Cider Chat

Where does a Cornell University Pomologist do upon retirement? They start a cidery, of course! Ian Merwin says, founding Black Diamond Cider, in Trumansburg, New York is his 4th career. He has lived in California, Chile, France and now on the west side of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes Region of New York state. He and his wife Jackie settled 30 years ago on on the spot of land that is now Black Diamond Cider and Orchards. He moved here from California, and going to school for Pomology. After receiving his PhD in Pomology in 1997, he the was hired to do both research and teaching at Cornell University. After 27 year at that position, he retired from Cornell and the Merwins opened Black Diamond Cider that same year. From this sloping landscape they sell fruit and make cider.  Do make a plan to visit Black Diamond and try their cider on tap and buy bottles to go.A Cider Blends at Black Diamond Topics discussed with Ian Nitrogen in the orchard. Do you need to add nutrients to an orchard? Says Ian, “Apple trees in general need very little nitrogen. Big Fruit (think large weighted apples) are created through the use of nitrogen and water. It might sell, but they aren’t necessarily choice for cider.” At Black Diamond they want apples that are medium size and have a concentration of flavor. The mythology about nutrients impact on apples. The amount of nitrogen we put on the fertilizer had absolutely no impact on the yeast available nitrogen on the fruit No yeast nutrients in Black Diamond “The more I tried to feed the yeast the more problems I have.” Ripening Room - is a pole barn, with soy based foam 50 degrees for the ripening room Ripening Room at Black Diamond Starch hydrolysis in Apples What causes an apple to fall Push offs Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone I'm hunting down more info about this apple - Sunburst I thought was a UK apple. Ian says this is a cross between Gold Rush and Pristine. Contact for Black Diamond Cider Website: https://www.blackdiamondcider.com/ Address: 4675 Seneca Rd Trumansburg, NY 14886 eMail: blackdiamondfarm@gmail.com Thank you to the following producers for helping to sponsor Cider Chat’s tour of the Finger Lakes CiderWeek! Bellwether Cider and Wine Black Diamond Cider South Hill Cider Finger Lakes Ciderhouse Redbyrd Cider Go to VisitIthaca.com/craft-cider/ to find the cidermakers by location. Mentions in this Chat February 9, 2020 New York International Cider Competition Cider Chat Swag Store at TeePublic Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts. Follow on Cider Chat's blog, social media and podcast Twitter @ciderchat Instagram: @ciderchatciderville Cider Chat FaceBook Page Cider Chat YouTube

#ciderGoingUP is a favored hashtag that I have been using since the first year of this podcast, so it was a natural title for this milestone episode number 200. Some podcasters pod fade (end their shows quietly and never return), I on the other hand have plenty of episode cued up and ready to share - so this episode 200 is really just the beginning of more good cider cheer. As usual the Talking Pommes add their two cents here and there and Cider Chat fans share their rendition of the cider song “We Like Cider”. The featured chat is a conversation with The Nose begins at 18 minutes in and helped direct this conversation as we looked back over Season 4 and to the future in 2020. Topics discussed with “The Nose” How our palate changes. One day we may want sweet and then the next day we embrace a “barnyard” style. What is the newest cider trend as seen at Franklin County CiderDays More wild yeast ferments or what is more technically called ‘ambient yeast”. The Dry Cider Trend is growing. Never underestimate the cider consumer. Is Cider Chat growing? How the apple breakdowns country politics and show us that we are all dealing with the same concerns and revelations about making cider. Terroir and how it is now being embraced by consumers and makers. How does a consumer know they are getting a quality product if the cider is packaged in a can. FAM tours are on the rise for Cider Chat - such as the recent tour to the Finger Lakes. Thank you to the following producers for helping to sponsor Cider Chat’s tour of the Finger Lakes CiderWeek! Bellwether Cider and Wine Black Diamond Cider South Hill Cider Finger Lakes Ciderhouse Redbyrd Cider Go to VisitIthaca.com/craft-cider/ to find the cidermakers by location. Cider Delilah? 2nd Annual New England Cider Tour highlights More cider tours coming up in 2020. CiderCon2020 Parajo Valley Tour, England and France Contact ria@ciderchat.com to get your name on the list for the upcoming 2020 tours Cider Chat Swag Store is open at Teepublic. Find t-shirt, hoodies, kids clothing and even smart phone cover cases with catchy cider sayings like: Marie Tanaka at Wine Styles Inc will share a summary of Cider Chat episodes in her blog, in Japanese on her blog. I will post the link once Marie’s posts go live! Mentions in this Chat Spoke and Spy Ciderworks - Strawberry/Rhubarb cider An email from Marcel - the maker at  www.degerdeneer.nl in the Nederlands Ask for the following ciders - By supporting these cidermakers, you in turn help Cider Chat Ross on Wye Cider and Perry, UK Process and Analytical NMR Services - John Edwards provides analytics of cider - stay tuned for his Chemical Fingerprints workshop coming up on Cider Chat Ramborn Cider Co. Luxembourg. Look for the new Ice Cider "Meadow Orchard" made with a blend of Erbachhofer, Trierer Weinapfel, and Rambo apples inCiderJapan,  Japan’s only bilingual magazine for all things cider. Get a subscription! Santa Cruz Cider Company - California : Check out their new tasting room in Watsonville. listen to Nicole Todd on episode 60 Join the #ciderGoingUP Campaign today!  Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts. Follow on Cider Chat's blog, social media and podcast Twitter @ciderchat Instagram: @ciderchatciderville Cider Chat FaceBook Page Cider Chat YouTube  

In 1996 Bellwether Hard Cider and Wine Cellars opened for business in a repurposed chicken hatchery in upper New York state in the Finger Lakes regions surrounding Lake Cayuga. Now in its 23rd year of business, this family operation makes both cider, wine and is now planning to get into distilling. Bill Barton of Bellwether Cider This chat began outdoors under the covered porch outside the Tasting Room as a soft rain fell. Bill began as a home fermenter making 5 gallon batches of wine and cider and then scaled up to a 1500 gallons when he first started the cidery. Bellwether brings in juice from surrounding orchards and is even making cider for City Orchard based in Houston, Texas, slated to open in November 2019. “Yeast is not a particularly important component” Bill looks for the following in a balanced cider Acid Tannin Sugar He does not pitch any cultured yeast, but instead uses what is called an “Ambient” yeast - which I and other might call “wild yeast” in that it is what is found in both on the skin of the fruit and in the building. Serial #0000 from this one of a kind bottling line for 750ML 750ML Millennium line #0001 Twist Rinser: 12 ounce bottling line Bellwether Ciders ambient yeast back sweetened with sweet reserve “juice” only “if necessary” at bottling Juice from Finger Lakes orchards 6% alcohol by volume is what most ciders ring in at Bellwether ferments dry offers both carbonated and still Flagship ciders Original Liberty Spy - one of the top best sellers. A blend of Northern Spy and Liberty Lord Scudamore - is a Sparkling Cider that has been bottled conditioned for 5 years! Bit of a reverse scene for packaging product at Bellwether Bill started out with 12 ounce beer bottle  - and now only does 750ML. What’s in the future for Bellwether? Bill recently purchased a copper Alembic still from Normandy, France. He plans to move into distilling product once he gets to licensing. Normandy Still to be used at Bellwether Cider, once licensing is complete Contact for Bellwether Hard Cider and Wine Cellars Website: https://cidery.com Address: 9070 NY-89, Trumansburg, NY 14886 Telephone: 607-387-9464 Thank you to the following producers for helping to sponsor Cider Chat’s tour of the Finger Lakes CiderWeek! Bellwether Cider and Wine Black Diamond Cider South Hill Cider Finger Lakes Ciderhouse Redbyrd Cider Go to VisitIthaca.com/craft-cider/ to find the cidermakers by location. Mentions in this Chat October 31st 2nd Annual New England Cider Tour November 1-3 - Franklin County Cider Days Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts. Follow on Cider Chat's blog, social media and podcast Twitter @ciderchat Instagram: @ciderchatciderville Cider Chat FaceBook Page Cider Chat YouTube  

Gregory M. Peck of the School of Integrative Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York is the featured guest on episode 198. Greg in Peck lab Greg’s chat begins at 21:00 minutes into episode 198. Before Greg’s feature I am reminded by @e_of_blandings That now is the time to pick Medlars. If you have a photo of a medlar please send them my way to ria@ciderchat.com and I will in turn post the photos on Cider Chat’s social media, so we can all begin to increase our Medlar know how. At 8:23 minutes in, I read a letter from Cider Chat Patreon Supporter and Russian cidermaker Maxim Brekht. Maxim shares: a range of obstacles that commercial makers in his country have to maneuver around in order to produce cider. how the Peter Mitchel class informed him and what he is doing beyond the Mitchell class to improve his technical cider making skills. the Russian palate for cider is not so different from other burgeoning cider communities around the world. The Feature chat wth Greg Peck (at 21:00) Greg has been in his role as Professor of Pomology at Cornell, since 2015. Greg pointing to his door plaque that says, "Mad Scientist" under his name. Greg discusses his initial research project at Cornell Assessing the Economic Feasibility of Growing Specialized Apple Cultivars for Sale to Commercial Hard Cider Producers A bit on how the money works for grant writing a research project How the United Kingdom has about the same amount of acreage of apples as New York state. Says Greg Peck, “The cider industry is going to grow very rapidly” What are the best college studies to choose when working towards becoming a pomologist Find out more at the Cornell Hard Cider website: http://hardcider.cals.cornell.edu Follow Gregory Peck on Social Media Twitter: @DoctorApples Instagram: @applephd Thank you to the following producers for helping to sponsor Cider Chat’s tour of the Finger Lakes CiderWeek! Bellweather Cider and Wine Black Diamond Cider South Hill Cider Finger Lakes Ciderhouse Redbyrd Cider Go to VisitIthaca.com/craft-cider/ to find the cidermakers by location. Mentions in this Chat October 31st 2nd Annual New England Cider Tour November 1-3 - Franklin County Cider Days Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts. Follow on Cider Chat's blog, social media and podcast Twitter @ciderchat Instagram: @ciderchatciderville Cider Chat FaceBook Page Cider Chat YouTube  

Top 5 Picks for Franklin County CiderDays Franklin County CiderDays takes place on the first weekend of November every year as it has been for the past 25 years. Yes, this November 1-3, 2019 is the 25th Annual and the number of events taking place across the county are outstanding. Download CiderDays schedule Here are my Top 5 Picks if your time is limited and/or you are wondering what to do during this epic fest. In this chat we go with #5 to #1 5. 2nd Annual New England Cider Tour October 31st 8am - 6:30pm Start and End point Greenfield, MA 4. Cider Pub Sing 7:30 - 9pm November 1st 9pm The Crowning of Pomona with Judith Maloney of West County Cider Location: Episcopal Church Parish Hall, the back hall of Saint James Church 8 Church St, Greenfield, MA 3. Cider Salon, November 2nd 3:30 - 5:00 Cider Salon I: Tasting of Ciders from across N. America $35/ticket Unity Park, Turners Falls 5:45 - 7:15 Cider Salon II: Tasting of Ciders from across N. America $35/ticket Unity Park, Turners Falls 2. Peckville Road, Greenfield Take a drive up Peckville Road and stop at West County Cider and Apex Orchard Take a walk in the orchard Views looking out to New Hampshire and Mount Manadnock #1 Pick if you can only do one thing? Find the Apple Pretzels in each tree in the orchard at New Salem Preserves & Heritage Cider and see one of the oldest Perry Pear trees in the US! Location: 67 S Main St New Salem, Massachusetts Extra Bonus offerings at CiderDays to check out! Author Book Signings November 2 Ben Watson: Cider Hard and Sweet 2-3pm John Bunker Apples and the Art of Detection 4:30-5:30pm Michael Phillips The Hollistic Orchard, The Apple Grower, Mycorrhizal Planet 4:30-5:30 Location: Two Birds 106 Avenue A Turners Falls, Massachusetts 01376 413) 863-5782 Exhibit: 25 Years of CiderDays October 25 - November 6, 2019 Over twenty-five years, CiderDays has evolved to a three day, county-wide festival celebrating the apple in all of its forms and providing sessions on every aspect of apple usage. The Great Falls Discovery Center hosts an exhibition of historic cider presses and images that honor the orchards, producers and enthusiasts who have advanced the art of cidermaking. Sponsored by the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. November 1-3, 2019. For a full schedule visit: ciderdays.org. Great Falls Discovery Center Hours: 10 am - 4pm Free Location: 2 Avenue A Turners Falls MA 01376 413-863-3221 Mentions in this Chat The Cider Journal 2015 - questions for Cider Chat Ria's CiderDays Feature in Brewing News Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts. Follow on Cider Chat's blog, social media and podcast Twitter @ciderchat Instagram: @ciderchatciderville Cider Chat FaceBook Page Cider Chat YouTube  

Audio snap shots of the cider region of Cayuga Lake, a 38 mile long lake located in the Finger Lakes region of New York state. CiderweekFLX took place September 27- October 6, 2019. This region has: 10 cider producer surrounding the 43 mile lake Go to https://ciderweekflx.com/flx/locations/ to find the cidermakers by location. Two colleges - Ithaca and Cornell Over 150 waterfalls within 10 miles of Ithaca. Look for Cascadilla Falls (20’) within walking distance of downtown Ithaca In this chat we begin with the origins of the Finger Lakes from Kendall Blizzard the Agriculinary Tourism Marketing Coordinator at Ithaca/Tompkins County Convention & Visitor's Bureaus . Kendall and I rode about all week long taking in this magnificent cider region and I thank her for her steady driving and good cheer. Then we meet Beth Duff, Visitor Experience Specialist at Taughannock Falls (215’ tall - taller than Niagara Falls). Taghannock Falls Beth Duff - Ithaca got Cider After our overview with Betty, we next chat with Susanne Messmer of Lively Run Goat Dairy. Her son Pete is making award winning cheeses. Susanne Messmer - Lively Run Goat Dairy  Our final chat is with Deborah Cooper a Digital and Special Collections Librarian Coordinator of Library Services to Cornell AgriTech, Geneva NY at the Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University Here are some essential URLS for cider at Mann Library: Biodiversity Heritage Library collection: Pomology: Apples and Cider https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/collection/apples  Link to the Vavilov Paintings https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/249788#page/1/mode/1up  Link to the Herefordshire Pomona, 1876 https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/248646#page/7/mode/1up  CHLA Core Historical Literature of Agriculture https://digital.library.cornell.edu/collections/chla  Hive and the Honeybee https://digital.library.cornell.edu/collections/bees  Mann Library digital exhibit: Apples to Cider https://exhibits.library.cornell.edu/cider  Mann Library Tumblr https://mannlibrary.tumblr.com/  The Pomona Herefordiensis https://mannlibrary.tumblr.com/search/pomona Thank you to the following producers for helping to sponsor Cider Chat’s tour of the Finger Lakes CiderWeek! Bellweather Cider and Wine Black Diamond Cider South Hill Cider Finger Lakes Ciderhouse Redbyrd Cider  Mentions in this Chat October 31st 2nd Annual New England Cider Tour November 1-3 - Franklin County Cider Days Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts. Follow on Cider Chat's blog, social media and podcast Twitter @ciderchat Instagram: @ciderchatciderville Cider Chat FaceBook Page Cider Chat YouTube [app_audio src="https://ciderchat.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/196-Goat-Zen-to-Cornell-_-FLX-NY.output.mp3"]

Look close into the label and you will see, words of wisdom, fun and glee! ...There are no surprises, just a straight up fact - this cider contains - 0% Shit Episode 195 features a chat with John Michael Leslie Edwards,  the maker/owner at Fly Be Night Cider, in the United Kingdom. John is also the cidermaker at Ross Cider and Perry Company also in the UK and has been working at their Broome Farm orchard based in Ross on Wye in Herefordshire for the past 20 years. John the cider maker In this chat we discuss John’s early introduction to fermentation via a Mrs. Wheeler. Having a brand within a brand - which is kind of a secret branding thing and I like it. What’s next for for Fly Be Night How to find Fly Be Night John makes 5 barrels of his cider and it sell out every year.     All of John's cider is bottle conditioned Say’s John, “The most important thing is to eliminate hurry. With cider making you have to be patient.” John gifted me this tea cloth - Thank You John!  Mentions in this chat Finger Lakes Cider Week 2019 - September 27-October 6 2nd Annual New England Cider Tour October 31, 2019 Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts. Follow on Cider Chat's blog, social media and podcast Twitter @ciderchat Instagram: @ciderchatciderville Cider Chat FaceBook Page Cider Chat YouTube  

Episode 194: The Reason for Being | Ross on Wye Cider & Perry, UK Mike Johnson grew up on Broome Farm picking up apples with his grandmother, in the rural country known as Herefordshire in the United Kingdom. Thirty Five years ago cider began being made and sold commercially at the farm. More recently Mike and son Albert, who came back to the farm after finishing university to help with their brand Ross on Wye Cider and Perry Company, began working together to continue to build the family's cider profile up with a huge volume of dry ciders and perrys. Mike seeing a smiling Talking Pomme looking back up at him.  And it should be mentioned that, Albert’s younger brother, Martin is in hospitality and it looks like there is a very good possibility that he also will become a full on member of the Ross Cider Team. Herefordshire (a county) is one of the most sparsely populated regions in England. It is about 3 hours to the west of London. It also has the largest concentration of cider apples. A good many orchards were planted to supply cider giant Bulmers at one time, something that Mike feels benefited the whole region. The Johnson’s are no longer selling their apples to Bulmers which is now owned by Heineken. Instead, they are full on making cider for their own brand. I first had a bottle of their cider in 2015 and fell madly in love with the quality of that single bottle. It has since been my mission to drink more Ross Cider :) and meet the team, which brings us to this recording which took place in August of 2019.   Thanks to the help and encouragement of Duckchicken Cider in London and Ross Cider, I was able to spontaneously make plans to attend the 2019 Ross Cider Fest held on August 30th to September 1st. I camped in the orchard for 3 nights at this cider and music fest. The Ross Cider Fest was originally a one day event, starting over 20 years ago. At the time Albert was a young boy. Now 24 years of age, he is full on in the management of this widely popular fest. Cider Chat Meeting the Makers at Ross on Wye Cider and Perry Company  A couple years back, Mike bought the Yew Tree Pub which is located on the main road, next to Broome Farm. This venue is now selling more cider that beer! Which is unbelievably still a unique fact in the United Kingdom for most pubs. In this chat we discuss: The Ross Cider Fest - Mike likens the good feelings at the festival due to the serving of natural drinks, without all the chemicals. The Bulmers Impact The first orchards at Broome Farm were planted for Bulmers in 1978 Between now and 2001 there are 45 acres of bush orchards 10 acres of standard trees and perry pears. Says Mike, “The great thing about Bulmers - they are responsible for so many trees [in the region] and research.” Cider Styles being made by Ross Cider Bottle condition Still Carbonated Kegged I particularly liked how Mike described the cider styles at Ross. Typically, makers separate their styles as sweet, semi sweet and dry. At Ross Cider they don't like sweet or sugary cider. They make their cider and perry dry. At any given time they might have 87 different kinds of cider to try. Some are blends, but most are single or two varieties of apples. While I was there Albert said they had 18 single variety ciders. He says, “It might be less complex [a single variety cider] but, it takes you on a journey to discover what a cider apple can do. Mike adds, “Grab a bunch of single varieties and open them all at once, with friends, and then start blending.” Says Albert, “We’d be bored if we had to drink the same cider all year.” This is the unique quality of these makers that makes this cidery so special. Each single variety cider allows you to truly discover the essence of that apple. It does take you on a journey and it is one that many cider drinkers have yet to discover. If you can, do attend the Ross Cider Fest held every year at the end of the summer. And by the way, these makers won were awarded the BBC Food and Farming for 2019! Contact Info for Ross on Wye Cider and Perry Company Website: https://rosscider.com/ For general and cider enquiries: info@rosscider.com For Yew Tree related enquiries: yewtree@rosscider.com For Yew Tree adult only caravan & motorhome enquiries: camping@rosscider.com For Broome Farm family friendly & group camping enquiries:info@rosscider.com Telephone: 01989 562 815 Address: The Yew Tree Inn, Peterstow, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 6JZ Help Support Cider Chat Please donate today. Help keep the chat thriving! Find this episode and all episodes at the page for Cider Chat's podcasts. Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts. Follow on Cider Chat's blog, social media and podcast Twitter @ciderchat Instagram: @ciderchatciderville Cider Chat FaceBook Page Cider Chat YouTube    

A Museum for Cider, Cider Mythology of May Hill and Cider Loving Fans are all featured in this episode. This is the third episode of Cider Chat featuring my trip to the United Kingdom. Go to episode 192: London Got Cider and 193: Barrel Smoker, Cheese & Cider for a wide angle view on a one week whirl wind tour to England. Like all episodes I like to begin with “News Out and About in Ciderville” reminding you to sign up now for the 2nd Annual New England Cider Tour rolling out of Greenfield Massachusetts on October 31, 2019. This cider tour helps kick off the 25th Annual Franklin County CiderDays on November 1-3, 2019. Then two emails from Patrons of Cider Chat. Travis from Wisconsin and Jamie from Washington. Featured in 193 Elizabeth Pimblett is the Cider Director at the Cider Museum in Herefordshire The museum was started in 1972 by Burchon Bulmer and Henry Weston of Weston, and Professor Hudson from the Long Ashton Research Station. The goal to capture the story of ciders at the time. Elizabeth Pimblett of the Herefordshire Cider Museum The museum opened in 1982. Elizabeth is from Herefordshire so taking on this job was a perfect fit for her. But what really inspired her was the art history already at the museum. What is a cider flute? A glass used to drink cider. Think a fluted glass classically used to drink champagne. The early flutes were very large. Next up is a chat with Dick Witcombe of Manchester, England. He and wife Cath Potter are cider enthusiasts who twitter accounts I have been following for a while, for both inspiration and good cheer! It was a pleasure  to finally meet them both. If only Alfie the dog didn’t howl so much during the chat, we could have heard more from Cath who just became a Pommelier! :) "] Dick and Cath and Alfie the dog Listen next to Gabe Cook, who authored a book in 2018 titled The Ciderologist as he tells the story and mythology behind May Hill.   The final feature is with two cider enthusiasts from Wales, Ed and Beck. They discovered Broome Farm where Ross Cider is located 10 years ago. Listen as they share a fun story of the Brockhampton Perry blend.  

Kate and Toby Lovell are raising Shropshire Sheep and Friesian Sheep at Handcocks Meadow Farm The Shropshire Sheep don’t debark trees which make them excellent for use in orchards. They also have a flock of Friesian Sheep for cheese making. This chat was recorded at the Ross Cider Fest, based in Ross on Wye, in Herefordshire in the United Kingdom. The fest took place August 30- September 1, 2019 and has been an annual fest for the past 20 years. I was quite taken by all the volunteers who helped set up the festival and the vendors such as Handcocks Meadow Farms. The first conversation in this episode was at the covered sheep trailer that was set up for serving Hancocks Meadow Farm smoked lamb. Meet Harriet, David, and Sullivan who were serving up smoked lamb. Then we talk with Toby Lovell, who was manning the oak barrel smoker. Toby Lovell with barrel While the barrel is closed, it is perfect for holding glasses and bottles of cider...of course Ross Cider ;) The set up is basic and yet the outcome is exotic - leaving me hungry for the next time I come across the Lovell’s and their perfectly smoked lamb. Pauline, Kate’s mum, makes cheese from the milk of the herd of Friesains on the farm. Pauline and Kate using a Dutch cheese knife Cheese scale The final mini chat is with Albert Johnson of Ross Cider with a little help from his border collie, Norman. And, I read a mini letter from John the cider maker at Ross Cider, who also happens to have a very long name, but for now we will call him John Edwards.  Mentions in this Chat 2nd Annual New England Cider Tour Oct 31, 2019