Tuesday 20 September 2011

follow the Yellow Brick road...

...er, well, scrounged concrete slabs in fact. They were to be thrown in the skip and did I want them..? Thanks Max!
Hoppity skippity off we go - it's good to have a proper path to the garage, especially as it's been without since I put it up 10 years ago! (though the roof has started to leak - always something...)

And all's well. There's 5 x 30 litre batches of infant cider to be tended and I'm 4 weeks up on last year, as all I've had to do this year is swap a few of the press boards.

The John Downie (I think...) on the front lawn was heaving this year - most ever - yeilding 257lbs, 40lbs of which missed pressing (that's the trouble with 'em - don't keep long), but an amazing amount for such a small tree and double of what it usually makes. So 2 of those batches above are single variety - both of which are popping away merrily in the kitchen. I can always blend it later.

I've worked out that if I could collect all the apples offered this year I'd have enough for 1000 litres... but I've no idea where I'd put it, or what the hell I'd do with all that cider anyway...

But there's other things to do: radiator's off the van - as it was overheating a little on last use; the 4x4 is awaiting a clutch and I'm trying to build up the running again so as to be up to fitness for next Easter (ish) and that bloomin' Coast to Coast attempt...

Oh and as an afterthought - I don't think that repaired upright on the press is going to last much longer so I'm keeping a north eye for some 4" square timber for the uprights, this time without knots!!
Buy some..? What?...are you mad?

Old fence post anyone?

Saturday 10 September 2011

To-Do List...

- 3 things crossed off

been returning from work with trays of apples all week - plenty to go at once again

Finding the 'Dunnington Collector' handy (though needs some refinement) - more on this later...

It has to be noted that the pasteurised cider has not been well received... though the sugar- sweetened non-pasteurised and the Sucralose sweetened has...
more good feedback than bad then

1st pressing tomorrow all being well