This is my friend, Bud and his handy dandy golf cart that my boys nearly fight over to drive. They have started telling me that I NEED one to help me around the farm, I told them when I get to be 85 years old like Bud, they can buy me one.
Today was kind of the last round up for apple picking. Bud has been turning his goat herd plus a couple of cows and horses into the orchard to clean things up. As a result, all the trees were pruned up nicely to about shoulder height by the goats.
Some of these trees are about 50 years old. Bud can still remember what variety each one is and where he got most of them. He has invited me to start my orchard from his. I am buying root stock to start this fall and Bud will show me how to graft early next spring. My children have wonderful memories of all the years that we have come to Bud's farm to make cider. With a little luck, we will have trees from his orchard to make memories from for years to come.
This is a marvelous contraption! Bud says that it is an antique like him...... but they both still work!
Sis and Seth gave the apples a little wash up.
Dump them into the hopper for the grinder.
Out comes the mash and it is ready to go into the press....... I'd really like to show you that process, too, but...... I dropped the camera in to the wash vat for the apples! I am hoping that after it dries out that it will still work.
Before I had that little moment, I did get a picture of one of Bud's cows.....
She is obviously a mini cross and had a very difficult time calving. Her calf died but she adopted this goat kid! She absolutely adores him. I have seen many calves nurse a goat on a milk stand but this is the first time that I have ever seen it reversed.
After it was all said and done, we had eleven gallons of cider. We brought home seven gallons but stopped along the way and gave away a 1/2 gallon. Somehow, I have got to figure out how to preserve 5 1/2 gallons....... .
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