cider making

Richard Devon

Member
Mixed Farmer
So I have been thinking about dabbling in making cider. Firstly to plant some trees in an old orchard area which was scrubbed out about 20 years ago, its a nice sunny spot and would be good to return it to original.
First question can anyone suggest a supplier of saplings and which varieties would you recommend?...reading up about it they suggest adding some cooking/eating varieties to help with pollination.

In the meantime (10 years) I was thinking about dabbling in pressing out some apples and make some. I know where there's a press and pulper going, so just a case of getting a tonne(?) of apples.....anyone know someone in the west-country who sells them?

Next thing, roughly how many litres will a tonne of apples make and how do i guard against getting a tank full of stuff more akin to vinegar than cider?
 

phillipe

Member
1 ton of apples made 70 gallons this year,there will be plenty of apples around go ask you will find some ,made 200 gallons this year ,homemade press and a garden shredder just for shredding apples.
 

Kidds

Member
Horticulture
I get about 600 litres of juice out of a ton of apples. Cider apples seem to give less juice than dessert apples in my limited experience of cider varieties.
Of the dessert varieties Cox gives useful flavour, Crispin is fantastic for juice yield. Bramley in small quantities are useful too. A bit acidic to use too many.
Frank Mathews at Tenbury would be my first port of call but although I don't know them personally I would say talk to the folk at Welsh Mountain Cider too.
I'm getting a useable crop off trees I planted 5 years ago, you will get a crop of sorts after 3.
 

Jerry

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Devon
So I have been thinking about dabbling in making cider. Firstly to plant some trees in an old orchard area which was scrubbed out about 20 years ago, its a nice sunny spot and would be good to return it to original.
First question can anyone suggest a supplier of saplings and which varieties would you recommend?...reading up about it they suggest adding some cooking/eating varieties to help with pollination.

In the meantime (10 years) I was thinking about dabbling in pressing out some apples and make some. I know where there's a press and pulper going, so just a case of getting a tonne(?) of apples.....anyone know someone in the west-country who sells them?

Next thing, roughly how many litres will a tonne of apples make and how do i guard against getting a tank full of stuff more akin to vinegar than cider?

A good supplier in Devon is Adams Apples

http://www.talatonplants.co.uk/default.asp

We've bought cider trees from him in the past.
 

tw15

Member
Location
DORSET
So I have been thinking about dabbling in making cider. Firstly to plant some trees in an old orchard area which was scrubbed out about 20 years ago, its a nice sunny spot and would be good to return it to original.
First question can anyone suggest a supplier of saplings and which varieties would you recommend?...reading up about it they suggest adding some cooking/eating varieties to help with pollination.

In the meantime (10 years) I was thinking about dabbling in pressing out some apples and make some. I know where there's a press and pulper going, so just a case of getting a tonne(?) of apples.....anyone know someone in the west-country who sells them?

Next thing, roughly how many litres will a tonne of apples make and how do i guard against getting a tank full of stuff more akin to vinegar than cider?

Have a look here face book page CRANBORNE CHASE CIDER local farmer making cider and doing rather well it might pay to give um a call to find out any pitfulls and tricks of the trade .
 

phillipe

Member
you need a variety of apples to make the cider really,cookers are good but very sweet ,lots of juice,i have been lucky i have a mate with acres of cider apples lots of varietys
 

jammygit

Member
Location
N Essex
on my second year of brewing, ancient apple trees, made 20 litres of cider last year, on for about 40 this year and 10 litres of perry. A competition between myself and the dogs, i think they got their 5 a day, their eyes certainly glow. I have a pal who buys in a ton of apples and has a press to suit. Is this just an interesting hobby or something that any self respecting farmer would do on a large scale? To sell wouldn't you have consumer safeguards that turn perry for instance into an alcopop?
 

Richard Devon

Member
Mixed Farmer
on my second year of brewing, ancient apple trees, made 20 litres of cider last year, on for about 40 this year and 10 litres of perry. A competition between myself and the dogs, i think they got their 5 a day, their eyes certainly glow. I have a pal who buys in a ton of apples and has a press to suit. Is this just an interesting hobby or something that any self respecting farmer would do on a large scale? To sell wouldn't you have consumer safeguards that turn perry for instance into an alcopop?

for us it started off by just re-planting an orchard we grubbed out in the 70s......the cider apples that were there were "little bstrds that no-one liked picking up" according to the gaffer here who spent many happy hours in the good old days there.
But as I am partial to a tipple of cider I got to thinking maybe I could press it out and see what we get.
 

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
Norburys cider, worcs, google them. Tom will put you right about verities etc etc. They have been making cider/perry for eons, fortunately they didn't grub out all the orchards when it was fashionable.
 

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