Fall is Here: Lost Meadow Cider Mill Opens September 13, 2008

Calais,VT:

Lost Meadow Cider Mill will be open weekends this fall starting September 13 and going until October 26. The mill is located off County Rd in Calais, VT, two miles south of Maple Corner.

Fresh juice will be available for pickup Saturday or Sunday 12:00-6:00 PM or until it's gone. Call or email for directions. Sorry, the mill is not open to the public during operation. If you need juice and can't catch us on weekends or want us to reserve some, call and we'll work something out [(802) 229-2004].

We will also have our own vinegar for sale at the mill as well as the odd bag of apples that we just didn't have the heart to put through the grinder.

Lost Meadow Cider Mill is located on Wheeler Road in Calais, VT; just off County Road a couple miles south of Maple Corner or about seven miles from the Main St rotary in Montpelier. _ Sweet Juice ('Cider')_ Generally we squeeze on Saturday morning and try to be cleaning up by the time we'open' around noon. Sweet juice (unpasteurized 'cider') will be available every weekend until it's gone. The price for all fresh cider on these days is$5 per gallon, in our one-gallon jugs only. We do not fill your containers with fresh juice. _ Fermenting stock ('Cidre') _ We will be making cidremaker's blends on the most weekends of the season, at the end of the squeeze day. Varieties used will change with the season; come a couple different times and compare the ciders you make! Juice blends consist of a base, usually 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 crabs. Blended cidre juice is $7 per gallon in your container only. Carboys and other supplies can be had from Vermont Homebrew Supply in Winooski, VT (802) 655-2070. For a basic cider you will only need to bring a clean, sanitized carboy and airlock. We can take care of the rest, including any tips and consultation needed to get things going.We strongly suggest getting reservations in ASAP for your blended juice. While the sweet juice will ferment into cider, the special blends tailored for cidermaking are the reason why we do this, and a much superior product will come from it. And once the barrels are empty, it will be a long wait until next year.

All cider apples are sourced from Vermont or New Hampshire orchards and are tree picked, whole, sound fruit. The variety mix will change with the season and we use only the freshest fruit available, not cold-storage packing house cast-offs. The orchards we work with all follow modern Integrated Pest Management protocols to ensure that their produce is free of harmful residues and grown in an environmentally responsible manner. Some fruit are sourced from organic or unsprayed trees depending on availability and quality. All juice is unpasteurized. For more information on cider/food safety go to http://www.lostmeadowvt.com/juice/safety.htm/

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