Apple juice and tofu might, at first glance, seem a strange combination – but not to us!
It all started off with us growing herbs in a polytunnel at the end of our garden and selling them at local markets (hence the name Herby4). Then one autumn we experimented with making apple juice from the excess of apples we saw all around us in West Somerset. The first batch of apples (hand-picked from Auntie Brenda’s apple tree) were juiced using a combination of a Kenwood Chef “K” blade and a power drill to pulp the apples in a bucket before pressing the pulp into juice using a home made car jack apple press!
We quickly sold (or drank) all the apple juice we managed to produce in that first season and the next year scaled up the DIY approach by converting an old cardboard baler into an apple press for the following season.
Once again we quickly managed to sell (or drink) all the apple juice we made, so started investing in some kit which was actually meant for the job. Now we produce enough juice to keep us and our customers happy all year round.
As long-standing vegetarians we decided one year to go vegan for Lent and started experimenting with making tofu for our own consumption. We soon realised we had the ideal piece of kit to repurpose into a tofu press – the converted cardboard baler, which we had made into an apple press, could now be used as a tofu press!
Although things have moved on alot in our production methods over the years, Herby4 is still all about creating, eating and living sustainably.