Missed your chance folks...

Fermenting blends are all spoken for for 2011. If you want to be on a
waiting list only, drop a line.

TB

Comment from a CSA customer

"Hi Terry,

Yesterday when I picked up my gallon you remarked that you were really
pleased with the day's batch. I'm here to tell you that I just had my
first glass of this jug, and WOW! It's like the juiciest bite of the
best apple I've ever had! Really wonderful! I feel like inviting
people over to taste it! Thanks for doing this for all of us."

Or you all can come by the garage and try it yourselves.

Finally, ready for fall?

We've started picking early apples at work, I've been lining up fruit
and prepping the garage/mill for our September 10 opening. As far as
making cider this fall, I've been bottling 2010's wine like crazy to
free up carboy space. Proud to say, everything is out of carboys and
bottled, save for about 20 gallons in stainless that I can sit on until
I have time to wash the 15 or so cases of bottles in the backup stash.

Now to hook up the hot water.

Cider tasting at the mill, Sep 17

Fellow cider makers:

We've been doing this for a few years, so maybe it's time we pull up a
chair and taste some ciders to see what we've done? I'll be hosting a
tasting on Saturday, September 17 at 2:00 at the cider mill. Bring your
best and worst ciders, and something to eat with them if you wish. It
will be relatively informal, but I do want to get some good feedback on
the blends I've made over the years. Ideally, any ciders you bring
should have the batch number or blend sheet so we can all draw some
conclusions for what's working best.

You can also get on the list then for 2011 squeezes, fermenting blends
will start September 24 through October.

RSVP much appreciated.

TB

Cider Mill opens Sep 10 for 2011 season

Lost Meadow Cider Mill will be open weekends this fall from September 10 through October 30. The mill is located on Wheeler Road in Calais, VT just off County Road, two miles south of Maple Corner or about seven miles from the Main Street rotary in Montpelier. When open signs can be followed from Main Street in Montpelier.

I will be offering sweet cider shares based on a community supported agriculture (CSA) model. Shareholders prebuy juice at the beginning of the season and receive a weekly gallon from September 17 through the end of October. This amounts to seven gallons for the price of six ($30). Cider will be available for pickup at the mill on Saturdays or Sundays. Share numbers will be limited, and fermenting stock isn't included but CSA members may be offered special cidre blends. Call (802) 922-2591 or email (preferred) terryb@lostmeadowvt.com .

Fresh juice will be available for pickup Saturday or Sunday 12:00-6:00PM or until it's gone. Over the course of the season the mill will squeeze up to fifty varieties of apples resulting in a unique and refreshing product that is an entirely different product from your average jug cider.

Juice quality is the primary focus at Lost Meadow, where cider is our main product, not an afterthought. Lost Meadow Cider Mill produces two main juice products. Sweet Juice ('Cider') is sold in new one-gallon jugs only.

Fermenting stock ('Cidre') is made from specific juice blends intended for making hard cider. These blends are selected to provide a juice with balanced sugar, acid, tannin, and flavor profile suitable for making a quality finished cider. Varieties used change with the season and consist of a base, usually a blend of Liberty, Cortland, Gala, or Golden (Delicious and Russet) and a bittersweet/sharp component such as Foxwhelp, Ellis Bitter, Yarlington Mill, Chisel Jersey, Dabinett, and some local crabapples. Blended cidre juice is filled into the customer's container only.

Carboys and other supplies can be had from Local Potion in Plainfield, VT and Vermont Homebrew Supply in Winooski, VT. For a basic cider customers only need a clean, sanitized fermenter and airlock. I try to stock some supplies during the season, but please check ahead if you need something. Fermenter's blends sell out every year so reservations of juice are encouraged. Customers who wish to reserve juice or schedule a pick up time can call owner Terry Bradshaw at (802) 922-2591 or email (preferred) terryb@lostmeadowvt .com. The mill operates on a strict food safety plan and may not be open when pressing sweet juice. Pressing of fermenting stock may be viewed as available.

All cider apples are sourced from Vermont or New Hampshire orchards and are tree picked, whole, sound fruit. The variety mix changes seasonally and only the freshest fruit available are pressed, not cold-storage packing house cast-offs. Source orchards follow modern Integrated Pest Management protocols to ensure that their produce is free of harmful residues and pest infestations and is grown in an environmentally responsible manner. Some fruit are sourced from organic or unsprayed trees depending on availability and quality. As a retail cider mill Lost Meadow Cidery is exempt from federal pasteurization requirements and as such none of the juice is treated. The cidery follows a food safety and sanitation plan based on industry HACCP and SSOP standards.

Lost Meadow Orchard and Cider Mill are run by Terry Bradshaw and his family. Terry has been in the orchard business for sixteen years and has made cider every one of them. His fermented ciders have won numerous national awards in American Homebrew Association-sanctioned events and have developed a devoted local following. These hard ciders are never for sale, but he is always glad to show you how to make your own.

Re: Hard Cider Customer

> Terry,
>
> I got your name from a friend. I'm in Jericho, and looking to make my
> own hard cider. I have no experience, knowledge, equipment, etc, of
> the process. I understand you provide help in getting things going
> such as information, cider, bottles etc.
>
> Is this correct? When might be a good time to talk more about getting
> a setup for this Fall?
>
> Thanks,
> XX
>

XX:

Thanks for your interest. Yes, I can set you up with everything you need
except bottles. I open the mill on weekends in September and October,
but the best fermenting juice is here in October. Folks who want to make
hard cider sign up ahead of time, just tell me how much juice you want
(typically in 5-gallon increments) and what weekend you want to pick it
up. Pickups are best mid-day on Sundays.

Have a read here to get more on what I do:
http://www.lostmeadowvt.com/cider.htm

Thanks!

Terry B

XX wrote:

Anything for sale at LostMeadow?

Hey folks, long time no write. I've been getting a few requests for
off-season cider/vinegar lately, and figured I'd mention what I can do
for people. Cider is pretty much out come first week in November, after
that the mill is a garage complete with dripping slushy cars and
wrapping paper trash from Christmas. Any frozen cider is pretty much
mine; after investing in the electricity to jeep it frozen I'd have to
charge you $10 a gallon, an besides, I need cider to make my oatmeal
with. Really.

Vinegar is another matter, and I have gotten a few requests for it,
including bulk orders. I'll sell vinegar any time, but folks need to
remember that this is a micro-operation, with total vinegar production
at 25-50 gallons per year. So if I have it, you can have it, just
contact me. I can't set up a long-term deal for your pickled-egg
operation, unless you get me close to the $30 a gallon I retail it for
in smaller bottles. That's it.

I've got maybe 3-4 gallons bottled right now, all in 1.75 liter bottles
($12), and another 15 gallons or so cooking downstairs. I have a new
vinegar generator setup, so I don't know how long a batch will take, at
this time longer than I expected. If you want in, give me a shout.

TB