Cider Chat

The Vodraska Brothers Chris & Matt of Bent Ladder In the midst of a rich farming legacy emerged Bent Ladder Cider and Wine, based in Doylestown Ohio. Chris and younger brother Matt Vodraska are following in their father Dale's footsteps. Chris is the orchardist and viticulturist and Matt is the cidermaker. The farm is the story. Chris Vodraska Dating back to 1995 their father Dale was eyeing farml...

Saint Lawrence Nurseries is a specialized tree nursery in New York state, renowned for its expertise in cold-hardy fruit and nut trees with a committment to sustainable and organic practices. The nursery, which was originally founded in the 1920s by Fred L. Ashworth of Heuvelton, NY, was initially more of a hobby and experimental station for Ashworth. Bill MacKentley met Fred in 1971 and they deve...

Meet Chris Rylands of Renaissance Orchards First there was Cider Supply and then Chris founded Renaissance Orchards with his wife Melinda. This move was a natural progression of a series of events that include resources needed for making a keeved cider and the thirst for a particular style of cider. The orchards and the Rylands are based in Ferndale a town just south of the Canadian border in Wash...

Author Daniel J. Bussey's "The Illustrated History to Apples in the United States and Canada" The Illustrated History of Apples in the United States and Canada is a seven-volume set of books that documents the history of apples in North America written by Daniel J. Bussey. The book was edited by Kent Whealy and published in 2016 by JAK KAW Press LLC.  Daniel J. Bussey The set covers over 16,000 ap...

Discover the Apple Grand-mères/Grandmothers of North America Todd Little-Siebold (Ph. D.) spoke at New York Apple Camp (2023) on a presentation titled the "Three Grandmothers" or Grand-mères in French. The sub title is "We have to reframe how we think about the origins of American Apple". Todd is a professor of history and Latin American studies at the College of the Atlantic based in Bar Harbor M...

Catching up with Michelle McGrath CEO of the ACA CiderCon 2024 takes place in Portland, Oregon, making it the perfect time to chat with the American Cider Association's CEO Michelle McGrath. The Northwest Cider Association is also involved helping with the cider tours on Monday and Tuesday and Oregon Cider Week! Who is Michelle McGrath? Why did your job title change from Ex Dir to CEO? The latter,...

The Purpose of Secondary Fermentation when Making Cider Improve the overall quality and characteristics of the final product during secondary fermentation by; Clarification : During primary fermentation, yeast converts sugars into alcohol, creating a cloudy mixture with suspended yeast and particulate matter. Secondary fermentation allows these particles to settle over time, resulting in clearer c...

Searching for Cider's Universal Life Force a.k.a: Ki Of course Cider has Ki , as it is related to the Japanese martial art Aikido. It all began when four words "Bravey, Wisdom, Love and Friendship" were spoken at New York Apple Camp in the summer of 2023. Apple Historian, author and well known apple detective John Bunker was the key note speaker at camp who also happened to be quoting from a book...

The process where fresh pressed apple juice is transformed into a delightful alcoholic beverage (cider) happens during primary fermentation. Before we get into the steps here is a list of  Equipment and Ingredients  you will need for this stage of cidermaking. Fresh apple juice or cider (unpreserved) Yeast (wine or cider yeast recommended) Fermentation vessel (carboy or food-grade bucket) Airlock...

Meet the Medlar Specialist Jane Steward, is the world's premier Medlar Specialist. She is both a Grower and Producer of medlar preserves at Eastgate Larder, based in the UK, and the Author of the first ever book featuring Medlars called, "Medlars: Growing & Cooking Jane Steward picking Medlars at Eastgate Larder In this Medlar Chat What is a Medlar (pome, what do they look like) and why should we...

Dive into cider making essentials. Learn the importance of pristine equipment and elevate your cider's quality. Ideal for beginners starting their journey. Tip #1: Understanding the Importance of Sanitation Sanitation is critical to cider making, because apple juice creates an environment where not just our chosen yeast can thrive, but also where harmful microbes can multiply. And these microbes?...

Cider Making at home is a Perfect DIY Cider Making is fun! If you are a cider fan who would like to try to make cider at home without breaking the bank, this episode is the perfect DIY project to start your journey. New to Cider Making? Start Here! In this episode: Simple steps to DIY cider at home Basics of how fermentation works Where to get your juice and what kind of apple juice should you use...

The Architectural and Horticultural Endeavors of the Downing Brothers In the realm of landscape design and horticulture, few names are as revered as those of Andrew Jackson Downing and his brother, Charles Downing. Through their combined efforts, they have left a lasting imprint on the field, shaping not only the aesthetics but also the principles that govern landscape design and horticulture. And...

Delve deep into the realm of cider co-ferments Enjoy this special talk with a tasting of select co-ferments from New York Apple Camp 2023. Hear the discussion on techniques, flavors, and challenges. This talk was hosted by: Dan Pucci, author of "American Cider: A Modern Guide to a Historic Beverage" (2021) Matt Sanford, head cider and wine maker at Rose Hill Farm, New York Matt Sanford and Dan Puc...

Nothing Sharp about the "Ice Cider Queen" Eleanor Léger is affectionately dubbed the Ice Cider Queen by many followers, most notably this podcast. She founded Eden Specialty Cider in 2007, the year of the first harvest of apples for producing Ice Cider at Eden. The act of freezing apple juice outdoors during the coldest days and nights of the winter to extract the water and then ferment the pure j...

Fable Farm Fermentory's Co-Evolution of Humanity & Apples The Apple Calls Us In | Fable Farm, VT started 15 years ago... In this episode hear how brother's Jon and Christopher Piana found their way to Fable Farm and how you can get there and enjoy the bounty too! Jon and Chris Piana Hear about: Jon and Christopher's back stories Fable Farm's Feast and Field Event Every Thursday during the summer m...

Walden Heights Nursery & Orchard (WHNO) was created in 1997 This 22 acre farm with 8 acres of orchards on a hillside outside of Hardwick, Vermont in the town of Walden was founded by Todd Parlo and Lori Augustyniak. It is a sustainably managed and certified organic fruit orchard and nursery. In this chat, we speak with both founders as they share the history and current educational offerings at WH...

Cedar Hannan began selling his ciders branded as "Wildbranch" in 2020. He both forages apples and has a small orchard planted that he planted four years ago on his farm based in Craftsbury, Vermont. The ciders are both wild ferments and occasionally have cultured yeasts too. He sells locally at Vermont farmers markets and doesn't have any immediate plans to increase his production which is current...

Bonus Cider Chat Live on NY Apple Camp July 28th - 30th at the Ashokan Center in the Hudson River Valley (on the west side of river) is the first ever NY Apple Camp! Elizabeth Ryan of Stone Ridge Orchard who is producing this event catches us up on the scheduled events and talks.   Special Kickoff tour The weekend begins with an optional tour on Friday focusing on the life of Andrew Jackson Downin...

Orchardist Ben Applegate on cold climate orchard care Ben is the Orchard Manager at Eden Specialty Cider based in northern Vermont and shares his insight on cold climate apple varieties and orchard tips. This chat took place at Eden's orchards based in what is known as the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont in the town of West Charleston.  Ben Applegate There are 50 Apple varieties at the Eden orchard....

Cider and Spontaneous Fermentation The wild "ambient" yeast found on apples, in the air, on cider presses can all contribute to a spontaneous fermentation within the cider must, which is the juice that has been freshly pressed from a fruit such as apples or grapes and is fermenting. In this episode we hear from Hugues Guichard, who works at the Institut Français des Productions Cidricoles a resear...

Small, Medium and Large Scale options for Mechanical Harvesting of Apples Cornell University Associate Professor of Horticulture Gregory Peck Ph. D and Angry Orchard Head Cidermaker Joe Gaynor provide an in depth study of mechanical tools for orchards of all sizes. The presentation took place at CiderCon2023. No need to be an orchardist to enjoy this topic on mechanical harvesting of apples. Some...

Antoine Marois is Tantalizing the Taste Buds of Cider Fans On a sloping hill on the east side of the picturesque village of Cambremer sits Domaine Marois. The lead up to the home is formidable with a long drive that leads to the barrel room and production facility for the Domaine. Behind the home is a majestic oak tree said to be over 300 years old. Antoine Marois in the barrel room at the Domaine...

Discover Kordick Family Farm and Baba Yaga Hear from Dorsey and daughter Brittany, the mother and daughter team at Korkdick Family Farm with Baba Yaga as their guide. Dorsey is a long time apple fan and even attended Peter Mitchell's cidermaking courses in the UK early on making her one of the first American's to take the UK course. Brittany studied agriculture and the two together make a dynamic...

Spy Novels Step Aside for an Apple of a Tale The Northern Spy is a delightful apple used both for baking and cidermaking! At one time it was a major export commodity due to its lack of bruising when packed in barrels. As far as apples go it is a winner for so many reasons, yet no one knows why it is named Northern Spy. there are certainly many hyposthesis on the subject. In episode 226: Northern S...