Cider Chat on The Big Book of Cidermaking

The Big Book of Cidermaking was released on September 1, 2020. We had a great in-person tour planned for the release of this book, which was originally going to launch on June 9, 2020, we’d hoped that by fall we could still go out and talk cider throughout the nation. As you know by now, that was serious wishful thinking. Like all authors with new books in 2020 we didn’t tour, we didn’t read in bookstores nor meet any of you and sign your copies. We stayed home and stayed safe.

And we did lots of interviews over Zoom, like all the other authors. In the beginning book store employees seemed excited about the new format and the ability to reach so many more people (anyone in the world with a connection) not just their regulars that came in the doors. Here is our first conversation with Ria Windcaller on her podcast Cider Chat. It was a great start because Ria is well known and well respected in the cider community, and she was a pleasure to talk with.

In the chat you will learn more about our farm, our apple orchard, our cider cave, and our decades-long fall tradition of making apple cider by hand, cranking and squeezing baskets upon baskets of our apples in our wooden and steel double-barreled cider press. It defines autumn for us. If you would like a signed copy just order one or two and we will get it out to you today.

We will be adding a cidermaking course on the fermentation school this summer so sign-up to the school for free so that you will get the notification when it releases.

Listen also at iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher (for Android), iHeartRadio , Spotify and wherever you love to listen to podcasts.

Is Fermentation Scary?

No, but making videos about it can feel uncomfortable…

Do you want to learn to lacto ferment vegetables? Do you want to make pickles? Learn to make your own kimchi? Maybe you wonder: Is fermentation hard? Is lacto fermentation dangerous? It isn’t at all, in fact it is one of the safest preservation methods of all. If this is something you have been reluctant to try maybe now is the time to push past your comfort zone and learn to ferment at home.

Like most of us on this planet right now I am also getting the opportunity to leave my comfort zone to keep doing what I do. Teach fermentation! Christopher and I are both learning a lot of new skills in order to pivot. As someone who has made an income teaching humans together in both big and small settings my work is on hold until we can all get back together. Yet we both feel fermentation skills are more important today than ever. Fermentation is a lot of fun, but I think that it is also more than a hobby. It is a chance to interact with our food, preserve and enliven our foods with more nutrients which are more available to our systems. Fermentation is all about healthy food that our bodies evolved with and crave. Its about food security in unsure times and a strong microbiome (read strong immune system).

All that to say we are slowly working on bringing fermentation masterclasses to you from our home. I don’t think I am alone in thinking video work is hard. It is hard not to have a live audience and all the energy. Here is an outtake of our first course that proves we are either having too much fun, or I have indeed lost it.

This outtake is from our first online fermentation course ever—Flower Power. This class is about capturing and using wild yeast to ferment fruit juices into wild wines.