What I did on my holidays.....

So, on the easter weekend just passed, Andrew, Heath and I built an apple scratter (scratcher to some, codling grinder to fans of blackadder).

This is part of our long term plan to make better use of the long orchard, and any windfalls we can lay our hands on.

The results of our efforts look like this;

The whole item, note the cleats on the feed table, to keep the apples from moving down the chute too quickly, so we can sort out any rotten ones (then goes to the animals, definitely getting a pig next spring!). Also note the angled front-to-back braces, to add heaps of strength, but leave plenty of room for the buckets to be shoved under.



Under the feed table is the working box, where all the choppy stuff happens.




Inside the working box. You can see the nastiness in here. This is definitely one of those NO HANDS ALLOWED zones. Blood would taint the cider.

Currently the screws in the drum protude much too far. We'll drive these down so they are only just proud of the surface. The goal in doing this is make a finer cut, and therefore a more effective pulp for cidering.




The working box removed. This is to make cleaning that much more efficient.




We then started in on the cider press, but that's another post.

And then we went and got about 200kg of quinces, and the girl is in near permanent quince processing lockdown.

All in all the nicest easter I've had in 12 years. No rovers, no scouts, no waking up and having to put armour on. So good! Canty faire for a while now we thinks.