Well, scrumpy day was super fun and successful. We began around 11:00 am with Penda getting the press ready, gathering suitable bins and buckets and rinsing things down. Alex arrived in time to help with rinsing things. Once Sibylla (that’s me) emerged from the house having made tea (apple crumble for the occasion) found and washed the cider filter bag, we went out to the yard to taste the apples to see which ones were ready for picking…only some. Wulfwynne, Wulfric and James arrived shortly after 11:00 with one and a half bins full of apples picked on the way to the gathering. Yay!! They were the best apples found. Sweet and juicy! To be sure we had enough, we hit the road…this is where the term “scrumpy” comes into play. Scrumpy is the name given to cider made with “found” apples so that your cider is a mix of unknown varieties. Keeps it interesting. Everyone worked hard as a team and got the job done. Before getting into the mashing and pressing, we enjoyed a lovely chili lunch with garlic bread and cheese. After the work was done, we all had a taste and Wulfwynne got her wee jar of fresh cider to take home and the rest went into the brewing basement at Penda and Sibylla’s house for fermenting.
We had a short meeting to talk about Our Excellencies new High Seats, who would be attending Wassail, and figure out the modifications to next season’s scrumpy run. Our next gathering was left undetermined as we all needed to consult our calendars.
A good time was had by all.
Potential gatherings depending on group availability:
September 29 (Penda and Sibylla not available but what about the rest?)
October 13? (Thanksgiving weekend)
October 20?
