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Cider Digest #1448
Subject: Cider Digest #1448, 16 May 2008
From: cider-request@talisman.com
Cider Digest #1448 16 May 2008
Forum for Discussion of Cider Issues
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Bittenfelder (Jack O Feil)
Traditional Perry Pear Grafting in N. America (chris horn)
Normandy trip recommendations? ("Pat Maloney")
Regular or SS taps for cider kegs? (Tim Bray)
Cider powder (Cheryl Barton)
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Subject: Bittenfelder
From: Jack O Feil <feilorchards@juno.com>
Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 12:51:23 -0700
I grow apples commercially in North Central Washington. About ten
years or so ago, one of the large local commercial nurseries sold trees
on Bittenfelder rootstock, I presume for winter hardiness and possible
other reasons like crown rot resistance etc. The trees performed well but
not noticeably superior to Antonovka and other hardy non-dwarfing
rootstocks. all that aside The Bittenfelder is used in Germany for hard
cider production. Has anyone out there used this apple or know something
about it like tannins,acid sugars etc. Also where a person could get
trees or genetic material for grafting? Geneva doesn't list it either.
Jack Feil, Wenatchee, WA
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Subject: Traditional Perry Pear Grafting in N. America
From: chris horn <agent_strangelove@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 14:21:01 -0700
This may be a heck of a stretch but is anyone else in North America playing
with traditional grafting of Perry pears? By traditional I mean to use
seedling rootstock, interstem with Blankey Red to 6'-6" and then put the
wanted variety on there. This is my best stab at the methods of 200 years
ago in the Three County region of England. Maybe I should be asking if
anyone other than Bulmer's Nursery is doing it this way...
I have been toying with the idea for a few years now and top worked the
first trees this year. I didn't keep as good as notes as I should have
but I think it was three years before the second graft. Thus I'm pretty
sure I took the seeds (pulp and cores left over from canning in Sept 2004)
from my Bartlett and left them in a bucket all winter. I spread the mush
in the spring and covered it with an inch or two of soil. I would guess
I had about 20% of the seeds put out something. The smallest/slowest trees
were culled out of that bed mid summer. The following spring (March 2005)
I grafted some of them with Blankey Red, some with Pound (a baking pear known
for large trees) and some I left to grow as is. Over the last two years,
the Blankeys tend to have done the best with the Pound trees very close
to the same level of growth and nice straight trunks but the Blankeys are
a bit straighter. The seedlings do ok for straight trunks for the first
few feet, then no mater what you do, they get bushy and corkscrew like.
I even tried tying them to fence posts with out real success. I top worked
the Blankeys this spring (March 2008) after cutting off all growth below
the second graft (whip and tongue). I have been working at keep all growth
off below that point. I'm starting to get growth out of my scions.
Anyone else playing with this? Am I off my rocker for playing with things
that will not bear for 25 years?
Thanks
Chris Horn
Scappoose Oregon USA
'There is no such thing as an underestimate of average intelligence'
-Henry Adams
------------------------------
Subject: Normandy trip recommendations?
From: "Pat Maloney" <pmaloney@callatg.com>
Date: Tue, 13 May 2008 10:03:18 -0700
We will be traveling to Normandy for two weeks in mid-June. While my wife
works at a conference in Cabourg on the coast, I get to drive around the
countryside visiting cideries! So far I am planning to visit the Domain
D'Apreval Distillery near Honfleur and the Viard Cidery outside Bayeaux.
These are fairly substantial operations, it seems, so I was wondering if
anyone has suggestions for smaller, more personal experiences. Any place
where English is spoken is most appreciated!
We will also be going to the Cider Museum and Eau-de-vie/Calvados Museum in
Volognes (http://www.mairie-valognes.fr/uk/museums.html) Are there any
other "must-visit" places that anyone can recommend?
Cheers!
Pat
------------------------------
Subject: Regular or SS taps for cider kegs?
From: Tim Bray <tbray@wildblue.net>
Date: Wed, 14 May 2008 08:10:15 -0700
Production from my orchard has reached the point where I need larger
containers to store cider. (Yay!) I have a couple of salvaged 15-gallon
kegs, and am now trying to decide which kind of tap I need. All-stainless
taps are available, though somewhat hard to find, and more expensive than
the regular kind. (In fact I can get a used tap virtually free from
another brewer.) Should I be concerned about the cider reacting with
the non-stainless parts of regular taps? It's not clear to me if there
is any brass in contact with the product, or if the contact parts are
all chrome-plated. I'm pretty sure I should avoid brass contact with cider.
Thanks,
Tim in Albion, CA
enjoying this year's apple blossoms and last year's apple ciders!
------------------------------
Subject: Cider powder
From: Cheryl Barton <cheryl@cidery.com>
Date: Thu, 15 May 2008 16:41:03 -0400
Might "cider powder" be a mulled cider mix? I've seen several products
in the grocery store that only require the addition of hot water to make
mulled or spiced cider. I have no idea what the ingredients are and
have never tried it, preferring one of our own ciders mulled with our
favorite blend of spices.
Cheryl Barton
Bellwether Hard Cider
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End of Cider Digest #1448
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