Apple Cider Pressing, a Family Tradition

Reader Contribution by Rick Godsil Jr.
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One of my fondest memories is pressing cider in the fall at my grandma’s farm in western Illinois. By the time I came along, making homemade cider was a long-established family tradition. My late Grandfather, Charles Greuel, harvested apples from his own and other orchards for pressing since the 1940s. The trees that we picked during my childhood still stand and consistently bear wonderful, large apples from midsummer through late fall. Grandma asked Grandpa to plant a nice variety of trees so that she would have applesauce to make over the summer and good crisp fall apples for pies and cider.

The photo above was taken just a couple seasons ago as grandma pressed apples in the exact same press we’ve always used (it’s most likely well over 100 years old). We made cider in the multi-purpose “building” — it has all cement block walls and cement floors with large drains. The building is easy to clean as everything can be hosed and disinfected from use to use. This structure was built by Grandpa and still looks exactly the same. The name “Wagon Wheel Trading Post” displayed on the front is the namesake for our Kansas orchard.

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