There is Art in Cidermaking!

March 1, 2016

*This piece first published on Finger Lakes Cider House website 11/24/15, written by Eric Shatt of Redbyrd Orchard Cider There is Art in cidermaking!!  The decisions made along the way direct the outcome. The blend of apples planted, where they are planted, when to pick them, how long to sweat them, which ones to press together, how hard to press them, where to ferment the cider —-size and container, barrel or Stainless Steel, yeast, temperature, lees contact, aging, use of sulfites, bulk aging, blending, […]

“Taming” (Grafting) Wild Seedling Apple Trees…

February 5, 2016

****SCION WOOD of Redbyrd “Wild” Apples **** “Taming” (Grafting) Wild Seedling Apple Trees, propagating new cider varieties…spreading the Love! Wild seedling apple trees grow well around us in New York.  We find them everywhere, in forests shaded by towering hardwoods, in abandoned fields transitioning from cropland to brush, and especially along hedgerows.  Over the years of discovering, collecting, fermenting and grafting these trees it has become more and more apparent that their value is not only a complex component to cider but […]

Cider Apple Harvest 2014 Begins!

September 3, 2014

We’re busy here at Redbyrd these days; preparing the press for another season of apples coming down from the hopper, getting our Ag&Markets required washing machine hooked up, helping with the planning of another fantastic FLX Cider Week upcoming in October, and of course, beginning to pick those absolutely gorgeously beautiful apples! So busy, in fact, that rather than craft our own musings on harvest, we will borrow from our dear friend and fellow organic apple orchardist, Chris Negronida of West Haven […]

Heading to StumpSprouts!

March 4, 2014

Tomorrow we head for the Berkshires, Stump Sprouts to be exact, for the annual meeting of Holistic Orchardists.  Organized by Michael Phillips, author of “The Apple Grower, a guide for the organic orchardist“, this is an amazing two days of roundtable discussions on healthy orchard care.  We feel honored to be a part of the discussion and grateful to all participants for how much we walk away with at the end of the visit.  Michael has been do amazing work to further […]

How our picking crates are built…beautiful!

February 21, 2014

   Hamlin Sawmill’s founder building an apple crate on machine he created. An artisan at his finest, and yes, that classical music really was playing in his workroom when i came to pick up our pallet of crates. Best crates made in the U.S. http://www.onebushelcrate.com Last year, in late summer I headed up to Hamlin, NY to pick up a pallet load of apple picking crates. It was a beautiful and long drive, nice to have some quiet space for the thoughts […]

Winter Work

February 9, 2014

In the midst of a busy bottling schedule, we’re making time for our favorite orchard task…pruning! This week we’ve put our Cloudsplitter and our first ever Kingston Black single varietal into bottles, now the job is to keep them warm enough to get through second fermentation in the bottle.  The second fermentation will give these ciders their exquisite fine bubbles…ready to drink by early May. Woohoo!  We’ve also been busy making changes to some of our labels, including a back panel and […]

Come Wassail With Us!

January 9, 2014

Join us for an evening of rousing fun and revelry! We’ll stomp through the orchard and then share in music and food and libation. Bring a dish to pass and stay for dinner! We’ll have a few flashlight led winter orchard tours, lots of hot cider, and fiddle music to knock your socks off…so dress warm! When?   January 17, FRIDAY! From 4:30 PM until 7pm   Wassailing will occur at sunset, don’t miss it Where? At Redbyrd’s orchard in Trumansburg! Where is that? […]