We’ve started picking apples for cider 2019. These apples are all from one single orchard and we make them into delicious Somerset cider and also cider vinegar for our Blood Tonic cordial. We think they are Yarlington Mill, Redstreak, Ellis and Dabinett with a few other unknowns thrown in there.
This year a number of the trees that have slipped into a biennual fruiting cycle over the years have borne fruit; something that varieties like Yarlington Mill are known to do when left unpruned for years.
This is exciting because it means our yield has the potential to be increased and for other varietials not present last year to make it into the blend.
We will be picking throughout the coming weeks as the various varieties ripen and pressing them periodically. By mid-November we should have a variety of different juices all happily fermenting. Depending on how they taste we will likely consider blending them together, but it will be interesting to understand the flavour of each apple as it progresses through fermentation.
