Cider Chat

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...

Weed, to Jail, and Freed by Cider There are so many title options for this episode, that all center around time spent in jail for one burgeoning cidermaker. "Busted Weed Grower Saved by Cider", was one that almost made the cut.  But this podcaster wanted to find something uplifting for Sean McFarland who was a cannabis grower ,who did get busted and was from all accounts able to survive prison lif...

Not only is the cider acclaimed, so too is the Maker Tom Oliver is just as acclaimed as his cider which makes Oliver's Cider and Perry Co. a global hit on two fronts. He is affable, engaging and knows his way around social media likely due to his work with the Scottish Rock Rock Band, The Proclaimers. Cidermakers are not well known for reposting news stories about themselves and their product, but...

Is Cider Truly Indescribable? There isn't one definitive language or lexicon for cider, which adds to its indescribable mystique. The ongoing debate around what cider is or isn't or should be doesn't help. It certainly feels like a present day problem defining cider, but is it? Or has this debate been going on for years? To help us get to the root of this indescribable dilemma, we are featuring "A...

The Way of the Orchards Colin Scott has spent his life in orchards, learning how to tended them with his parents, Edward and Janice as role models.  This episode is a testament of what it looks like to embody a craft as part of your way of life. Colin like many orchardist may not be a Mandalorian, a character from Star Wars who is now featured in a stand alone tv series depicting a a clan-based cu...

The Founder behind 33 Books Company Dave Selden created 33 Books to help all of us track our favorite and not so favorite beverages! He is a graphic designer by trade, but soon found himself making tasting note books as a hobby which soon became a full time print business. The design of the note book for Cider called 33 Mugs of Cider provides an easy to follow script that one can refer back to aga...

Tristan Wright the Lost Boy who Cider Found [ Tristan Wright on the French Cider Tour Tristan and Katie Wright are the owners of Lost Boy Cider, and now also the Lost Girl Wine brand, based in Alexandria, Virginia.  Discover the journey of Tristan, a reluctant banker that developed a gluten intolerance and then found his place in cider. Katie Wright making Lost Girl Wine Lost Boy Ciders and Set up...

Is Sulfur dioxide (SO2) a natural part of Fermentation? In this episode pre-recorded at CiderCon 2023, y ou'll get to hear from cider makers who will share their knowledge and expertise on the topic of sulfur dioxide cider.  Plus, you'll learn about the safety and health implications of adding SO2, as well as the legal limits for different markets. In this episode: 1. What are the potential benefi...

Everything in the taproom should be adjustable This Taproom Tips workshop was presented at CiderCon 2023 by Katie Black and Megan MacLean and it is packed with info! In this episode A four prong approach to brand identity How to respond to taproom reviews 3 key factors when building culture for a taproom Hiring tips and training tips The timeline of a tasting room Recruiting systems and training I...

The Vala Family's Business Model Tim Vala had a vision over 39 years ago to build a destination for family fun. It started with a Upick strawberry patch that grew into a pumpking patch, orchard. It then evolved into kid friendly rides and food stands. Vala's Pumpking Patch and Orchard is located to the southwest of Omaha and draws over 300,000 visitor per year during the months of September and Oc...