How We Make Apple Juice
We give all kinds of answers about the geography of the area, and the fact that our juice is pure, and the fact that we sing to our apples every night. Just kidding. We don't do that! (at least I don't think we do). But the truth is, our secret isn't very sneaky: Great apple juice starts with great apples! We use high-quality apples to make our juice. Vernon really is a perfect place to grow apples. The combination of our hot Okanagan sunshine and the cool nights of our fall make for spectacular natural sugar content and flavour in our apples.
We do not use apples that have fallen off the tree, aka "windfalls" to make our juice. There is too much risk of bacteria and disease in fruit that has been sitting on the ground.
We can guarantee that every apple in each jug of juice was carefully picked by hand! We use special picking bags, which open from the bottom, so our apples never need to be dumped and jostled. Once they are placed in the bin, we bring them to our on-site packing house.
Here, the apples are sorted. If they are in perfect condition, they head to the market for sale in boxes or bags. If the fruit is smaller or a different shape, it goes into the juice bin. We are proud of the fact that no apple that is safe to use on our farm is wasted. Between juice and pies, we have a purpose for all of them!
We always make sure we use at least 5 different varieties of apples in our juice. There is a great technique in mixing the varieties to balance the sugar content and acid level. The blend of different types brings out the best flavour, and ensures that it has the sweetness our juice is known for.
From the packing shed, the apples are brought to our juicing room. This is a special sanitary room that contains our juice press and juice storage tanks. The room is made so that the whole place can be hosed down to keep it as clean as possible.
Once the apples arrive, the first thing we do is wash them! The whole bin slowly tips up and gently lets the apples fall on rotating foam bristle brushes. They slowly move down the brushes, and combined with our clean Canadian water the apples come out sparkling!
After they're washed, the apples carefully move up the conveyer belt to the chopper, where they are blended to a pulp. Literally! We chop every part of the apple, including the core and skin. This ensures we get to press every bit of goodness, aka flavour and nutrition, out of every part of the apple. The small pieces allow for more surface area for the natural juice to escape.
Once they are well blended, the apple pulp moves through a tube from the chopper to the next stop—the press!
We use an accordion style cold-press for our juice. A series of large mesh bags hang in a row. Each bag is filled with the chopped pieces of apple. Then, like an accordion, the bags are pressed together, squeezing the juice from the flesh of the fruit. Slowly, the juice seeps through the fine mesh, into a large stainless steel tray, leaving only the pulp behind in the bags.
The whole press is then tipped up, dumping the dry pulp onto a conveyer belt, which moves it into another apple bin. This is picked up by a local cattle rancher—apparently it is the ultimate treat for cows! They love apple pulp, and it provides them with excellent nutrition. The benefit to us is that we know that every part of the apple is being used for food; nothing is wasted!
Meanwhile, the juice is pumped from the tray beneath the press to our pasteurizer. "Cider-Sure" uses a special process of UV light to pasteurize the juice without heating it up. In fact, you will notice that heat is never used in the whole process. This keeps the juice raw, which gives it that "fresh apple taste", and protects the nutritional value of the juice. Also, note that no water is added. The juice is not diluted by anything at all, which is why it takes so many apples! Each 2L jug has the nutrition & vitamins of about 12 apples!
After it goes through the UV light pasteurizer, the juice is moved to refrigerated stainless steel tanks—originally built to store milk, but they work perfectly for juice. In fact, our juice has all the same storage requirements as milk—keep it between 1 and 5 degrees, and it will keep about 10 - 14 days. Because it is 100% natural and has no preservatives, eventually it will begin to ferment.
From there, our juice is jugged, labeled, and moved into our walk-in-coolers or freezers, where it stays until one of you comes to pick it up and bring it home to your table!
We are thankful that our juice freezes PERFECTLY. We sell it frozen in the market, which is a great alternative when buying bulk. This is the best way to buy juice if you are travelling to make sure it stays cool. Alternatively, if you are travelling with a cooler, an option is to buy one frozen to use as an ice pack to keep the rest of the fresh juice cold.
You can find it frozen in the market coolers, right beside the frozen pies and dough balls. Remember though—if you buy frozen juice, there are 2 tricks. Thaw it completely before you pour that first glass, and make sure to shake it well! The natural sugars dissolve first, so if you skim some off the top before it thaws completely, you are stealing the sugars from future glasses. The shaking keeps it well blended in case any settling has happened.
And last but not least, some of our juice makes the trip across the parking lot to the cafe or market, where we make it into Applelanches! Again, there is no sugar added to these drinks—it is nothing but pure apple juice!
And that ends our part in the story of apple juice! Be sure to come up to the farm and try some for yourself. We offer free samples in our market every day we are open.