages again, I must pop over and check out your holiday pics! You do have holiday pics don’t you? c
Yes, ma’am, holiday pics are on the Going Coastal post…do check them out if you get a minute!
Wow what fun! Love the pictures of the press and what an ingenious crusher. How much did you end up making? Well I guess a better question is how much did you start with and how much did you cider did you end with? I can not wait for the day when we can buy some land and start really growing things. I’m itching to make my own cider beer.
Hi Courtney, we started with just under two bushels and got just over two gallons of juice. We did ok really. Some years is better. Next year of course we will have more pears! c
Good for Daisy, that feed sounds positively delicious for a little chicken! This was fascinating, I never knew people (like you:) did anything like this on their own. I mean I knew they must have, but awesome to find out you do! It must be heavenly!
Cider is so old fashioned that it is perfect for us. I much much prefer the pear cider Smidge. One year John made apple cider and (don’t tell him I said this) but we were all desperately trying to be polite during the first tastings,with puckered up faces! In fact I think there is still some in the basement! c
Ooh I love the idea of pear cider – please can you keep a bottle aside for when I come and visit? Oh that would be grand!
Have a super week.
🙂 Mandy
Don’t forget to bring your camera, Mandy darlin’!! c
Still on the darn wish list C, but I am wishing lots and lots and lots (aka dropping major hints to the hubby). 🙂 xo
Oh I know what you mean, does not have to be expensive though, just make sure you get a good lens.. c
Magic. That squidger (there you are, another name) looks brilliant. We have often helped neighbours make their cider (we live in the ultimate cider region of France) and their squidger looks like a giant mincer. The pressing is done on “claies” ie trellis-like squares covered with sacking. The pulp is wrapped in the sacking and another trellis goes on top. When there is a stack of about 10 trellis/sacking/apple sandwiches, huge blocks of wood are placed on top and screwed down and down. The juice runs off into a stone sink and when settled a bit, into big barrels to ferment. No heating, nothing added. They do say that the odd dead mouse adds to the flavour! Left until the specific gravity reaches ? 12%? and then bottled, usually in February.
One year our friend forgot to disconnect the press, and all the juice siphoned out all over the ground overnight. We were not happy that all our hard work was wasted.
Viv, that is a great description, i shall read this to John tonight. he loves hearing about other ways of doing things, 12% is good to know too!
Maybe one day i will convince him to leave the wild yeast alive and see what happens! Though I have no guarantees that we can find a wee french mousie!
Squidger.. Love It!! c
Is it going to be “hard” pear cider? huh huh huh? Fantastic pictures and is it going to be “hard” cider? hehehe t
You are so funny. Am i getting a reputation as a wee bit of a tippler who makes my own tipple!!! c
“And, this year’s award for most creative use of a tractor’s PTO goes to….Cecilia’s John!”
That’s amazing. Hope the pear is better than the apple was!
I sincerely hope so too. I shall tell John you gave him an award.. he will have a chuckle! c
Squish squish – fabulous machinery, adorable chickie babies, are those the ones that fell through the roof? May your perry be sparkly and quaffable 🙂
yes Joanna that is the new flock! the flying chicks! and they are all still going strong.. I love that word quaffable!
What a beautiful things you are doing… Farm life seems to me so nice and as if I know and I miss… I heard apple cider but pear is new for me. And to be honest I haven’t tasted none of them. I wish(ed). Good Luck for all your works. And yes, the last photographs are so lovely, so lovely! Thank you dear Cecilia, with my love, nia
You are welcome Nia, thought you might like the wee chicks.. c
Wow! Great job, C. A lot of work too, but you make it sound like so much fun 🙂
Happy Halloween!
Happy Halloween to you too, though I am the Hallo – Ween Scrooge. So being out in the country is such a relief, no tricking and treating out here, and I feed my pumpkins to my cows!! I am just so awful.. i should be ashamed.. c