What does Wassail & Drink Hail mean? In this episode learn about meaning behind Wassail and Drink Hail from the Butler himself, Al Sax. A Wassail is a celebration of the orchards, most typically apple orchards to honor the natural world and pay tribute with hopes of an abundant fruiting season moving forward. A Wassail … Read more
The Vodraska Brothers Chris & Matt of Bent Ladder In the midst of a rich farming legacy emerged Bent Ladder Cider and Wine, based in Doylestown Ohio. Chris and younger brother Matt Vodraska are following in their father Dale’s footsteps. Chris is the orchardist and viticulturist and Matt is the cidermaker. The farm is the … Read more
Saint Lawrence Nurseries is a specialized tree nursery in New York state, renowned for its expertise in cold-hardy fruit and nut trees with a committment to sustainable and organic practices. The nursery, which was originally founded in the 1920s by Fred L. Ashworth of Heuvelton, NY, was initially more of a hobby and experimental station … Read more
Meet Chris Rylands of Renaissance Orchards First there was Cider Supply and then Chris founded Renaissance Orchards with his wife Melinda. This move was a natural progression of a series of events that include resources needed for making a keeved cider and the thirst for a particular style of cider. The orchards and the Rylands … Read more
Dan Bussey and The Illustrated History to Apples in the United States and Canada The Illustrated History of Apples in the United States and Canada is a seven-volume set of books that documents the history of apples in North America written by Daniel J. Bussey. The book was edited by Kent Whealy and published in 2016 … Read more
Discover the Apple Grand-mères/Grandmothers of North America Todd Little-Siebold (Ph.D.) spoke at New York Apple Camp (2023) on a presentation titled the “Three Grandmothers” or Grand-mères in French. The sub title is “We have to reframe how we think about the origins of American Apple”. Todd is a professor of history and Latin American studies … Read more
Discover Kordick Family Farm and Baba Yaga Hear from Dorsey and daughter Brittany, the mother and daughter team at Korkdick Family Farm with Baba Yaga as their guide. Dorsey is a long time apple fan and even attended Peter Mitchell’s cidermaking courses in the UK early on making her one of the first American’s to … Read more
Tribute to Author and Orchardists Michael Phillips I spoke with his long time friend Alan Surprenant of Brook Farm Orchard in Ashfield, Massachusetts on a cool March day a little over two week’s after the unexpected passing of Michael Phillips. The two men met originally at a New England Organic Farmers Association (NOFA) conference that … Read more
Omni is defined as being a bit of everything. With that definition in place it is fair to say that Cider is in the Era of Omnia. Let’s search for the fruit of the story from the Renaissance era to the often-bizarre works of the Mannerist painter and sculptors of that time. We are exploring … Read more
What is a Pomologist? Dr. Gregory M. Peck teaches future Pomologist in the School of Integrative Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Greg’s chat begins at 21:00 minutes into episode 198. At 8:23 minutes in, I read a letter from Cider Chat Patreon Supporter and Russian … Read more
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