Cider Pressing

After shipping our apples in bulk to Brian Boates for vinegar and brandy, we had eight boxes left of the three varieties: NovaMac, NovaSpy and MacFree. From each box, we will likely get two, two-litre containers of juice.

On the left is the press. On the right, it is the grinder.We grind up the apples. Fill cloth bag. Add blocks. And screw down tight.Juice flows out the bottom. Liquid gold. Organic apple juice. Yes it was a fantastic day. We have been apple processing all day. I turned the Spies into pie filling. Heather turned Nova Mac into juice

The fun part is mixing the varieties for sweetness and flavour. Less fun, is the preparation: washing, cleaning, cutting etc.

There is a real pleasure in being so task-oriented. It contrasts strongly with those parts of rural living that we cannot change – COVID, politics in the US, and the related politics regarding forestry and resource management in Nova Scotia (we are trying). Then there are the vagaries of rural Internet.

Last night, we attended a meeting of the Annapolis chapter of Extinction Rebellion (ER) at the Centrelea Community Hall. We wanted to hear the update on the forestry practices in the Tobeatic region of Digby County. ER have been occupying a camp for the last couple of weeks. Because of our orchard commitments, we have not had the time or energy to join them on the ground. From their descriptions we will try to make a visit, to understand the level and type of cutting and the network of logging roads that have been put in place.

The single minded focus on wood supply at the expense of other values inherent in the landscape appears to contravene the philosophy and values of the designated UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) program.

As Robin Wall Kimmerer expresses in Emergence Magazine today:

”What does it take to abandon what does not work and take the risks of uncertainty”

Acknowledgements

Nina Newington and the Annapolis ER for their work on the ground in Digby County. Heather shares the pleasures of cider making. Edward for his graphics.

Reference

Robin Wall Kimmerer, Sky woman Falling, Emergence Magazine. November 10, 2020.