Help regarding sweating apples

[Terry Chalk]

We need some help with not-so-perfect apples.

I have mentioned before that the apple crop here in parts of S.E. Oz suffered from a killer frost and Antarctic breakout at the end of spring. However, some friends escaped the worst of it due to their location near a couple of rivers.

So, we got a call "do you want any apples as we are picking our big old granny smith because the cockatoos are starting to get into the fruit". The apples really are a couple of weeks short of proper ripeness, but beggars can't be choosers. I have successfully made single variety granny smith cider previously.

So, we now have about 50Kg of not completely ripe granny smiths. Brix 10.5/SG1.043 according to the refractometer i.e. a bit lower than I would like, but the pH is 3.6 which suggests that the TA should be over 6g/L. Overall not great but probably O.K.

So now the question... will sweating help. how long, what ideal temperature. etc, etc ?

I have them in milk crates which I can leave covered in the open (outside temperatures range from -5C frost in the morning to 20C middle of the day), or in our cool produce store which is controlled to a max of 18C but can get lower when the outside is cold.

This will be our only source of juice this year unless we buy some from a commercial orchard (not so easy in rural Oz).

So, any help, advice, suggestions etc re how sweating the granny smiths might help is appreciated. This is unknown territory for me as normally we just leave our apples on the trees until they are really ripe.

[Cory Widmayer]

Hi Terry,

I would definitely store them for a while, if blending is out of the question.  If you're looking to mature them fast, sweating at a higher temperature is better and you'll ideally want to maintain dry conditions with ample aeration between the apples so that humid spots don't occur.  Whichever storage method will keep them away from humidity will be best, as that should help reduce spoilage and accelerate uniform maturation and dehydration.  I'd sample the apples as time progresses to monitor their development, and check for spoilage and remove any rotting apples when necessary.

Hope this helps,

~Cory

--
--
Visit our website: http://www.ciderworkshop.com
 
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "Cider Workshop" Google Group.
By joining the Cider Workshop, you agree to abide by our principles. Please see http://www.ciderworkshop.com/resources_principles.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cider Workshop" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cider-worksho...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cider-workshop/6ad0ea12-f748-4304-9eed-e869c1c1cfafn%40googlegroups.com.

--

Cory Widmayer

[Andrew Lea]

What does the starch test show? No point in sweating if there is no starch left to convert to sugar.

Andrew

------------------

Wittenham Hill Cider Page

www.cider.org.uk

[Terry Chalk]

Thank you for the prompt replies. The shed may be somewhat warmer than the cool store during the day but cooler at night. A bit of a toss-up. However, there is no rush so they can sweat as long as needed. Andrew, thanks for the tip re starch. I had read about the iodine test in your book but the significance had escaped me since my apples usually stay on the trees until they and the leaves fall off. Off to town tomorrow to get iodine.  

[Andrew Lea]

Just a tip - it is almost impossible to buy old fashioned tincture of iodine from high street pharmacies these days, at least in the UK.You can get it from specialist brew shops and mostly by mail order where it’s branded as Lugol’s iodine..  The pharmacies will try to sell you slow release povidone-iodine complex which does not work for starch detection because the iodine is already  complexed.

Good luck!

Andrew

------------------

Wittenham Hill Cider Page

www.cider.org.uk

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cider-workshop/55afe960-19e9-4f05-ba29-8b4fdf0c0f7en%40googlegroups.com.

[Andrew Duckworth]

Hi Andrew,

Is this the right iodine formulation? 

https://goldcrossproducts.com.au/product/iodine-tincture/

If so, several pharmacy chains here in Australia carry it.

Cheers,

Andrew 

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cider-workshop/BA365501-6340-4213-BFFC-10856D869ECD%40cider.org.uk.

[Andrew Lea]

Looks like good old fashioned Tincture of Iodine to me!  Good luck.  Try it on a cut potato first. Should go almost black!

Andrew

------------------

Wittenham Hill Cider Page

www.cider.org.uk

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cider-workshop/CAMjCp%3D1GX0AqX5PMTSTmRkjAnT3BSemPqWF6Mc5JR%2BqsAB8GPg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Terry Chalk]

Thanks Andrew (both!). I had tried Betadine (povidone-iodine) so see if it worked...it  doesn't! Hence the visit to town today to see if the local pharmacy has any proper iodine.

[Cory Widmayer]

I'm disagreeing a bit with Andrew - sweating isn't just good for converting starch, it can also allow for better development of flavor, reduction in acidity, and concentration of the flavor and sugar (through loss of water).

I dry-sweated Gold-Rush apples last year for a little over 2 months, and the quality of that juice was remarkably better compared to the lot I kept in cold storage.  The richness of the juice dramatically improved, the acidity was greatly reduced, and the brix increased by maybe 20%.

There was a greater loss to rot compared to the cold process, but totally worth it in my mind.

If you are monitoring starch, I use Lugol's Iodine (2.0%) from Amazon and have had a good experience with it.

~Cory

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cider-workshop/510d7391-f175-4d72-b6e6-6ce6f08460e8n%40googlegroups.com.

--

Cory Widmayer

[Andrew Lea]

I agree entirely.  But when I first read the post I took it to be concerned with SG only, and not about the more subtle effects of fruit maturation. My apologies if I misread!

Andrew

------------------

Wittenham Hill Cider Page

www.cider.org.uk

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cider-workshop/CAB_WWNx4UY2Fr0X-a7%2BTxSzFKckekWCNXFAQr_sHv_nD4a3rfw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Terry Chalk]

Iodine seems to be quite rare in pharmacies these days. Fortunately, the only pharmacy within 100km of us had one bottle. It is "Iodine 5% w/v, Potassium Iodine 10% w/v", and $35 for 100ml, aargh! However, it worked showing a very dark stain on the cut apples. Oh, the joys of cidermaking. 

[Andrew Lea]

So a positive blue black iodine test implies unchanged starch and more SG yet to develop.  In which case you will develop more sugar by sweating, and it will be worth the effort.

Good luck!

Andrew

------------------

Wittenham Hill Cider Page

www.cider.org.uk

To view this discussion, visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cider-workshop/a94d35f4-078a-42a0-a809-276e5fb104c8n%40googlegroups.com.