| Description |
Cider
was made at Brook Farm many years ago.
Long standing Wigmore residents can
remember empty oak barrels soaking in
a dam in the brook during the summer
to keep them watertight. Cider making
at Brook Farm stopped probably in the
1960s, and no more cider was made here
until the 1990s. After moving to Brook
Farm, the current owners revived the
tradition. Brook Farm currently produces
around one thousand gallons of traditional
cider and perry annually.
There
are some wonderfully named varieties
of cider apple that go to make up the
blend. These include Broxwood Foxwhelp,
Yarlington Mill, Porters Perfection,
Stoke Red, Harry Master's Jersey, Brown
Snout, Dabinett, White Norman, and Chisel
Jersey, plus several more whose identity
is still being investigated.
None
of the fruit is sprayed, and the cider
can be considered organic in all but
accreditation. Only 100% fresh juice
is used in the cider-making process.
No concentrates are used or water added
- nor do they use rats, sides of beef,
legs of pork, pond water, or any other
essential ingredient the old-wives’
tales would have you believe!
Around
November, after harvesting and when
the apples are properly ripe, the juice
is extracted here at Brook Farm in a
similar manner to days gone by. The
apples are fed through a mill or "scratter"
to reduce them to a pulp (the pomace).
This is then put into open-weave cloths,
one on top of another, with wooden racks
in between piled up to make a cheese.
The cheese is then put into a press
where hydraulic pressure squeezes out
the juice. This is left to ferment with
naturally occurring yeasts, before being
ready to drink by the middle of the
following year. |
