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Cider Digest #1453
Subject: Cider Digest #1453, 3 July 2008
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1453 3 July 2008
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Re: Cider Digest #1452, 23 June 2008 (Stephen Wood)
thinning cider fruit (doug)
Hail Cannon? ("drcath@tiac.net")
Sodium-calcium-Bentonite ("J. Kent")
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Subject: Re: Cider Digest #1452, 23 June 2008
From: Stephen Wood <swood@povertylaneorchards.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:42:29 -0400
Re: thinning fruit
Jason,
1. If you let most cider varieties crop the way they want to in their 'on'
year, you won't have a crop in the 'off' year. If you want fruit every year,
thin.
2. I think smaller apples grown on a very slightly stressed tree will have
more of what we're looking for than large fruit grown on the same tree
without stress. So don't overthin.
3. If you can figure out how to reliably attract curculio to death by cider,
your fortune is made, and you can stop thinking about thinning.
best,
Steve Wood.
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Subject: thinning cider fruit
From: doug <mporch@frontiernet.net>
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:51:48 -0400
jason- in my experience as a full time grower and cider maker and
drinker(not speaking for others) thinning is good for many reasons,
besides avoidance of alternate year bearing. an overcropped tree
produces apples with less flavor and varietal character. the easiest
way for a smaller grower to thin is to prune the tree after seeing how
much fruit has set. summer pruning also discourages excessive
vegetative growth and exposes the fruit to the sun which is priority
#1. next years buds will be fatter too and produce better fruit.
that's why the best fruit is always in the top of the tree. don't get
nervous- the tree naturally prunes itself(by breaking!) in the growing
season, not the winter. good luck, doug
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Subject: Hail Cannon?
From: "drcath@tiac.net" <drcath@tiac.net>
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 11:44:45 -0400
I try to learn something new every day. Today's installment: The Hail
Cannon, a shock wave generator designed to disrupt the formation of
hailstones in stormclouds. Mom sent me a news article from Bennington, VT
about a local dispute between farmers' rights to use an agricultural
procedure and townies' rights to live in peaceful quiet. Both have merit,
so there are lots of interesting side issues involved with the Hail Cannon
on the hill!
Also interesting is the fact that there is little scientific proof that it
actualy works. The southern VT orchard lost $600K worth of fruit due to
hail damage during one season so they're obviously willing to try fighting
ice with fire (a controlled acetylene-air explosion that blasts a shrieking
sound wave). The area has had 12 hailstorms so far this season.
See the Eggers Anti Hail Device at www.hailcannon.com for some cool photos
of this thing. I'm sure there are many orchardists here on the Digest who
already know about this device but I'm also sure there are other cider
enthusiasts and localvores herein like myself who have not.
Cheers,
Dave Catherman
South Glastonbury, CT
www.sleepybeelavender.com
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Subject: Sodium-calcium-Bentonite
From: "J. Kent" <Sheep@kent9999.freeserve.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 2008 18:45:30 +0100
Hi,
Have anyone else used Sodium- calcium- Bentonite to clear hazy cider. If
so how is it appiled?
Pump the cider through a cream of it from the bottom of the vat or fill
the vat with cider then drop the Bentonite through from the top?
I hear that it can stay in suspension in the cider, so it will then need
a good filter out.
any advice will be helpful.
Thanks
Jeremy Kent
Hereford
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End of Cider Digest #1453
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