One of the ongoing tasks at the farm revolves around keeping the orchard in good shape for ease of spraying and fruit harvesting. This means ensuring the rows are flat, and clear of branches. Apples get lost in the old tractor ruts and branches love to get munched by the sweeper along with the apples, possibly damaging the equipment and making for some chaos when they reach the cider-press.
Mel and Joe have been working to cultivate every other row. This allows spraying and harvesting to still continue while the cultivated rows are given an opportunity to regenerate to better support an easy harvest as well as tree health.
This past week we seeded perennial rye, timothy grass and white clover in every other row, these cover crops will grow into more than just a plush landing ground for this years fruit!
☘️White clover fixes nitrogen, nourishing the soil as well as making a great forage plant for future sheep! All these plants together bring more organic matter into the soil, feeding the trees and helping to reduce some of the inevitable compaction from the tractor.
It's not perfect. In this process we have certainly been disturbing the soil. We hope that in the long run the additions of these plants, as well as ample compost and future grazing animals will maintain an orchard that is vibrant, healthy and productive far into the future.
🐇Think you can out-cute Luna (@luna_le_lapin on Instagram) checking out our new Inky Rabbits can? 🐰
Send us your cutest cider-companion pics & clips! We love seeing our little furry-fans. 🥰
Now available in 6 packs online! Check out www.fieldbird.ca for more info & get your paws on some Inky Rabbits while they last!
🐇Think you can out-cute Luna (@luna_le_lapin on Instagram) checking out our new Inky Rabbits can? 🐰
Send us your cutest cider-companion pics & clips! We love seeing our little furry-fans. 🥰
Now available in 6 packs online! Check out www.fieldbird.ca for more info & get your paws on some Inky Rabbits while they last!
🐇Think you can out-cute Luna (@luna_le_lapin on Instagram) checking out our new Inky Rabbits can? 🐰
Send us your cutest cider-companion pics & clips! We love seeing our little furry-fans. 🥰
Now available in 6 packs online! Check out www.fieldbird.ca for more info & get your paws on some Inky Rabbits while they last!
~~ A Plum Orchard Update from Ryan 🌳❄️
“But don’t worry. A tree is a resilient animal and the orchard is its friend. And we’ll see that next year, they’ll come back with force, and fill the sky with pretty blossoms. Let’s just wait.”
@fieldbird.ryan
🤨Ever wonder how cider becomes bubbly?🍾
You've harvested your apples, pressed them into juice and fermented yourself some delicious cider. - but you want those bubbles! So now what? You can artificially carbonate, but if you want those bubbles to form naturally you have to choose a *secondary fermentation method* to build up pressure and create that lovely fizz. There are several techniques you can use, but *traditional method* is one of our personal favourites. In fact, if you've ever had Champagne or our Singsong, you've drunk some traditional method yourself!
To start off the bubblification you start by creating a mixture of yeast and sugar and let it grow into a hungry little concoction (sometimes called the pied de cuvee). Next, you combine it with your fermented finished cider, bottle it, and age it until sufficiently fizzy and to your liking (en tirage). Once ready you move onto the fun part - riddling and disgorging.
Riddling is when you lay the bottle upside down (often in a riddling rack) to make sure all that yeast settles and can be removed easily. You rotate it at tiny angles, bit by bit every day, until all the yeast is resting in the neck. Then comes time to disgorge. If you’re doing this by hand it can get a little messy (we recommend using a traditional garbage-bag poncho). Place your bottles upside down and get them as cold as you can - a snow bank (or a barrel full of dry ice) works great. Once they're all nice and chilly, pop off the cap and explode out all of that mixture you left in there! Finally, you can top up your bottles with some liqueur d’expedition (if you want) and boom-- you have nice sparkling cider!
We think this whole process is pretty fun, so we decided to try a little experiment. Last month we sent our Flock a bottle of sparkling Northern Spy….that had not yet been disgorged. The lucky Flocksters had to learn how to disgorge the bottle themselves. We made sure to send them a little instructional video, but it
I love making traditional method sparkling
Thirteen percent of the sparkling base must have significant oak impact. The remainder can be kissed by neutral barrels.
Each bottle gets 18 grams of sugar, a bayanus strain of yeast, and 5cl of headspace (don't forget the headspace!)
The bottles lie, untouched, in a 14 degree cellar for years. The bayanus eats the sugar and builds bubbles. Over time those bubbles soften. And we wait.
Then - all too quickly - we disgorge, cork, and drink.
How do I know this will be a great sparkling? It already dances.
You asked, we answered. 🧊 🍐🍎🍾
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Ice. Cold. Cider. Now available at the pick up window! 11-4 Friday’s/Saturday’s.
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Missed us this weekend? No worries. We’re going to be here tomorrow (Sunday Funday) for a bonus pick-up day. See you then! ☀️
Hear the story from Ryan of how we started making straight Northern Spy cider with the inaugural 2017 vintage! If you want to try it, find it at | fieldbird.ca |
I made four cases of Pinot Gris last harvest. Just some grapes and a couple carboys. I made it for Nicole.
Four cases. What didn't come home with us went to friends and The Lark.
I thought it was all gone but I was wrong.
If you're willing to take a chance, I've posted six bottles to www.fieldbird.ca
After that, there's only two places to find it: my kitchen or at The Lark
PS. I know the hose catches some lees - that's the best part.
This video has three soundscapes: construction, creation, infatuation.
At first tools whine. Hammers pound. Nicole's vision screams to life as our tasting room bursts to bloom.
And then the crank of gears. Our modified vender will pull people into the farm. For two bucks you'll get a seed bomb. Or poem. Or whatever else I can fit inside an envelope. Nicole asked me to turn this small dream into reality.
And then music. When I was sixteen I learnt Nicole's brother listened to The Weepies. I liked her so needed him to like me so I started to like them.
When I work alone I listen to The Weepies. It makes me think of Nicole. Fourteen years ago I would have done anything to get her to like me. I want to act that way now but often fail.
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There aren't three soundscapes. Just pieces of the same story; once I got a girl to like me.
The Weepies #holisticfarming #thecounty #seedbombs #tastingroom #cider
Four years ago I crouched in a dim shed with Brian Hamilton of Kin Vineyards . A simple agreement - I stuff horns with cow manure, he teaches me about biodynamics.
I learnt a lot that day. What lingered the most is Brian's passion for a fuller world; where Earth and sky are woven together. Brian was open and vulnerable. That's the strongest gift I know.
Today I dynamized for the first time. Cool water embraced my bare arm. I glimpsed the weaving of Earth and sky.
And I thought about Brian. Thank you.
#biodynamicagriculture #biodynamicwine #biodynamiccider #cidergram #countyup #prep500 #hornmanure #onwinechat
We're an orchard-based cidery in Prince Edward County. We specialize in both still and sparkling cid We also have an online store! Visit us at fieldbird.ca
