Blossom Time

It's Spring Blossom Time again. My runny nose and itchy eyes were an early clue, but the village pear tree is the real giveaway.

Cherry blossom has been out in the village for a few weeks now, and the recent warm weather has somewhat predictably triggered off my annual Spring bout of Hay fever. The assorted apple trees dotted throughout the village are still to unfurl their delicate pink petals, but the huge old pear tree is now in full blossom and quite a wonderful sight.

The quantity of blossom would tend to suggest a bumper harvest of fruit this year, particularly as the crop was so sparse last season, but there's still time for poor weather or a late frost to scupper the pollination. One other possible problem is that the only other pear tree of any size in the village that I know of, was chopped down last year! I just hope there are sufficient alternatives tucked away in peoples gardens to provide the bees and other pollinators with a ready supply of pear tree pollen.

An interesting development for this year's Spring blossom time is on Joan Morgan's excellent Fruit Forum. With the aid of subscribers to this useful forum, Joan is hoping to track the emergence of fruit tree blossom across the country. Do have a look on the website to see how progress is being charted, from the earliest southern blooms, to later fruity flowerings as Spring heads ever northwards.

Mussel Power

Good Friday is, I think, the last but one day of Lent. I don't observe Lent, but if I did I'd probably abstain from alcohol, a pretty tough call for a cidermaker but probably a good one for assorted vital organs. Unfortunately, the 'Spit not Swallow' method of sampling doesn't come easy to me, and extensive sampling is obligatory at this time of year...

Good Friday is also traditionally Fish Friday, something I do like to observe, though circumstances (a poorly hen, an absent Karen) meant this had to be re-scheduled to Mollusc Saturday. I was celebrating anyway, a fully recovered hen, and a dramatic last-minute victory by the mighty Leicester Tigers in the Heineken Cup quarter finals. A vintage Bath - Leicester match, ie. two evenly matched teams knocking lumps out of each other. It took a bit of Gallic flair from Julien Dupuy in the last few minutes to decide the game. Excellent result.

Mussels are a real treat for me, Karen doesn't like them so I usually indulge when I'm 'Home-Alone'. It was therefore very thoughtful of Karen to bring a few kilos back from Cheltenham, along with a couple of fishcakes for herself. I cooked them very simply, just finely chopped Shallot, Garlic, seasoning and a generous slosh of Dry Cider.

The cider I used was not our own, but a bottle of JW's Dry Fen Cider, a recent discovery from a trip to Spalding in Lincolnshire. The cider is made by John Walker of Charterhouse Wines, Pinchbeck, where you can buy the cider in very attractive swing-top bottles. John makes his cider from local dessert and culinary apples, some of which come from a small orchard adjacent to the wine merchants. The cider is dry, but not too sharp, and very drinkable.

The cider went very well with the Mussels, the broth was tasty, aromatic, and deserving of a good dunk with crusty bread. Roll-on the next 'Mollusc Saturday'.

Rockingham Forest Red

It's always nice when a well laid plan comes to fruition, even more so when you can drink the results.

Today I bottled up the gallon of red wine we made last Autumn from our Regent and Rondo grapes, and I must say the results are pretty good for a first attempt. Deep claret in colour with a rich fruity nose. Dry, full-bodied, but with a good balance of acidity and a hefty dose of Raspberry and Cherry fruits. Considering how poor the season was last year, this is a seriously rich and fruity wine which may even improve a little in the bottle.

It's a shame we only managed to produce 6 precious bottles of this Rockingham Forest Red Wine. The vines are still very young so yields and quality can only improve over the coming seasons, particularly if we get a 'Vintage' Summer this year to help ripen the grapes. It may even be worth investing in a small wine press to help boost productivity. Our cider press is simply too big to deal with such a meagre harvest, and I don't fancy a repeat of last year's messy, and inefficient squeezing of the grapes by hand. The finished wine may be worth the effort, but I could do without the purple hands.

Springtime Spritz

Early April is a time of eager anticipation. The ciders are very nearly ready, Spring pear blossom is poised and ready to unfurl, and our apple trees are on the cusp of leafing-out.

I had a bit of a tasting session in the ciderhouse today. I was particularly interested in the Rockingham Forest Cider, which matures later than the Sulgrave Orchard Cider we've been busily selling since March. The ciders are clearing nicely and are perhaps a little brighter than usual, but there's still a tiny bit of yeastiness which should fade over the coming weeks. To my taste buds, cider is never better than at this time of year, youthful and straight from the fermenter. It has a slight spritz from the gentle fermentation which often occurs in the Spring, and a lovely freshness which will fade as the cider matures and mellows throughout the year. You only really get to experience this zesty 'Cider Nouveau' in the ciderhouse, and I strongly recommend a visit to one of the many farms and producers which open for sales at this time of the year. I usually get my 'early season cider fix' straight from the cask at Mike Johnson's Ross-on-Wye Cider & Perry Co, but this year I can indulge myself a little closer to home.

Spring blossom time is nearly upon us, the huge pear tree in the village orchard will soon be covered in delicate white blossom. The cider apple trees will flower a few weeks later, but growth continues apace in the nursery. It looks as if we'll have a 100% success rate with the Dabinetts which we grafted earlier this year, and two of the three dessert apples are romping away and leafing-up. The Golden Harvey is the only non-starter, which is a shame as this was the one I most wanted to propagate. Still, seven out of eight isn't bad for a beginner!

News on this year's local Welland Valley Beer Festival continues to trickle out. The poster for the event can be seen on the sidebar of this blog, with a link to the Talbot's website for the latest news. A late addition to the participating pubs is the Marquis of Exeter in the picturesque village of Lyddington. This brings the total for the festival to eight pubs, scattered throughout the Welland Valley and including our local 'Cider-tap' the Red Lion, Middleton. More news as it arrives.

Mansfield - Ciderland's Northern Outpost

Sometimes the search for a decent pint of cider means going the extra mile, or in the case of this year's Mansfield Beer & Cider Festival, around 75 extra miles by bus, train and foot. That's 150 miles as a round trip, and something like 4 hours of journey time, so was it worth the trek?

Well yes, I'd say it was. Mansfield CAMRA cider enthusiasts Ray & Gail had put together a very fine range of ciders and perrys, with a particular focus on local East Midlands producers. This was the main point of interest for me, that and the chance for a good gossip with Ray!

I tried a bone-dry, but very drinkable cider from Lincolnshire producer, Skidbrooke Cyder. This cider would be great chilled on a hot Summer day, and great with food. Ray & Gail's own Hucknall Cider Co Floppy Tabs was a more complex, medium cider, very well balanced and I think this will get even better as the year goes on. The Three Cats Medium/Sweet was quite a young cider, and a little too sweet for my taste. Even so, I was surprised at how pleasant it was, and this will also improve when given more time to mature.

Venturing further afield I tried ciders from Day's Cottage in Gloucestershire, Sarah's of Herefordshire, and Springfield, a Welsh producer. I think the Springfield was the pick of the bunch for me.

Ray reports that trade was brisk over the weekend, and the cider bar had completely sold-out just short of closing time on Saturday. Another successful event, and one I was more than happy to attend, and supply cider to.

An added bonus for me was the 4 hours of largely uninterrupted reading time on the train to and from Mansfield. A rare treat, much like the Mansfield CAMRA cider bar.