“Biodiversity is the assembly of life that took a billion years to evolve. It has eaten the storms – folded them into its genes – and created the world that created us. It holds the world steady.”
- E.O. Wilson, The Diversity of Life.
There is a deep calm in the heart of the orchard. High above my head, the breath of autumn stirs in rustling caress a canopy laden with fruit, though where I walk is filled with stillness, save for the slow, lazy flight of butterflies floating amongst the fallen apples. The air is thick with the sticky sweet scent of sugar and alcohol. Standing before me, twisted and stooped is a tree that goes by the name of Ashmead Kernel. It is amongst the favourites of Steven Richards, the man who planted, owns, and tends to this orchard. He reached amongst the branches and plucked free a lumpy, golden green apple. With ease, he cleaved the fruit into pieces with a worn but well polished blade, and handed me a slice. The crisp white flesh snapped as I bit it, flooding my senses with the aroma of peardrops and prickling notes of citrus. Before I knew it, he was striding towards another tree and preparing a handful of tiny, vivid golden apples called Pitmaston Pineapple. These too were delicious, powerfully nutty, with honey sweetness and a sharp tang.
Folded within this secret grove was a living library of flavours stretching back hundreds of years from all over the British Isles, stewarded by this one man. If you will permit me a nerdy reference, JRR Tolkien described his Ents (walking, talking tree men from Lord of the Rings) as wardens of the wild Fangorn forest. To me, a nurturing, tender, but equally wild orchard such as this, fits my imagining of the Entwives. And like the Entwives of Middle Earth, many years ago, our beautiful, sacred orchards were almost all but lost to us.
Topics:
Cook’s Almanac - Apples
A Heritage Orchard: A Hidden Treasure
The Decline of Orchards
A Revival
Farmhouse Seidr (Cider): In Depth Technique and Recipe
Cook’s Almanac - Apples
Late Summer to Late October
Here, in a windy little corner of the world, it’s apple season. Whilst we store many for winter, we also turn a huge amount into cider (I believe that’s called ‘hard cider’, for my US readers). Any apples with marks or signs of damage and bruising get scattered, crushed into a chunky pulp that’s then pressed to extract as much juice as possible. In previous years this has involved the high tech process of a log and a bucket, but last year we were able to upgrade with the aid of a grant, speeding up the process with the absolute monster featured in the video above.
If you’re interested to learn how to make your own cider this autumn (which is the time of year farmhouse cider is traditionally made), you can follow the recipe at the end of this newsletter. We collect single varieties and blends to turn into cider, as we’re interested in exploring the unique characteristics of certain apples and their native yeasts. But you don’t need your own apple trees to make cider. As they’re in season, they’re also abundant and at their best in local shops. Ask your greengrocer, neighbour, farmer, or market stall owner if you can purchase a few crates and see which varieties they have access to. Their flavour ranges hugely from a sweet cider, to a footy, sharp, or dry. The world is your oyster. Some of my favourites are: Newtown Pippin, Chisel Jersey, Yarlington Mill, Kingston Black, Dabinett, Golden Russet, Pitmaston Pineapple, and of course, Ashmead Kernel.
The Heritage Orchard: A Hidden Treasure
Orchards and apple cultivation have a long and storied history in the UK, with roots stretching back to the Roman period. The Romans are credited with introducing cultivated apple varieties to Britain, though the island was already home to many wild varieties (the descendants of which are still alive today). Over the centuries, apple growing flourished, with monasteries and farms across the British Isles maintaining orchards for their communities. By the Middle Ages, apples had become an integral part of the local diet and economy, with cider emerging as a popular drink, particularly in regions like the West Country, West Midlands, Herefordshire, and of course, Wales.
In Wales, orchards played a vital role in rural life. With a mild climate and varied topography, orchards came to occupy many an ideal nook in the fabric of the landscape. While the rugged uplands were not suited to agriculture, the fertile valleys and sheltered lowlands allowed apple trees to flourish. Welsh farmers grew a wide range of varieties, including cider apples and dessert apples, which were used not only for eating but also baking, preserving, and of course, fermenting into cider.
Historically, cider making was especially popular in Wales’ agricultural heartlands, such as Monmouthshire and the Vale of Glamorgan. Welsh cider (or seidr in Welsh) was valued for its unique taste, often more robust and dry compared to the sweeter, fruity ciders from England. Orchards were essential features of family farms and smallholdings, and many communities celebrate apple harvests with festivals and communal cider making events, even to this day, in schools, local communities, and events hosted by organisations like The National Trust.
The Decline of Orchards
“Over millennia, food, cooking and eating became the most powerful expression of the human imagination. So, when a food becomes endangered, another seed lost, another skill forgotten, it is worth remembering the epic story of how they got here.”
- Dan Saladino, Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them
The 20th century saw a significant decline in traditional orchards, not only in Wales but across the entire country. Driven by a combination of social and economic factors, as is often the case, it was government legislation that led the vanguard against these ancient, communal places.
In the 1950-60s, the UK government’s agricultural policy shifted towards increasing food production, expanding large-scale farming practices which prioritised the growing of cereal crops and livestock over fruit cultivation. Financial incentives were given to encourage farmers to render traditional orchards into arable land or pasture, accelerating the destruction of many ancient orchards. These policies favoured efficiency and volume over biodiversity, and the heritage orchards of Wales, with their diverse and sometimes less commercially viable apple varieties, were particularly vulnerable.
By the 1970s, more than half of the traditional orchards in the UK were lost. This mass destruction was particularly damaging to the biodiversity of Welsh orchards, where local varieties of apples, often grown for centuries, were lost in favour of commercial wheat and barley. Along with the loss to nature, the cultural loss was immense, as many ancient Welsh apple varieties were wiped out, along with the traditional cider making practices tied to them.
It can be all too easy to assume this was another knee jerk reaction from policy makers at the time, but we do well to remember they had just come from 9 years of world war two rationing, following from the rationing of the first world war. Food security weighed heavily on the minds of the nation, and fruit orchards were possibly seen as a luxurious use of arable land that could be used for more high yielding crops, relieving such heavy dependence on imports.
A Revival
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in preserving and restoring traditional orchards across the country. In Wales (and possibly England, though I’m not certain), environmental awareness, the desire for sustainable farming practices, and a renewed appreciation for regional and heritage foods have contributed to a revival. Organisations such as the Welsh Perry and Cider Society and the National Trust have worked to document and protect ancient apple varieties, encouraging the planting of new heritage orchards. Government initiatives have also begun to support the preservation of these vital cultural and ecological landscapes, recognising the importance of orchards not only for cider production but also for biodiversity and local heritage.
There is also a dedicated homesteading community that often grow, share, and come together in an exchange of time, skills, and knowledge, much like Steven from the beginning of this newsletter, who to me, are the unsung heroes. Like countless generations before, it is they who diligently preserve and share the fruits of their labour, often with little to no financial gain, in a delicate balancing act with full time employment, and none of the luxury afforded from recent government funding opportunities.
At our garden, Dan Yr Onnen (meaning, Under the Ash in Welsh), I walked amongst young saplings, some only two or three years old. Over the last few years we’ve been planting a new heritage orchard of our own, with hundreds of apple trees. Some are now taller than me, others are still hardly more than sticks with a flush of leaves clinging to them. By the time these are fully mature like Steven’s orchard, I will be in my 50s, but it’s a worthwhile investment, as they will continue to fruit long after I am gone. The revival of Welsh cider making is a celebration of the country’s agricultural past and a step towards a more sustainable future.
Farmhouse Seidr (Cider) Recipe
Harvesting by Hand
In an orchard, apples are often harvested by hand to minimise damage to the fruit. Apples intended for cider don’t need to be perfect (in many regards, they are all perfect). Blemished, misshapen, bruised fruits all add character to cider, often providing nuance through oxidation. What matters most is ripeness, which doesn’t take place all at once in this kind of orchard. Apple harvesting usually starts in September and continues through late October. The best indication that apples are ready to harvest is when they start to drop. Leave those already fallen for the butterflies and wasps and head out with a ladder and basket.
To make a single, mixed cider, store early ripening apples in a cool, dry place to allow them to “sweat” for a week after harvesting, which helps concentrate the sugars and enhance the flavour of the finished cider. This gives you time to harvest later varieties as they start to drop.
Preparing for Pressing
Before pressing, you need to clean the apples. Rinse them in cold, clean water and remove any dirt and debris. In a traditional setting, apples are often washed in large troughs or barrels of water (we use big buckets). Make sure to separate varieties that clump as earwigs often hide inside.
Traditionally, apples were mashed or chopped by hand (as we have done before upgrading our kit). This was done with wooden mallets or smooth logs with handles, but you can use an apple crusher or scratter to save time.
Equipment for Pressing
Scratter: These are used to crush the apples into pulp and offer a much quicker way to produce a finer pulp, so you can extract more juice.
Apple Press: Traditional cider presses vary, but most are designed to apply force to the apple pulp and squeeze out the juice. We used to use a small hand-crank press which works fine for family sized batches, but for the larger quantities we make now, a rack and cloth press is more efficient. These are hydraulic presses that cost quite a lot but make it possible to press the whole orchard’s worth of apples in a couple of days.
Pressing the Apples
Once crushed, it’s time to press the pulp and extract the juices. Apple pressing is a physical process, and it’s easy to see why cider making has always been a communal event. If you have friends and family to offer a hand, promise them a few bottles of the finished cider and a handful of apples to take home and get them involved.
Prepare the press: Set up the press on a stable, level area and make sure the bucket to collect the juice is clean and in good condition.
Load the press: Fill the press with crushed apple pulp but don’t overfill it. It can be tempting to fit as much in as possible, but you’ll run into all sorts of problems if you do. If using a cloth press, wrap the pulp in cloth bags or layers before pressing.
Apply pressure: Begin pressing. This could be hydraulic or hand crank, but make sure you have a spare person ready to collect and swap the buckets when the juice starts flowing. The juice will start out sweet and fresh tasting, then turn cloudy as pressure builds. This is perfectly normal.
Collect the juice: Let the juice flow into your collection bucket. If you want to remove the sediment you can pass the liquid through a straining bag but I find sediment provides additional character to the cider.
Traditionally, the leftover apple pomace is fed to pigs (who love it), but you can also leave it out for wildlife or compost it. You can also cook it with spices, sugar, cider, and cider vinegar to make Black Butter, a traditional apple sauce here in the UK, or make a sweet beverage called Ciderkin. To make this, collect all the pomace into a clean fermentation bin and rehydrate it with enough water to bring it back up to a similar consistency prior to pressing. Leave it for 48 hours (covered with a cloth lid), stirring once at 24 hours (rigorously enough to make a vortex, which introduces oxygen to aid fermentation), then shovel the pomace back into the press and squeeze out the liquid. At this point, you can ferment the ciderkin like a weak cider, or sweeten it a little to give the yeasts more sugar and take the alcohol level higher. You can also take 90% of the liquid from the second pressing and gently reduce over a low heat until it reaches half its original volume. Let it cool, then inoculate it with the reserved 10%. This increases the sugar and flavour concentration of the finished drink. Another use is mulled ciderkin. Dissolve 100g brown sugar per litre of ciderkin and make a teabag of allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Bring it to a simmer and steep the spices in it for 30 minutes. Serve hot, or allow to cool and freeze to store for winter months.
From 100kg of apples, you can expect to collect around 60-70 litres of juice on average, though this may vary depending on ripeness and variety.
Natural Fermenting Seidr
Full Recipe
In traditional cider making, no commercial yeast is added to the juice. The natural yeasts present on the apple skins and in the air kick-start the process. This method produces ciders that are truly reflective of the orchard where the apples were grown, as the local yeast contributes to the unique flavours and profile of the drink as much as the fruits themselves.
Ingredients
Makes ~ 13 litres (3.4 US gallons) of cider
20kg (44lbs) of heritage apples (of single variety or mixed)
1kg (2.2lbs) sugar (optional, for stronger cider)
Equipment
Apple crusher (or a sharp knife and rolling pin)
Apple press
Fermentation vessel
16x 750ml airtight bottles
Syphon tube for racking
Clean the ripe apples in fresh cold water, then crush them whole into a pulp. The finer the pulp, the easier it will be to extract the juice.
Press the pulp and collect the juice in a clean container.
Transfer the juice to a fermentation vessel. This can be a glass jar, demijohn (carboy), or plastic food-grade bucket. Leave around 10% of the space at the top for the expansion of the liquid and foam as it ferments.
Prior to fermentation, always drink a glass of fresh apple juice and make notes on the flavour. It’s fascinating to compare later on to the fully developed flavour of the cider.
Take a gravity reading using a hydrometer*. Make sure the sugar level brings the hydrometer to the level marked as a starting point for beer or wine.
(Optional) If your apples are low in sugar or if you want a stronger cider, you can add a bit of sugar at this stage. Traditional Welsh ciders are usually dry, but you can customise the sweetness by adding more or less sugar to taste. 17g of sugar per 1 litre of juice will increase the potential final ABV by 1%.
Close the lid and secure an airlock in place. Fermentation is at its best between 15-20°C (59-68°F). If it’s much warmer than this, the yeast may work too quickly, leading to funky or off flavours. Too cold, and fermentation will stall. In a cool Welsh autumn, the natural ambient temperature range is usually ideal for slow fermentation, with the day sun warming things up, and the cold nights bringing them back down again.
After 1-2 weeks, you’ll notice that fermentation has slowed down, but it will continue for several months. A slow process like this allows cider to develop a complex profile that commercial yeasts miss out on (similar to comparing sourdough bread to a supermarket loaf). As winter approaches, the temperature will drop further. By this time, yeasts will have done the majority of their work and the cider shifts to an ageing period, although fermentation may continue but very slowly.
Over the next few months, open the vessel every now and then and use a clean, sanitised spoon to scoop away foam or cloudiness on the surface of the cider.
After 3-6 months, check on the cider and rack it when activity seems to have stopped. This involves dropping the syphon tube into the cider and drawing it into a fresh, clean container, whilst leaving the sediment in the old one. Continue to age in an airtight container (with an airlock) for a further month.
Once fermentation is complete transfer the cider to sterilised bottles. For sparkling cider, add a teaspoon of sugar to each bottle before capping them. Take another gravity reading to check the final ABV is high enough (5-6.5%). This is usually obtainable with the natural sugars in apple juice and doesn’t require additional sugar. If you haven’t tried flat cider, I’d suggest leaving a few bottles without extra sugar to see what it’s like. You may end up liking it more. But this step is only advisable if making a dry, hard cider (such as traditional Welsh cider), as the level of alcohol and pH (3.5-4) make it safe. So no need to pasteurise.
Store the bottled cider in a cool dark place, such as a cellar or cupboard, for 2 months to fully mature the flavours. This step makes a huge difference to the final cider.
Enjoy your cider chilled on a summer day, or slightly warmed on a cold evening. If the flavour isn’t to your liking, you can modify it by adding sugar or spices, or mixing with another batch of cider to balance out the flavours.
Calculating ABV
Taking a gravity reading will indicate the potential alcohol level in the finished cider. To do this, drop the hydrometer in the tube full of fresh apple juice and make note of where the surface level comes to on the device. Once fully fermented, take another reading and make note of this number. Subtract the final number from the first, then multiply the result by 131.25 to calculate the ABV. For example, if a wine started out at 1.075 and ends at 0.985, the difference is 0.09. Multiplied by 131.25 = 11.8% ABV.
This device works because dissolved solids like sugar and salt increase the density of water. As yeast converts the sugar into alcohol, this density drops, meaning the hydrometer will rest at a lower position in the same volume of liquid. When taking a gravity reading, always make sure the liquid is 20°C (68°F), as this can impact the reading. If measuring a carbonated drink, let the liquid go flat before taking a reading as the bubbles can lift the hydrometer.
If you’ve ever noticed that light changes angle when passing through liquid, this is called the ‘refractive index’ of liquid, and is also a result of the liquid density, slowing light that passes through it. This appears to us as a bend in the angle of light at the surface of the liquid, and as the sugars in juice convert to alcohol, the angle of this bend will become obtuse.
The Flavours of Heritage Apples
One of the joys of using apples from heritage orchards is the wild range of flavours you can find in the ciders they produce. Sweet apples contribute fruity, mellow notes, whilst sharp or bitter apples provide acidity and astringency, giving balance. UK heritage varieties often combine both, boasting flavours of honey, spice, and even earthy notes. The wild yeasts contribute vastly to the finished cider in often unpredictable ways, all of which are tied to the vintage of the year they were produced. So I hope you have fun and explore the rich world and flavours of cider making, armed with this guide to all things apples, orchards, and ciders.
Things to come:
In the next newsletter, I’ll share the elegant art of turning farmhouse cider into the best vinegar you’ve ever tasted. If you found this newsletter interesting, consider subscribing to my substack, or become a paid member to join the group chat where we discuss more and troubleshoot issues with recipes and techniques. And, if you haven’t heard yet, my new book, The Fermentation Kitchen comes out in 17 days (November 7th for the UK, November 12th for the US and worldwide shipping). You can pre order from any bookseller you like, and join me on a journey through the flavours and techniques of the microcosmos.
With special thanks to my brother, Ben, for the beautiful music featured in my video. And if you’re interested to find out more about Steven and his smallholding, check his social media here.
I hope you have a great week,
Sam
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