The Enterprise fruit press was a massive, 50-pound cast-iron press produced by the Enterprise Manufacturing Company in Philadelphia in the late 19th century. Today they are valued antiques, but they were so sturdily made that many of them are still functional, as long as you have all the parts. This device could do everything from stuff sausage to press lard, so making apple cider with it is not much of a challenge. Plus, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you're making cider the way great-grandma made it, and possibly with the same piece of equipment.
Instructions
1. Wash and core the apples.
2. Run the apples through a fruit chopper, or chop them into small pieces with a knife.
3. Make sure the plunger plate on the Enterprise is cranked all the way up. Loosen one of the retaining knobs on one side of the press, and swing the cranking mechanism away from the top of the cylinder.
4. Insert the mesh basket into the cylinder. If you have the original tin basket, place the basket in the cylinder and the straining base into the bottom of the cylinder.
5. Fill the basket with the chopped apples. Be sure that none of the fruit extends over the edge of the cylinder.
6. Make sure the small plunger plate is attached to the screw mechanism. Change plates, if necessary, by unscrewing the cog on the underside of the plate, putting the smaller plate over the threaded end of the screw mechanism and retightening the cog.
7. Place the cider container under the spout. If the sausage pressing nozzle is attached to the spout, remove it.
8. Turn the crank clockwise to press the fruit. Continue pressing until you can no longer turn the crank. Watch for juice running out of the spout.
Tags: Make sure, plunger plate, screw mechanism