Cider Chat 445: Unspoken Creed | Stories in Ciderville /Denmark
Enjoy this special Story in Ciderville from Denmark!
“Roedding
The restart of the cider adventure in Rødding. In the mid-00s, the villagers of Rødding had begun making cider. It faded due to the focus on grafting, planting and nursing the thousands of apple trees in the apple village.
In the fall of 2018, focus was about to change again, apple trees was maturing and a decrease nursing left time for something else. Organized by the association: “Æblets by” — “The Apple Village” a congregation was held, 2 score of interested participants met in the community house of the small village of Rødding in Salling. Amongst was participants living close by in the parish, living in the municipality, the region, and a scarce few from far away. The desire to use the apples for more than just planting. Apple juice production was already a major activity in the village, inspiring the entreprenant townsfolks to move further. Creating activity, community and jobs from the apples grown.
Those present discussed opportunities of diversifying activities, moving into cider production along with vinegar, jam, jelly. During the fall of 2018 and winter of 2019, the first cider was fermented. Apples from the gene bank Pometet Nursery part of, University of Copenhagen. Was used I these ferments.
Inspired by, among others: Andrew Lea, Cider Chat, Cold Hand Winery, University of Copenhagen Department of Plant Sciences. Fermentation and experimentation started with a steep learning curve: Oe, capsules, corks, aglets, disgorging, remuage, tirage, liquere de expedition, brownhat, so2, eggysmell, ester, alcohol taxes, VAT, tankcleaning, oak, food safety control, acid. We tasted, laughed, spit, drank, smelled with a focus on the experience and excitement of the taste experience. We try to greet a new taste or flavour: “I don’t know you, what can you do? What makes you shine?”
Of course, everyone has a favorite taste. But experience has taught us. That there is great variation, and “good taste” depends on what the cider is to be used for.
The Cider Club meets regularly. Both with a focus on cozy togetherness but also with a focus on technical details, training cider crafting techniques and in taste and sensory. Promoting spreading the joy of fermented apples.
I don’t know if the word “Creed” or “credo” was discussed, I don’t think so! however a “spirit” has been underlying everything though unspoken:
The unspoken creed It should taste good. It should be as local as possible. It should preferably be in unmanipulated.
Although “natural” is a well-worn word. It is the idea/spirit/dream that we should strive to find:
The apple or apple cultivars that make good cider. The cultivar should also be able to:
Grow on a healthy, unpruned, untended tree, where we live. They should be easy to press into apple juice. The juice should ferment alone without adding anything other than time. It should be able to keep without any other preservation than a lid.
It may be construde as a naive dream that does not abide into modern production society, nor does it fit efficient agriculture. And probably not even practically possible.
So there have been deviations from the idea along the way. Mostly to follow the first part of the unspoken creed: “it must taste good”
Like a vanilla bean, that tastes fantastic but is not particularly widespread growing in the Danish landscape.
So if kakifruits, sulfur, sugar, oak, pineapple, oranges, erythritol, lactose, pasteurization, elderflowers. Are necessary to achieve “good cider” then so be it.
The Cider Club is a spirit, and a loose part of an international movement of cider from pure apple juice. We strive to include everyone, and avoid selfishness, selfsufficientness. We are not signers of the “New Nordic Food Manifesto of 2004” but looking back it has influenced us tremendously. With a mixture of epicurean joy of life and the joys of the table. Sustainable thinking and naive optimism. The best we can do, each thing in its own time.
BUT we originate from the village of apples so the foundation is the diversity of the old apple cultivars.
The hope is to, create something people will choose to enjoy. And It should be fun along the way. Without ruining anything for the world of tomorrow.
Wasalling!”
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