KIRKBY FRUIT PROJECT JUICING SERVICE

You bring your apples on one of our Juicing Service days (see below) and we juice, bottle and pasteurise them for you at a cost of £1.25 per bottle.  Then you collect them

What is the Kirkby Fruit Project?

The group is intended to cater for people in and around the Kirkbymoorside area.  Run entirely by volunteers, it started in 2012 as a response to the large quantity of apples, and other fruit, that was left to rot in people’s gardens because nobody had a use for it.  We have found a few uses for it and any profits generated by the project go back into community groups.  Early experience was gained using borrowed juicing equipment before grants were obtained in 2013 to enable us to purchase more efficient equipment.  Since then the project has continued to grow and now has about 20 volunteers who deal with several tons of surplus fruit each year

Is the juicing service open to everyone?

Yes, if you are from Kirkbymoorside and the surrounding area.  Over recent years there have been bumper crops of apples and the service we offer has become increasingly popular, last year we dealt with more than 4 tons of apples!  We are a small group of volunteers and to maintain our aim of supporting local people we have a limit of approximately 7 miles on the geographical area from which we can accept fruit.  This roughly equates to the area bounded by Farndale in the north, Cropton to the east, Ness to the south and Helmsley to the West.

What kind of apples should I bring?

The best tasting juice is made from a mixture of different apples, both eaters and cookers, but don’t worry if you only have one variety, or only cookers, they will still make good juice.  The flavour naturally varies from year to year depending on the growing conditions

Apples for juicing should be fully ripe, clean, dry and without obvious bruising.  Small blemishes and scars are not a problem.  The reason we cannot accept bruised apples is that they may contain high levels of a substance called patulin which can cause stomach upsets

It is important that the apples are fully ripe, you can check this by cutting open one or two and looking at the seeds.  A ripe apple has dark brown seeds which may even rattle slightly inside the apple.  Then taste a small piece of the apple – is it juicy?

What about windfalls?

Many trees will begin shedding apples in the weeks before the crop is fully ripe.  This is a natural process that allows the tree to concentrate all its efforts into producing only as much ripe fruit as it is able to support.  Unfortunately, most of these early dropped apples are not fully ripe and therefore not suitable for juicing which is why we ask you to check for ripeness before bringing fruit.  Ripe windfalls are OK for juicing provided that they are not badly bruised or damaged

PLEASE NOTE: FOR HYGIENE REASONS WE DO NOT ACCEPT FRUIT FROM FIELDS WITH GRAZING ANIMALS

How many apples can I bring?

We can accept up to 120kg from each person.  This is enough for 3 full presses and will yield around 80 bottles of pasteurised juice (juice yield may vary by up to 10% depending on apples).  If you only have smaller quantities that is not a problem.  Our press takes 40kg of apple pulp at a time so if you have less than a full press then we will mix your apples with some others to make the best possible combination and you buy back your share of the finished juice

Can I mix in other fruit?

No, we are only able to offer pressing of apples to make pure apple juice

How do you make the apple juice?

The clean, dry apples are poured into a Spiedel mill which crushes them to a pulp.  They are then put through a 40 litre hydropress which uses water pressure to squeeze the juice from the pulp.  A very small amount of vitamin C powder is added to the juice at this point to stabilise it and prevent it from oxidising.  The juice is then poured into 750ml bottles and pasteurised before being sealed with a screw top.  Once the juice has fully cooled it is ready for you to collect

How long will my finished bottles of apple juice keep?

Your juice will be pasteurised then sealed with a tamper evident screw top.  The juice will then keep for up to 2 years unopened.  The bottles are unlabelled so you can design and print your own labels if you wish

When can I bring my fruit to you?

Our juicing season will run from 4th September to 31^st Octoberber 2021
We have simplified the system so dates for bringing apples for the juicing service will be posted on website. Please note we are not able to accept fruit outside these days. This ensures that all fruit is in the best possible condition when it is juiced.

Where do I deliver my apples to?

All apples should be delivered to ‘juicing HQ’ on West End in Kirkbymoorside and the finished juice can be collected from the same place a few days later

How much does it cost?

The juicing service costs £1.25 per bottle of juice.

Cider?

If you prefer cider to apple juice and are interested in joining our Cider Co-operative, please ask for details

Further details contact Chris email: kirkbyfruit@gmail.com