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.