I dont remember whether I have discussed this on here before.
So anyway, after consuming a few Apple and Pear Ciders the other day, which coincedentally have matured out quite nicely after 2 months, I began to think about my cider making, as you do, and where I was going with it.
It then occured to me that instead of buggerising around in my backyard weeding tomato plants and other assorted vegetables I might be better off dropping some rather tall stakes in the ground about two metres apart and putting some wires up to hold up the branches of some espaliered cider apple trees.
I'm think 4 -6 trees in total, of probably 2 or 3 varieties. I have access to 10 or so heritage cider strains of tree, on semi dwarfing rootstock, within 50 klms of where I live. Priced quite reasonably too I might add, and they ship them worldwide apparently too I might also add.
Now I dont know exactly how much yield one might expect off this amount, I dont think it will be staggering. But I expect I might be able to eventually make, at the minimum, 25 litres of single variety, if I so choose, cider and maybe a blended cider as well. And here's the bit I was just thinking about before I decided to write this.
With any excess juice I imagine you could blend it with the commercial juice most of us use at the moment and be able to add another layer to the basic product I currently make. For instance blending some fresh juice from a bittersharp variety would have to have an effect on the flavour of the final product. I have no idea at what ratio I would do it, hell I haven't even planted the apple tree's yet....havent even pulled out last seasons tomatoe vines yet! But its a idea I'm pretty keen to chase up. Apple tree planting time in July, so I have a month or so to prepare the ground.
Anybody else having similar thoughts?
So anyway, after consuming a few Apple and Pear Ciders the other day, which coincedentally have matured out quite nicely after 2 months, I began to think about my cider making, as you do, and where I was going with it.
It then occured to me that instead of buggerising around in my backyard weeding tomato plants and other assorted vegetables I might be better off dropping some rather tall stakes in the ground about two metres apart and putting some wires up to hold up the branches of some espaliered cider apple trees.
I'm think 4 -6 trees in total, of probably 2 or 3 varieties. I have access to 10 or so heritage cider strains of tree, on semi dwarfing rootstock, within 50 klms of where I live. Priced quite reasonably too I might add, and they ship them worldwide apparently too I might also add.
Now I dont know exactly how much yield one might expect off this amount, I dont think it will be staggering. But I expect I might be able to eventually make, at the minimum, 25 litres of single variety, if I so choose, cider and maybe a blended cider as well. And here's the bit I was just thinking about before I decided to write this.
With any excess juice I imagine you could blend it with the commercial juice most of us use at the moment and be able to add another layer to the basic product I currently make. For instance blending some fresh juice from a bittersharp variety would have to have an effect on the flavour of the final product. I have no idea at what ratio I would do it, hell I haven't even planted the apple tree's yet....havent even pulled out last seasons tomatoe vines yet! But its a idea I'm pretty keen to chase up. Apple tree planting time in July, so I have a month or so to prepare the ground.
Anybody else having similar thoughts?
