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Cider Digest #1407
Subject: Cider Digest #1407, 4 September 2007
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1407 4 September 2007
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
cider fruit/juice announcements (rules) (Cider Digest)
cider apple availiblity, Southern Vermont (Scott Farm)
English Cider ("Richard Anderson")
Direct Shipping ("Richard Anderson")
Cider juice available in Central Vermont this fall (Terry Bradshaw)
What's with the apple pie? (Dick Dunn)
Cider Book for Sale ("chris horn")
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Subject: cider fruit/juice announcements (rules)
From: cider-request@talisman.com (Cider Digest)
Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2007 20:45:34 -0600 (MDT)
Folks, you may notice an announcement of cider fruit availability in the
last digest, and a couple similar notes this digest.
I am trying to skate a thin line here. The Cider Digest is intended to be
non-commercial, period. At the same time, I want to promote cidermaking
(obviously), and I know that cider-specific fruit and juice can be very
hard to find in North America (where perhaps 80% of our readers are). So
as with last year's (northern hemisphere) harvest season, I'm allowing
postings which announce availability of cider fruit and juice. I feel it
does more good than harm for the cider community.
Nevertheless, I don't want it to get out of hand--the goal is to increase
opportunity for cidermakers, not growers and mills. So I'm going to set
some "rules" (guidelines) for contributors offering cider fruit and juice.
I'll make it as simple as I can:
* Cider varieties only: The point is to make hard-to-find fruit/juice
available to cidermakers. Major, *-Jersey, Kingston Black, *-Russet,
etc., are cool. *-Delicious and Jona* are right out.
* Don't bother unless you have enough to supply a bunch of people; remember
that we've got 600+ worldwide readers on the list. Strictly-local = bad;
regional = good.
* Keep it short and to the point.
* One posting per supplier per season.
* No competitive nonsense, no "marketing". Just tell us what you've got.
I think this should carry us OK. If, in future years, we get enough
suppliers that it starts to "bend the branch" as it were, I'll set up
a page on the web site and post one-liners of current info on the digest.
Oh, and if the down-under folk want to follow the same rules in half a
year, I think that's great. We won't be shipping apples halfway around
the globe (I **hope**!), but we will learn from what you're doing and what
you've got available.
- ---
Cider Digest cider-request@talisman.com
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor Boulder County, Colorado USA
------------------------------
Subject: cider apple availiblity, Southern Vermont
From: Scott Farm <scottfrm@sover.net>
Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2007 08:25:36 -0400
The Scott Farm in Dummerston, Vermont will again have cider apples by
the bin or the bushel. We have a good crop of several heirloom
American cider varieties and smaller quantities of some English and
French apples.
We are in Southeastern Vermont and are open every day through
Thanksgiving. We can be reached at 802 254 6868 or scottfrm@sover.net
Ezekiel Goodband
orchard manager
The Scott Farm
707 Kipling Rd
Dummerston, VT
scottfrm@sover.net
------------------------------
Subject: English Cider
From: "Richard Anderson" <baylonanderson@rockisland.com>
Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2007 10:01:00 -0700
Dick's commentary on "English Cider" raises some interesting points.
On my part I do not want to keep cider around for 3-4 years to taste funky
tannins. :)
Can we really make a English Cider in the US? Is it just the use of
traditional UK cider apples? I make our ciders almost exclusively from
traditional bittersweets and bittersharps but never achieve the smoky
flavors which some English style ciders have. In part, I think this is due
to the lack of malolactic fermentation, which does not occur naturally or
induced by the addition of a ML culture. This raises the question is there
an equivalent US style to English Style or should there be one?
------------------------------
Subject: Direct Shipping
From: "Richard Anderson" <baylonanderson@rockisland.com>
Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2007 10:31:15 -0700
Charles comment, "I note that nobody's talking about direct to consumer
shipping as an important component :-)" is true, nobody talks about it
because it is does not produce many sales and it is expensive to obtain
shipping permits and met the reporting requirements of each state. Yes, I
suspect many of us will fly under the wire to make a few sales but it adds
little to anyone's business plan.
This also raises another interesting question, if many of you are as
interested in craft cider as you say you are, why are you not ordering off
the internet?
------------------------------
Subject: Cider juice available in Central Vermont this fall
From: Terry Bradshaw <terryb@lostmeadowvt.com>
Date: Sun, 02 Sep 2007 15:39:23 -0400
Lost Meadow Cider Mill Opens September 22, 2007
http://www.lostmeadowvt.com
The cider mill will be open weekends starting September 22 and going
until October 28.
Fresh juice will be available for pickup Saturday or Sunday 12:00-6:00
PM or until it?s gone. Call or email for directions. Sorry, the mill is
not open to the public during operation. If you need juice and can?t
catch me on weekends or want me to reserve some, give a shout and we?ll
work something out [(802) 229-2004].
I will be making cidremaker?s blends on the last five weekends of the
season, at the end of the squeeze day. Varieties used will change with
the season; come a couple different times and compare the ciders you
make! Juice blends consist of a base, usually Liberty, Cortland, Gala,
or Golden (Delicious and Russet) and a bittersweet/sharp component such
as Foxwhelp, Ellis Bitter, Yarlington Mill, Chisel Jersey, Dabinett, and
even some local crabs. Blended cidre juice is $6 per gallon in your
container, so plan to bring a carboy or other container.
I strongly suggest getting reservations in to me ASAP for your blended
juice. While my sweet juice will ferment into cider, the special blends
tailored for cidermaking are the reason why I do this, and a much
superior product will come from it. I am sourcing my fruit now and will
need a little time to get everything lined up. And once the barrels are
empty, it will be a long wait until next year.
All cider apples are sourced from Vermont or New Hampshire orchards and
are tree picked, whole, sound fruit. The variety mix will change with
the season and I use only the freshest fruit available, not cold-storage
packing house cast-offs. The orchards I work with all follow modern
Integrated Pest Management protocols to ensure that their produce is
free of harmful residues and grown in an environmentally responsible
manner.
- --
Terence Bradshaw
Calais, VT
1450 feet, zone 4
http://www.lostmeadowvt.com
------------------------------
Subject: What's with the apple pie?
From: Dick Dunn <rcd@talisman.com>
Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2007 10:25:50 -0600
The American Homebrewer's Ass'n "National Homebrew Competition" always
seems to have an apple-pie-spice cider in the short list of winners.
This year is no exception--the "Specialty" cider category gold medal went
to one such cider. Curiously, it's "one of our own"--Gary Awdey--who made
a cinnamon/nutmeg spiced cider using as a base a blend of common (US) cider
and Yarlington Mill.
Even though I'd heard a little in advance about this, I'm surprised (a)
that Gary didn't have standard cider(s) entered, and (b) that Gary did
a spiced cider at all. It's always seemed like a too-easy shot to me: some
judges apparently like the spices so much, it doesn't matter what the cider
underneath is like as long as it's not bad. I don't see how it helps the
"cause" of cider to keep putting up cinnamon/nutmeg/clove/... (Am I being
too idealistic here? Should "apple pie spice cider" be in a [sub]category
of its own?)
This year's cider winner information was disappointingly terse on both
winners: no gravities or abv%, short notes, no judges' comments...made
more annoying by the couple inches of empty space at the bottom of the
columns of each winning cider's description, where additional information
- -could- have been printed. It would have been interesting (for example)
to read why Gary used Yarlington Mill in a spiced cider.
- --
Dick Dunn rcd@talisman.com Hygiene, Colorado USA
------------------------------
Subject: Cider Book for Sale
From: "chris horn" <agent_strangelove@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2007 13:19:15 -0700
I have listed a brand new copy of the wonderful French cider apple book
'Pommiers à cidre; Variétés de France' on Ebay. It's hardback, about 300
photos, about 350 varieties and near 700 pages, Please see:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300148192960
I went through all the hoops and managed to order a copy of it from France.
But I found out that they were going to HAMMER me on shipping. No mater
what I did they wanted almost $50 for shipping to the states. Thus I could
order two copies of the book for the min. shipping charge. Thus my opening
bid is simply the cost of the book plus splitting the cost of the shipping
to the states. Therefore this is cheaper than you can order one for
yourself out of France and not nearly the hassle....
If you have question, please ask.
Thanks
Chris Horn
Scappoose Oregon USA
'I have a rendezvous with death
At some disputed barricade'
-Alan Seeger
------------------------------
End of Cider Digest #1407
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