I've been told I can pick all the windfall apples I can manage from a local place but have no tools or money to process teh apples.
I'm thinking about just smaching em with a log in a bucket and squeese them with a big stone whilst i smash the next batch.
Any one have other ideas (or indeed want to go picking in the evening time in Dublin)
You don't need much equipment really if you go oldschool. Just smash/grate/chop the apples into a bucket, squash them down and top up with boiled water. Stir a couple of times a day for 3-5 days.
Then remove the apple and add your other ingredients.
i searched a bit and found this video. Just adjust the recipe to cider gravity & yeast. No need for the raisins&lemon. maybe add some other fruit like blackberries etc? They're your apples, abuse them as you see fit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50g9cMHZkJk
This one's pretty good too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1-wacQ0CAk
I did my first juicing with a 4x4 timber and a homer press I made. It's hard work! IMO the bashing in a tub will work but the stone press will not. If you can rig a frame then a lot can be done with a bottle jack to provide pressure. That said, it's really a PITA and you'll be out wads of money to make something that doesn't really create a decent return % of juice. My advice is check DoneDeal for a unloved soft fruit press - or stick an ad on here for a share session?
I make my cider without a press. Slice up the apples, remove the pips and cores. If possible, freeze the sliced apples for a day to soften them. Then put them in a bucket with a bit of apple juice as liquid and use a handheld soup maker / blender to mush them all up. Ferment the pulp for a few days then squeeze it by hand through a cloth bag - I'm basically using a thick pillow case. Then continue to ferment. You can get a decent amount of juice this way but it can be time consuming so I would advise finding a press if you're going above 25 litres.
Adding pectic enzyme can also help.
thanks for the input fellas, I think I'll do a mix between all the suggested approaches