Ciderdelica

As I mentioned before, Surrey Docks City Farm might help with 3 of our tasks:
1. They are very excited the idea of being given a cider press
2. They have made cider before, in a communal kind of way, and it was apparently very good - and are willing to meet up with us to exchange advice and ideas
3. They have a crew of adults with learning difficulties who want to make more cider this year - so I see this as an opportunity to help each other out with manpower, and have great fun at the same time.

Another big advantage of co-operating with the farm is that they have a large outdoor space where hopefully they wouldnt mind a few squashed apples being spurted and a mess being made on pressing day.

I spoke to a woman at the farm about it last week, she was really keen but didnt manage to ring back, so I shall try to get hold of her tomorrow to see if she's still interested after having had an opportunity to read our postings here! When I speak to her, I could arrange an early evening in the Oak for her and me and anyone else to meet up. Is this to peoples approval, and if so what evenings are good for people? I can do monday, tuesday and friday next week.

Oh well done TUMJ, this sounds very promising I shall make myself available on any of those evenings. Anyone else?

Me. I can make early Tuesday (i.e. between 6:30 and 7:30), or Friday, but you can go ahead without me and I can catch up later.

I also had the idea last night of (waiting until we got a home for the press, and especially if we did manage to tie in with the city farm/roots and shoots) trying a nice begging letter to a few commercial cidermakers. I reckon we must have got an extra couple of barrels of Stowford sold just talking about making cider.

Great, I shall give her a ring today, if my poor worn out arms can struggle to lift the handset to my ear after the totally knackering capsize drill in the Thames yesterday. I shall try for Tues or Frid as we need your ideas, Ivanhoe.

Glad you survived the capsize. Hope river was turd-free.

If you and Tharg can make it one night when I can't, then do just go ahead and brief me later (although if I'm free then I'd like to meet the farm people, just for my own curiosity as much as anything)

wouldn't mind being involved somehow - mainly because I like drinking cider (though not in the quantities that the other posters here appear to consume it!).

The more, the merrier!
IM have you looked here?
http://www.watershed.co.uk/
http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/museum_gfx_en/SW000007.html
http://www.whatsonbristol.co.uk/
Sorry, but I don't have your e-mail address.
(or should that be: the more, the Merrydown???)



Post edited (13 May 04 13:57)

Good stuff Jon. SE1 cidermakers need YOU!! (and we only drink halves of cider-shandy really, but we talk a good game).

Cheers Tharg. Will check out the suggestions now. The HMZ boys came good with the addresses of a few cider farms, so if I see you and Jo next week to discuss brewing, I might be "carrying" (in which case, maybe we should meet in the park with the herbs. First one there bagsy a good bench).

Are you coming along if we have a quick meet next week, Jon??

Sorted! We're meeting Emma from the farm at 6.30 at the Royal Oak - for as long as it takes! See you there Tharg & Ivanhoe. I hope you can do that time too, Jon. And anybody else - Sarah,Harriet? All welcome. Especially if you have an underutilised cider orchard in your friends country residence - yes mapmaker, I mean YOU!

That's 6:30 Tuesday?