Ben Polito of Five Islands Orchards in Maine devised a pedal-powered apple grinder for use in cider making, as featured in The Human-Powered Home. This fall he and his friends improved the grinder, and Ben writes that it “works like a bloody charm.”

View photos, technical descriptions, and even a video of the pedal-powered apple grinder at work in these blog posts:

http://fiveislandsorchard.wordpress.com/2008/10/03/sneak-peak-at-08-pedal-mill-upgrades/

http://fiveislandsorchard.wordpress.com/2008/10/27/fourth-annual-cider-weekend-fantastic/

http://fiveislandsorchard.wordpress.com/2008/11/02/photos-from-year-4-cidering/