Its a while since I've visited this thread but here's a bit of an update.
For the last six weeks, I've been supplying three local pubs with 20litre bag in boxes of our cider.
Coming even more up to date, our first three day temporary events licence expired at 9.00pm tonight. We took it out so that we could sell cider over the gate at our own place. I'm pleased to say that during the three days we sold 244 pints of cider and 37 bottles of apple juice.
Good to see you posting again on here Bodger!
robkb
Joined: 29 May 2009 Posts: 4205 Location: SE London
I have three rows of Kingston Black that are laden with fruit, where as I have three rows of Dabinett that are bare, not only of fruit but are only sparsley leaved this year too. Both varieties were planted in 2008.
I was talking to a guy in Montgomeryshire last week whose hardly got an apple on his 3000 trees and at the weekend, when I had to pass through a large commercial orchard to get to my sons cricket match, there wasn't an apple to be seen on any of the trees. In previous years, there has been tons of fruit left to rot on the floor.
The people who've I've spoken to have put this seasons generally poor cropping down to a cold snap in April and the fact that the last two years have produced bumper crops. It looks as though I'll have to do some serious scrabbling around for my apples this autumn.
yummersetter
Joined: 26 Jan 2008 Posts: 3241 Location: Somerset
Posted: Mon Jul 30, 12 2:10 pm Post subject:
I think the lucky ones are those who have biennial cropping apples and this is an 'On' year - they'll be evening out their crop and will probably have a good year next year too. We've been hit by bad crops on an 'off' year so our difference might be even more exaggerated next year.
The Ashmeads are rubbish, in quantity and quality this year - they're acting as if biennial because they're triploid and the nearest diploid pollinators are biennial, I've decided, as there was plenty of blossom.
Posted: Fri Aug 03, 12 3:41 pm Post subject: Local EHO?
Hi Bodger,
Great to hear about your Cider enterprise, well down! My friend is thining about going down a similar route, but brewing beer instead.
He would like to brew in a shed in his back garden, and I was just wondering if your local EHO had any advice for you when you set up your business? Was there any requirements for food safety etc?
(My friend also lives in Wales)
Cheers
The EVO officer was more interested in correcting my spelling mistakes than anything else. The best of it is was that our dog could have made a better job of writing the letter that he wrote to me.
yummersetter
Joined: 26 Jan 2008 Posts: 3241 Location: Somerset
I'm going to plant a few more trees this winter. At the moment, its a toss up between Somerset Red Streak and Browns Apple. What do you think?
I hadn't heard of Browns, so can't say. Don't know about Som. Red Streak either, it sounds a very generic name, all the old cider orchards round here had red, streaky, bitter tasting apples when I was young.
An interesting little article. I think that John Worle has a lot of these new varieties at his nursery. I believe they may have been developed for, or by Bulmers.
Here's a bit on those cider varieties I mentioned.
This is just an excuse to show you the suprise that the postman brought me this morning. Unbeknown to me, the kids had ordered me some T shirts and a cap for my up coming cider weekend. There are some who would cruelly say that I've always been a little touched but their thoughfulness has really touched me. What do you think of these then?
Maybe I should have had a shave this morning, or better still, arranged for a body double.
When I was first allowed to make use of my in laws land (long story) for the livestock and poultry my son gave me my own yard key on a sheep keyring...he made me cry