Fall is Here: Lost Meadow Cider Mill Opens September 12, 2009
Calais,VT:
Lost Meadow Cider Mill will be open weekends this fall from September 12
through October 31. 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
New for 2009, the mill is offering 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 19
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 specials on cidre
blends. Call (802) 922-2591 or email terryb@ lostmeadowvt .com .
Fresh juice will be available for pickup Saturday or Sunday 12:00-6:00
PM 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. 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 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 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 fourteen 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.
posted by TerryB_VT @ 6:47 PM
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