Klooga school presses nearly two tonnes of apples for pupils’ winter juice

Nearly two tonnes of apples were turned into juice at Lodijärve School in Klooga on Saturday, with the drink intended for pupils over the winter, ERR reported.

The apples were donated after a community appeal. At least 1.5 tonnes had arrived by Saturday, and more were still being brought in, said organiser Siiri Kaldma. The school has no apple orchard of its own.

Volunteers washed and crushed the apples, pressed them and prepared the juice for heating. Kaldma said the work would continue through the night. Lääne-Harju municipality bought the apple crusher a few years ago at her initiative, using compensation paid to the town for living near a military training ground.

School head Nele Lavrikov said the organisers had initially doubted there would still be enough apples so late in the season. They expect to produce about 600 litres of juice, or roughly 3.5 litres for each of the school’s 166 pupils.

The first batch was very sweet, Kaldma said. Later batches will include Antonovka and other varieties, and the juices will be mixed during heating. No sugar will be added. Lavrikov expects the supply to last until spring; any juice left over could be used by the school’s cooking club.