I’ve pressed a lot of juice … and have heard the same thing… but don’t find any validity to it. From my experience, the crispier the apples - the more the juice explodes from them and the easier my cutter blades seem to chop through them.
Now if it were the old days, really old, and they were merely pressing them between blocks of wood, without grinding, then having them softer would likely make that process go smoother… But if you’ve a modern set of blades and a solid press, I see no need to let the apples mellow.
The only reason I’d ever pick them in advance was to make sure I had enough time to finish the pressing process in one long day, with from 20 to 28 gallons of fresh apple juice for my efforts.
I'm new to making cider but over the last couple of weeks I've made a little over 30 gallons using an old crank crusher/press. I don't have my own apples and am making cider on shares.
I haven't noticed a difference of yield in apples picked fresh or a few weeks. Some of my days got up around 80 and most of them in the 70s. I'm sure there was some spoilage due to the warmer temps but like you I have no other options at the moment.
Cold storage unit is on the wish list!
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