A16
LOCAL
Wallowa County Chieftain
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Cider pressing events bring a taste of fall
By ANN BLOOM
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — Cider
pressing is as synony-
mous with October as fall-
ing leaves and Hallow-
een. The apples are at their
sweet perfection and the air
is crisp and just right for a
pressing, which is exactly
what happened not once but
twice last week in Wallowa
County.
The fi rst pressing hap-
pened Thursday, Oct. 7,
when the students at the
Alternative Education High
School pressed cider at
Building Healthy Families.
A cider press, belonging
to and borrowed from Dr.
Severin Knudsen, of Enter-
prise Animal Hospital, was
brought to the school and
apples, both purchased and
gleaned from the school’s
apple trees were pressed
into service to create fresh,
cold cider.
From all accounts, the
cider and pressing were
successes. Many students
had seen cider pressings
before.
Levi Pringle, a senior,
had attended cider press-
ings when the children
from Head Start had taken a
fi eld trip to participate in an
intergenerational pressing a
few years ago.
“It’s good (the cider),
but weird to have seeds and
mushed apple in it. I don’t
like pulp in general, but
apple it’s not that bad.”
Cider is generally unfi l-
tered and unpasteurized.
Apple pressing reminded
Rachel Lester, a junior, of
learning about pioneers
and the Oregon Trail, and
brought a certain sense of
nostalgia.
Cider is “much more
fl avorful than apple juice.
It’s not processed and not
watered down,” she said.
“It’s a fun activity to
do,” said Benjamin Huwe,
a senior. He said he thought
it was a good team-build-
Ann Bloom/Contributed Photo
A cider pressing event took place Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021, at St.
Patrick’s Episcopal Church.
she thought the event was a
good way to bring the com-
munity together.
“The cider was excel-
lent,” she said, “some of the
best I’ve ever had.”
“It was yummy,” said
Delmore.
A look back in time
Tashina Schillereff /Contributed Photo
Students from the Building Healthy Families Alternative Education High School take part in
cider pressing on Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021.
ing activity since there was
a lot involved with cutting
and pressing.
And “there is a sweet
treat at the end. There is a
freshness with apple cider.
It’s like picking an apple off
the tree,” he said.
The second county apple
pressing took place Satur-
day, Oct. 9, at St. Patrick’s
Episcopal Church. The day
was clear and sunny and
those who attended enjoyed
watching the apples tumble
into the press, spin against
the sharp blades of the
crusher and turn into a com-
bination of clear juice and
pulp. The bucket containing
the pulp was pressed using
a metal crank that squeezed
against a wooden plate over
the top of the bucket. The
cider ran out through the
slats in the bucket and into a
catch basin. From the basin
it was transferred to pitch-
ers for tasting. The apples
used were purchased, or
participants brought their
own apples and containers.
The type of apple used
aff ects the taste and color of
the cider. Some apples lend
the cider a clear, pale yel-
low green color and a crisp,
tart fl avor. Other apples can
turn the cider a pale, pink,
rose color with a sweeter
fl avor.
Nathan Riley Davis, of
Enterprise, pronounced the
cider, “pretty good.” He
MEDICARE
OPEN
ENROLLMENT
Oct. 15th
thru
Dec. 7th
SHOP/COMPARE
PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE
(Part D plans)
MEDICARE ADVANTAGE
(Part C )
...what it costs, what is covered, and what
is available in Wallowa County
Schedule an appointment TODAY!
Kathleen Bennett
kathleen@hillockins.com
541-426-4208
said it had a “nice citrus fl a-
vor. I was really thirsty and
I liked how it felt in my
throat.”
Sandy Lund, of Enter-
prise, who was there with
her grandchildren, Nolan,
Pierce, and Selah Buck had
only two words to describe
her
cider
experience:
“Super good.”
The cider-pressing even
saw some guests from out
of town. Lynn Delmore
and Pam Alexandria, from
Eugene, visiting friends in
the area, stopped by for a
taste of the cider. Both said
they had never been to a
cider-pressing event and
wanted to see what it was
all about. Alexandria said
Cider has a long history.
According to the website
www.cider.wsu.edu/histo-
ry-of-cider, raw apple juice
is not fi ltered to remove sed-
iment or pulp and is referred
to as “fresh cider” or “sweet
cider.” Apple juice is fi ltered.
Hard cider is cider that has
been fermented. The alco-
hol content varies from 3%
alcohol by volume (ABV) in
French cider to 8.5% ABV
in English cider.
The fi rst recorded refer-
ence to cider dates to Roman
times. The Norman con-
quest of England in 1066
resulted in the introduction
of many apple varieties from
France. Cider is still popular
in England, which has the
highest per capita consump-
tion of cider in the world.
In colonial America, col-
onists planted orchards and
cider making was the easiest
way to preserve the harvest.
The water was also not safe
to drink in some areas and
cider was an option, even
for children. Cider could
also be used for other things
such as vinegar and to pre-
serve food.
In the late 1800s, cider
consumption declined due
to the Industrial Revolu-
tion when farmers came to
the city to live and work,
and many orchards were
abandoned. Also, beer was
replaced as the beverage
of choice by large infl uxes
of Irish and German immi-
grants. The biggest fac-
tor was Prohibition in 1919
when production of cider
went from 55 million gal-
lons in 1899 to 13 million
gallons.
Consumption of unpas-
teurized apple cider comes
with a cautionary caveat. It
can contain bacteria that can
be harmful to certain popu-
lations such as children, the
elderly, pregnant women
and those with compromised
immune systems. Fresh
cider should be refrigerated.
Katy Nesbitt, the coor-
dinator of the event at St.
Patrick’s church and the
church’s deacon, said the
church regularly hosts
events such as concerts and
dinners.
“This year we wanted to
have an outdoor, fall event
and provide an opportunity
for our neighbors to press
their apples into cider as we
have a convenient, down-
town location and ample
space,” she said.
She added that the cider
pressing will become an
annual event, building atten-
dance in the coming years.
HEALTH
Begins INSURANCE
Nov. OPEN
1st
ENROLLMENT
• Enrollment is open for a limited time
• Coverage begins January 1, 2022
• Open enrollment is the ONLY time you
can make changes to your plan or enroll.
• If you are already enrolled you can...
- Change your plan
- Update income
- Save money!
Schedule an appointment TODAY!
Vixen Radford-Weeks
Community Assistor
vradford@neonoregon.org
541-398-2539
Get Your
Questions
Answered!
209 Hwy 82, Enterprise, OR - 541-426-4208