North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Don Yellman <don.yellman@webformation.com>]

Kevin:

1.  The prototype disposal apple grinder resides in my basement.  It is a simple but functional 
unit.  Since 1996, when I built it, I have described it a number of times on this list and a 
cidermakers list called "cider request".  I'm not sure I would elevate these 
descriptions to the level of "plans", since this is an adaptation, not an invention, 
and the dimensions I used need not be repeated precisely.

2.  The table, built from scrap lumber, is 36" tall, countertop height, which is a 
comfortable working height for me.  A piece of new countertop was used for the top (in fact, the 
cutout from installation of a new sink), with dimensions of 20"X24".  You could use 
other materials for the top, such as marine plywood, but it should be something that can be used 
to cut apples when needed.  2X4's were used for legs, and a skirt of 1/2" plywood was 
screwed around 3 sides, to about a foot from the top, to make the table rigid and strong.  The 
center of the countertop was cut out with a sabre saw to exactly the circular dimension of a 
kitchen sink drain.

3.  Because I was not sure how well it would work, I used the cheapest model 
of disposal I could find, a 1/3 hp. Badger from the Insinkerator Co., 
available at any Home Depot or Lowes.  A steel switch box is installed on the 
side with an ordinary wall switch controlling the hot leg of a 3-wire, 16 
gauge outdoor extension cord, which continues on to the motor.  It is 
important to utilize the ground wire of the cord since you will be working in 
a damp outdoor environment.

4.  Discharge is into standard 5-gallon plastic buckets, lined with heavy 
nylon pressing bags from Happy Valley Ranch, which fit the buckets perfectly. 
 There is no need to add anything to direct the slurry into the bucket, since 
the discharge tube on the grinder is sufficient to put the apple slurry right 
on target.  I fill the buckets about half full of slurry, then twist the tops 
and lift them to the press.  About 3/4 gallon of clear juice will be left 
behind in the bucket before pressing begins.  I generally press two bags at a 
time, one on top of the other.  The slurry that is produced by the disposal 
is much finer than that of the hand-cranked grinders sold with most presses, 
and will give you at least 1/3 more juice per bushel of apples.  Average 
apples will give you about 3 gallons per 54 lb. bushel; more with very juicy 
apples.

5.  There are two problems with the disposal grinder which prevent it from 
being an ideal apple grinding solution.  First, the opening of a standard 
kitchen disposal is too small to allow insertion of a whole apple of any real 
size, requiring the operator to cut the apple in half.  However, this does 
provide the opportunity to inspect the interior of each apple, and discard 
those that may be wormy, infested with moldy core, or otherwise substandard 
before grinding.  Apples that are cut in half will go through the disposal 
very quickly.  Ideally, the operator has enthusiastic assistants scrubbing 
the sooty blotch and flyspeck from the apples, and bringing continuous 
quantities of washed fruit to the table.  Sadly, the assistants tend to 
become listless and disinterested after a certain number of bushels, 
requiring their replacement with fresh, energetic assistants, when available.

6. Secondly, because the motor of a disposal is a sealed unit, with no 
provision for cooling other than the liquid passing through it, most 
disposals will operate continuously under load for only about 20-25 minutes 
before popping the motor overheat protector.  At that point is is necessary 
to allow the unit to cool down for about 15 minutes before pressing the reset 
button.  Repeated overheating does not seem to damage the disposal, but a 
larger disposal with a more powerful motor than 1/3 hp. may suffer less 
frequently from this problem.  Cheaper disposals are constructed with cast 
zinc housings, but the more expensive models can be all stainless steel as 
well as more powerful.  If you plan on doing a lot of apples over many years, 
investment in a better quality disposal may be justified.

7.  The disposal grinder should be operated in an outdoor environment, on 
grass, a driveway, or other surface where cleanup with a hose is easy.  
Cleaning the disposal is a simple matter of running the hose into the 
disposal while operating the motor.  I dismantled my disposal after several 
years of use, and found no deterioration from corrosion or accumulated fruit 
remains, and was satisfied there are no hygiene problems with the grinder.

8.  I once heard from a fellow in Oregon who purchased what he described as a 
commercial garbage disposal on E-Bay.  Apparently, it has a larger throat and 
a humongous motor, and will process whole apples as quick as a flash.  I 
think his was used, and imagine that buying one of these large units new 
would be pretty expensive.  But it might overcome both the drawbacks of the 
smaller domestic disposals.

9.  Give it a try.  If you can build your table from materials you have lying around the shed, the cost of even a good quality disposal compares favorably with that of the "apple eater" hand-crank grinders, and the disposal works better and faster.  Over the years, I have had some positive feedback from people who have built one, and have never heard from anyone who says it doesn't work.  

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA