|
Cider
|
|
Written by Simon Day
|
|
Wednesday, 07 December 2011 14:07 |
|
|
This year our orchards enjoyed a wonderful spring & blossom time, giving us one of the best fruit sets ever – Norman feels there was at least twice the number of apples than normal – but the orchard endured an incredibly dry summer (less than half our normal rainfall). Our deep Herefordshire clay soils kept the trees functioning, but the apples were very small. Over 300 Tonnes were harvested, a good yield, but what was really interesting was the concentration of flavour and sweetness in the cider fruit.
Our first pressing was Discovery as normal, bottled as juice in late August. Worcester Pearmain and Tydemans Early Worcester followed fairly promptly, perhaps a week or two earlier than normal. Our first cider fruit were the Somerset Redstreaks which came in at an astonishing 10.5% potential alcohol! The juice tasted intense, sweet and full of character. It was essentially the normal juice minus the rain!
The Ellis Bitter, Brown's Apple, Dabinett and Michelin all followed with fairly high sugar levels, but the highest recorded was from the small crop of Kingston Black which came in at 11.5% potential alcohol!
We finished pressing on the 30th November, with Bramley the last variety to go through the mill.
As many reading this will know, unlike many other "cider" producers, I do not add water to our cider, which leaves me with a dilemma – most of our ciders will be wine strength from this harvest – which will take them perhaps somewhat off balance, but also into wine duty levels, so much more expensive. To counter this, I have fermented a fair amount of Bramley juice this year, which is naturally lower in sugar, and therefore alcohol, to blend back into the likes of Putley Gold and Marcle Ridge, to make something that is more consistent of what has gone before. However, I am seriously considering bottling our new Kingston Redstreak at 11.0%! Time will tell as they're still fermenting at the moment.
This year's big experiment, was to use dessert apple fruit to make a new cider for next year. "Dorothy's Orchard" Cider (as it is tentatively known, as the fruit came from the 30 odd varieties in our young orchard named after Norman's mother) is tasting vibrant, fruity and crisp, and those who tried it on our cider making day, thought it tasted fantastic. I'm not quite sure how it will finally end up – we are considering a 500ml crown cap carbonated cider this year, so maybe this will be the one. I need to start to work on a label design, as we would like to launch this in time for the Big Apple Blossomtime festival in May. I've spoken with Vernon from the excellent Wye Valley Brewery about the name, and he's happy for us to call it "Dorothy's Cider" as long as we don't make the label look like Dorothy Goodbody's! From the scandal they had a few years ago about her state of dress, I think it best to avoid short skirts anyway...
2011 Vital stats:
• 70 Tonnes of apples and pears pressed this year (+some contract pressing)
• 17,000 bottles of apple and pear juice made
• 35,000 litres of cider and perry in fermentation
• Aiming to produce about 35,000 bottles cider & perry and 8,000+ litres draught cider
• Lowest potential alcohol 6.5% (Bramley using for blending) normally below 5%
• Highest potential alcohol 11.5% (Kingston Black) normally around 7%
• 17 Tonnes of Pomace fed to pigs!
|
|
|
|
This year our orchards enjoyed a wonderful spring & blossom time, giving us one of the best fruit sets ever – Norman feels there was at least twice the number of apples than normal – but the orchard endured an incredibly dry summer (less than half our normal rainfall). Our deep Herefordshire clay soils kept the trees functioning, but the apples were very small. Over 300 Tonnes were harvested, a good yield, but what was really interesting was the concentration of flavour and sweetness in the cider fruit.
Our first pressing was Discovery as normal, bottled as juice in late August. Worcester Pearmain and Tydemans Early Worcester followed fairly promptly, perhaps a week or two earlier than normal. Our first cider fruit were the Somerset Redstreaks which came in at an astonishing 10.5% potential alcohol! The juice tasted intense, sweet and full of character. It was essentially the normal juice minus the rain! The Ellis Bitter, Brown’s Apple, Dabinett and Michelin all followed with fairly high sugar levels, but the highest recorded was from the small crop of Kingston Black which came in at 11.5% potential alcohol! We finished pressing on the 30th November, with Bramley the last variety to go through the mill.
As many reading this will know, unlike many “cider” producers, I do not add water to our cider, which left me with a dilemma – most of our ciders will be wine strength from this harvest – which will take them perhaps somewhat off balance, but also into wine duty levels, so much more expensive. To counter this, I have fermented a fair amount of Bramley juice this year, which is naturally lower in sugar, and therefore alcohol, to blend back into the likes of Putley Gold and Marcle Ridge, to make something that is more consistent of what has gone before. However, I am seriously considering bottling our new Kingston Redstreak at 11.0%! Time will tell as they’re still fermenting at the moment.
This year’s big experiment, was to use dessert apple fruit to make a new cider for next year. “Dorothy’s Orchard” Cider (as it is tentatively known, as the fruit came from the 30 odd varieties in our young orchard named after Norman’s mother) is tasting vibrant, fruity and crisp, and those who tried it on our cider making day, thought it tasted fantastic. I’m not quite sure how it will finally end up – we are considering a 500ml crown cap carbonated cider this year, so maybe this will be the one. I need to start to work on a label design, as we would like to launch this in time for the Big Apple Blossomtime festival in May. I’ve spoken with Vernon from the excellent Wye Valley Brewery about the name, and he’s happy for us to call it “Dorothy’s Cider” as long as we don’t make the label look like Dorothy Goodbody’s! From the scandal they had a few years ago about her state of dress, I think it best to avoid short skirts anyway…
2011 Vital stats:
- 70 Tonnes of apples and pears pressed this year (+some contract pressing)
- 17,000 bottles of apple and pear juice made
- 35,000 litres of cider and perry in fermentation
- Aiming to produce about 35,000 bottles cider & perry and 8,000+ litres draught cider
- Lowest potential alcohol 6.5% (Bramley using for blending) normally below 5%
- Highest potential alcohol 11.5% (Kingston Black) normally around 7%
- 17 Tonnes of Pomace fed to pigs!
|
|
|
Orchard
|
|
Written by Kay Harris
|
|
Friday, 28 October 2011 11:24 |
|
 The rain didn't dampen spirits at our Autumn Children's Orchard Day on Thursday 27th October 2011. Flags were flying, the men were crushing the apples and children turned up prepared to explore all that Dragon Orchard had to offer!!
A simple apple corer, peeler and slicer provided endless fun for the children and a lot of apples were eaten!  Perhaps we have solved the problem of getting children to eat more fruit!
Alice Arnold our 'resident' local artist offered children opportunities to make brilliant painted cards with the use of potato and apple printing. The children's imagination and creative skills were abundant.
Pumpkin lantern carving was a great hit with some very gruesome faces, but it was very messy and great fun.
And when we thought we couldn't get much wetter, the attraction to go apple bobbing was to strong a pull! However all adults were grateful for a wonderful cup of coffee and delicious home-made cakes.
Thank you to all who came and enjoyed the day. Whilst we are planning for our next year event calendar I think we may avoid Thursdays in the hope we will have a dry day!
  
|
|
Cider
|
|
Written by Simon Day
|
|
Monday, 17 October 2011 20:58 |
|
A pples are between 60 to 80 percent juice, which means, after pressing, we have between 20 - 40 percent of the original weight of apples as used pomace. Over the full harvest we end up with around 30 Tonnes of waste pomace. This waste is difficult to compost, and posed a bit of a problem as our production levels increased, with the majority going to a composting facility at considerable cost.
Since last harvest, we have teamed up with nearby Noggin Farm who keep pigs up on the Marcle Ridge. Fortunately the pigs love the pomace, which still has considerable nutritional value, owners Sarah and Will get several trailer loads of pig feed for free, and we get rid of our waste - everyone wins!
For the latest Big Apple Harvestime festival, we also supplied our Tumpy Ground to the Noggin, for a special apple & cider sausage recipe. One of 5 different cider sausages - all very different, but all excellent!
(photo credit: Noggin Farm)
|
|
Orchard
|
|
Written by Simon Day
|
|
Tuesday, 19 July 2011 09:12 |
|
In 2001 Dragon Orchard Cropsharers was launched in a post foot and mouth diseased Herefordshire countryside. Last weekend some ten years later, over 120 people gathered in the orchard to celebrate a decade of Cropsharing and to enjoy the links between people, place and produce. Orchard activities included bee-keeping, budding and music-making with poetry walks and cider production also included.
 Once Upon A Tree’s fabulous new Tumpy Ground Draught Cider provided excellent lubrication and Carpenters Croft celebratory sparkling cider was the perfect drink for the toast to the next ten years.
|
|
Orchard
|
|
Written by Norman Stanier
|
|
Friday, 08 July 2011 07:48 |
|
 A delightful day at Dragon Orchard at a poetry workshop held in conjunction with The Ledbury Poetry Festival and part of Herefordshire Year in the Orchard.
The day was run by local sculptor, artist and poet David Walker with the orchard input from Chris Fairs of Bulmers and Norman Stanier.
Some of the contributions:
Machines for pruning
do mothers work
I miss her
An apple a day
twenty tons per acre
eat drink and be merry
Not looking for perfection
mouthfeel
tells it all
Flat hidden buds
you grow from
sustainable joy
Warm the rain
share the colour
of my umbrella
|
|
Orchard
|
|
Written by Kay Harris
|
|
Sunday, 08 May 2011 08:00 |
|
 Year in the orchard celebrations continued in May at Dragon Orchard with a drop-in workshop on ‘a beginners guide to beekeeping’. David Pealing (Mr P) from Putley has been keeping bees for about seven years now, and is supplying Once Upon a Tree shop with his honey. Annie and Norman Stanier have wanted beehives in their orchard so this was a great opportunity to team up with Mr P.
Me r P had an old hive that required refurbishment. He set up outside to work on it with his willing helper Eric (10). They set too making new frames with foundation wax, wood, hammer and nails and managed quite a production line. Interested parties were welcomed to join in the action. Questions and Answers carried on a pace and eventually an inquisitive crowd gathered to learn more about the life and times of the honey bee, its hive and its role in the orchard.
Due to the very warm Easter we had experienced, the honey bees had already been very productive in some of Mr P’s hives in the village. For added interested the audience were herded into the garage and the electric doors lowered in preparation for a honey extraction display (The door was closed to reduce any bees flying past, being attracted to the honey.) Four frames heavy with comb and honey were lowered into an extraction barrel. The lid replaced and then a lot of manual effort  was required to central frugally extract the honey. Efforts were rewarded with the sampling of very sweet, clear, magnificent honey.
D uring this day a competition was run to find the most appropriate site for the new hive. Visitors were offered the chance to set out into the orchard armed with a numbered stake, mallet and the few tips given by Mr P on the best place for a hive and find their ideal position. They were encouraged by the thought that the winning stake placed closest to the final resting place of the hive would win the first jar of honey from Dragon Orchards hive.
 The day was informative but fun. Many of us left with more knowledge of the bee and beekeeping than we came with. Many thanks to Mr P for all his hard work.
Kay Harris
UPDATE: May 5th 2011 - The Hive has been sited in the orchard between the Big Hug and Tin Shed along the hedgerow. The winning stake was No.4 belonging to Tim Kemp. Congratulations! He will be receiving the first jar of honey extracted but first we need some bees!
 UPDATE: May 17th 2011 - Breaking news: We have a swarm of bees living in Dragon Orchard’s hive. They needed a little help in finding it but they have settled in and are being productive – you could say it is a hive of activity! Hopefully honey will be soon!
|
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 1 of 3 |
Visit the Orchard
Orchard Schemes
Awards
