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Cider Digest #1081
From: cider-request@talisman.com
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To: cider-list@talisman.com
Subject: Cider Digest #1081, 5 October 2003
Cider Digest #1081 5 October 2003
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Recommendations for hard cider apples ("Three Hills Farm")
chisel jersey (Derek Bisset)
Somerset Pomona - was Chisel Jersey ("Dave Halliday")
Tracking down a French cider apple ("Three Hills Farm")
Cider Press Cloths ("Bob Capshew")
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Subject: Recommendations for hard cider apples
From: "Three Hills Farm" <organic@threehillsfarm.com>
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 03:41:45 -0400
Hey folks . . .
I'm going to be planting a couple acres of heirloom apple trees this
coming Spring (500 trees) and would like to add a small number of hard
cider apples (two dozen trees) so I eventually can experiment with
making a little of my own hard cider. I'd like to have six trees each
of four different varieties and would like to get people's
recommendations as to the which four may give me the greatest latitude
for blending and the least problems with cultivation. Any suggestions?
Since I'll only have a small number of these trees, I'd like to go with
annual bearing, scab resistant varieties that are precocious and
productive. I've already got a few varieties of sweet cider apples
being planted that should cover me for the Sweets (Wickson, Golden
Russet, Parmar, Golden Harvey, Ashmead's Kernel). I'm at a loss where
to go from here though. The four varieties that look the most
intriguing on Jim Cummins' site are Dabinett, Medaille d'Or, Stoke Red
and Tremlett's Bitter. But my knowledge of hard cider apples is pretty
bleak at this point. Would anyone care to offer some recommendations?
Also, are any particular rootstocks more suitable for hard cider apples?
I'm leaning toward G30, but would like to go with larger trees as long
as I won't to have to wait 8 years for apples.
Any thoughts/suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.
John
* * * * *
John A Gasbarre
Three Hills Farm
Union, Maine USA
organic@threehillsfarm.com
44? 15' 45" N / 69? 19' 45" W
------------------------------
Subject: chisel jersey
From: Derek Bisset <derek_bisset@shaw.ca>
Date: Wed, 01 Oct 2003 18:29:56 -0700
I have grown several Somerset apples , including Chisel Jersey
here in BC for about 10 years All of the English fruit grown here tends to
be more coloured than I have seen in England , but certainly doesn't
develop stain in the flesh . Otherwise my Chisel Jersey fruit matches Liz
Copas' description . It is very astringent and gives a somewhat hard ,
floral , as opposed to soft , earthy character to a blend .
The trees are very distinctive fitting Ray Williams'
description of forming excellent centre leaders with good crotch angles .
Crops are heavy and regular with fairly small fruit .One other way I have
of recognizing the variety is at blossom time . The blossoms are fairly
small and have a very distinctive tan colour unlike any of the other cider
varieties .
I think the Chisel Jersey , Dabinett , Tremlett's Bitter and
others brought into this area are true since I believe they came via Ray
Williams to Al Piggott .However there is a spurious Foxwhelp around . The
fruit I am getting from a tree I received as Foxwhelp is very large , pale
coloured and nothing like the descriptions I have seen of Foxwhelp . It
does appear to have some tannin and it may be a cider apple but I have not
found any cider apple description that matches .
------------------------------
Subject: Somerset Pomona - was Chisel Jersey
From: "Dave Halliday" <dh@synthstuff.com>
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 20:45:46 -0700
I checked Amazon's U.K. web site and they have it on 4-6 week back-order
and a 1.99 UK pound fee for being hard-to-find.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1874336873/ref=sr_aps_books_1_1
/202-3168179-9952629
I have ordered from Amazon UK before with great success - there are
books that come out there before they hit the colonies and the
additional cost of shipping is not that great. Ordered myself a copy
this afternoon and see what happens...
Cheers!
Dave
------------------------------
Subject: Tracking down a French cider apple
From: "Three Hills Farm" <organic@threehillsfarm.com>
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 23:25:02 -0400
Hey folks. . .
I've hit a wall trying to find a particular French cider apple here in
the States and am hoping that someone on the list may have some
suggestions for finding it. I've checked the Cornell/Geneva PGRU list,
checked out Nick Botner's scion list, spoke both with Jim Cummins and
Lee Elliott, and have not yet been able to find it. My hopes are that
someone on the list acquired scion wood of it at some point and grew out
a tree themselves.
The cultivar is Genet Moyle (Also spelled Gennet-Moyle). I've seen it
referenced in Annie Proulx's book and on the grower's websites (see
http://www.theolivers.org.uk/page4.html ), but I've not been able to
find it here in the States. It may not be a particularly good apple,
but I'm interested in growing it as more of a novelty.
Is anyone on the list familiar with this apple or have suggestions for
sourcing it? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks.
John
* * * * *
John A Gasbarre
Three Hills Farm
Union, Maine USA
organic@threehillsfarm.com
www.threehillsfarm.com/apples.html
44? 15' 45" N / 69? 19' 45" W
------------------------------
Subject: Cider Press Cloths
From: "Bob Capshew" <rcapshew@epowerc.net>
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 00:00:15 -0400
I did use nylon screen from the local hardware store for cider
pressing cloths until I switched to fabric. At the discount section
of a local fabric store, I found several yards of cotton duck fabric
for about $10. My wife cut the material into press cloths to fit my
press then serged the edges.
The cloths work great and show a brownish natural cider dye. After
each pressing I rinse the pommace from the cloths with a garden hose
then wash them in a short cold cycle then dry for 10 minutes on low
heat so that they are ready for the next pressing.
The fabric has lasted much longer then the nylon screen and
does not let apple particles through like the screen.
Bob Capshew
------------------------------
End of Cider Digest #1081
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