Volunteering at the Community Apple Press

Core to our mission at Tap the Admiral is preserving and promoting the apple culture of Sonoma County and beyond.  Locally, we have had the privilege of using Slow Food Russian River’s free apple press as both pressers and volunteers. The  free apple press, a seasonal service staffed exclusively by volunteers, is one small way through which the local apple agriculture is sustained and supported in our county. The dedicated volunteers are testimony to our region's commitment to keeping the apple alive and growing.

At the Sebastopol Community Apple Press, Slow Food volunteers create a safe and fun environment where people can press their own apples and sample their juice at the source and bottle it to take home. Some people bring apples from their own backyard trees, while others buy apples from one of our local apple growers. You can help them deepen their experience by initiating conversations about our apple culture, the history of the Gravenstein Apple, Slow Food’s Ark of Taste, and the international Slow Food movement in general.

The Community Apple Press is open on weekends from August till October. For dates and times of available volunteer shifts, see the list in the right column below the signup form. The current volunteer schedule for the Apple Press can be viewed here.  Users of the press can check for availability and reserve online.