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[wisconsin_cur]

Sunflower oil press

Our oil press is relatively simple, but it must be welded together. Check the construction directions for details. The press consists of a welded tubular frame which accepts a three-ton hydraulic jack. You may already have one. If not, it can be purchased at most auto and hardware stores for about $16. A metal canister with holes drilled in its sides and one end welded shut holds the mashed sunflower seeds. A piston is inserted in the canister and then inverted and slipped over a pedestal on the frame. The jack is set in place, and the pressure gradually increased over half an hour. The oil drips from the sides of the canister into a tray -- the bottom of a plastic jug slipped over the pedestal works fine -- which empties the oil into a cup. You can filter the oil with a coffee filter to remove pieces of seed and other fine particles that would burn if the oil were used for cooking. If it's for salads or mayonnaise, there's no need to filter it.

We first tried using "confectionary" sunflower seeds for oil. These are the regular eating kernels we're used to seeing. They give less than half as much oil as the oilseed types of sunflower. Although you can use confectionary types such as MAMMOTH RUS- SIAN for oil, don't expect to get more than an ounce and a half from a pound of seed. Oilseed produces three or more ounces of oil from a pound of seed and is well worth planting along with confectionary-type seeds. Oilseed has another big advantage -- to prepare it, you can put the whole, unhulled seed into a blender and whiz it until it forms a fine meal, while confectionary seeds must be dehulled first. The entire sequence of grading, dehulling and winnowing is avoided with oilseed.

I just need to get on the ball and find a welder who will make me one!

[Narz]

I don't cook with vegetable oil. It's bad for ya'.

Good quality coconut oil has the longest shelf life & is the least damaged by heat.

[smallpoxgirl]

I just need to get on the ball and find a welder who will make me one!

Probably save yourself a lot of welding if you just started with one of these: link

[Narz]

My 5 gallon pail of expeller pressed coconut oil came yesterday. Tommorrow I'm going to vacuum pack it in pint jars.

Cool, what brand did you get?

[smallpoxgirl]

Cool, what brand did you get?

http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/expel ... ut_oil.htm

[Devin]

Awesome! I'll probably be buying from the same place as soon as Friday, I really like your idea to vacuum-pack it in pint jars.

Are you planning to warm it up to get it in the jars? If so, how? The only thing I could think of was an electric blanket that my mom uses to heat her bed at night, though I suppose it would melt if you left it in the sun for a bit.

Let us know how it goes.

[smallpoxgirl]

Are you planning to warm it up to get it in the jars? If so, how?

I figured I'd just scoop it out into a big pan a gallon at a time, warm it on the stove, and then ladle it into the jars.

[Devin]

Are you planning to warm it up to get it in the jars? If so, how?

I figured I'd just scoop it out into a big pan a gallon at a time, warm it on the stove, and then ladle it into the jars.

Sounds good to me, though I would probably want to rig some sort of funnel and just pour it in, so I didn't drip all over the place. I'm more of a slopper than a ladler, though, haha.

[mercurygirl]

No need to go to all that trouble. I just scoop it cold into canning jars and pack it down, it's quite soft at room temp. I guess if you want to vacuum seal a large quantity all at once, melting it is best.

[smallpoxgirl]

No need to go to all that trouble. I just scoop it cold into canning jars and pack it down, it's quite soft at room temp. I guess if you want to vacuum seal a large quantity all at once, melting it is best.

I'm sure that doing that you'd end up with some air bubbles inside the oil. I don't know how they'd get out when you vacuum seal unless the oil is liquid.

Sounds good to me, though I would probably want to rig some sort of funnel and just pour it in, so I didn't drip all over the place. Razz I'm more of a slopper than a ladler, though, haha.

I was just planning to use canning jars and a canning funnel. It's just like hot packing vegetables or fruit.

[Pops]

Historically, people got fat for their diet wherever they could...

Yea, the only readily available fats here are some walnuts, hickory nuts or lard from whatever.

Not many coconut trees.

[mercurygirl]

No need to go to all that trouble. I just scoop it cold into canning jars and pack it down, it's quite soft at room temp. I guess if you want to vacuum seal a large quantity all at once, melting it is best.

I'm sure that doing that you'd end up with some air bubbles inside the oil. I don't know how they'd get out when you vacuum seal unless the oil is liquid.

Right, that's why I said melting would be best for vacuum sealing. I should have noted that my method is for short-term use. Right now, my supply is in my pretty cold basement storage area. When I need some, I store a small amount at room temp. I also like it for skin care and have a jar in the bathroom.

[Loki]

Historically, people got fat for their diet wherever they could...

Yea, the only readily available fats here are some walnuts, hickory nuts or lard from whatever.

Not many coconut trees.

That was my main reason for starting this thread. I was thinking more like a locavore than a survivalist who wants to have 10 years of food stored in their basement. My ideal is to grow/gather >50% of my own food, and to buy/barter the rest from local sources. I think it's doable, with a couple potential problems, veggie oil being the most important. Looks like sunflowers are my best bet for homemade veggie oil production. Growing them is easy enough, it's pressing them that will be a challenge.

If I lived further south I'd definitely want to grow olives. But I went to a horticulture conference a couple months ago and heard someone has developed some hardier varieties that might grow in my area. Might be worth further investigation....

[mercurygirl]

If I lived further south I'd definitely want to grow olives. But I went to a horticulture conference a couple months ago and heard someone has developed some hardier varieties that might grow in my area. Might be worth further investigation....

We can definitely grow olive trees, but you probably won't get fruit, or not enough to matter. However, I've read some interesting things about the health benefits of the leaves. You may want to look into it.

[Loki]

MG, the new varieties I mentioned will grow fruit here. I think I've got the nursery brochure at work---I'll try to get more info.

[PeterLepacus]

FYI on Canola Oil:

The Dangers of Canola Oil

[coastie]

I just recently picked up a cheap Enterprise 27 juicer. I am going to try to use this to press oil out of sunflower seeds. Realistically though I see my oils and fats coming from butter, lard and tallow.

[yeahbut]

Going back to the cooking with olive oil thing for a moment- as I understand it from hearing an Italian olive oil enthusiast on the radio a few years back, one should certainly never cook with extra virgin oil. That's for a very simple reason- the whole point of extra virgin is that the oil is extracted cold- without the use of heat as in normal olive oil processing. This cold extraction retains more subtle flavours, and more nutrients from the olive. Of course you can cook with it, but as soon as you do you destroy all the things that make extra virgin special, and render it into normal olive oil- rather an expensive practice.
As for my oil plans, luckily where I live olive trees grow like weeds, and a local guy presses everyones olives for a percentage of the oil- even people like me with only a few trees. Picking olives is a hassle tho, and bird strike is a real problem. The little bastards don't even like the olives, but can't resist their tempting appearance when they start darkening- and one little peck is all it takes to rot the berry. Netting is essential.

[smallpoxgirl]

Of course you can cook with it, but as soon as you do you destroy all the things that make extra virgin special, and render it into normal olive oil- rather an expensive practice.

I'm sure that's true to some extent. The other difference though with extra virgin is that it's not solvent extracted. The idea of eating something that was extracted using hexane isn't especially appealing to me.

[yeahbut]

Of course you can cook with it, but as soon as you do you destroy all the things that make extra virgin special, and render it into normal olive oil- rather an expensive practice.

I'm sure that's true to some extent. The other difference though with extra virgin is that it's not solvent extracted. The idea of eating something that was extracted using hexane isn't especially appealing to me.

Oh boy. This only confirms my belief that sometimes it's better not to know stuff...normal olive oil is extracted using solvents? {muffled gagging} wonder how much of that I've ingested over the years...off now to google 'hexane effects short and long term'...thanks for that SPG, thanks a bunch guess I'll be sticking with my own oil from now on...