On Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:08:23 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given
wrote:

"Jeßus" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:34:07 +1000, "FarmI" ask@itshall be given

I've jsut been reading Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstalls cookbooks and am now
quite interested in planting Bramleys given how highly he praises them as
a
cooking apple. He's also into cider apples and has piqued my interest in
them too.

LOL, one of my nearby neighbours refers to me a 'Hugh'.

:-))

I pretty much
grow and cook the same things as he does. So now I have a Bramley and
two Granny Smiths - should take care of my cooking apples needs.

I'm also into cider making (hence the cider trees) , I quickly
realised any/all cider kits left much to be desired and that you can't
beat cider made from fresh, local apples. I've learnt that higher
alcohol by volume isn't necessarily such a good idea, my batches from
last year average 12% and any more than a couple of stubbies is
usually too much for me... I actually _don't_ enjoy getting ****ed
even though I do like to drink

I can't see that attraction in getting ****ed either, but a good drink
(either alchoholic or non) is well worth doing.

I make beer and spirits also, and other stuff like cherry wine, ginger
beer and perry. Although this year I've been concentrating on making
mead, which is a much longer term proposition - and considerably more
expensive. My last 30L batch using local Leatherwood honey cost me
about $80... now I just have to wait a couple of years...

Well that's cheaper than the 10kg batch of salami I've just hung :-))

I'll bet! I've been wanting to get some proper proscuitto happening
but the initial outlay has put me off somewhat - I've experimented
with using lamb and duck breast (at least its cheap if things go
wrong), which works quite well. I'll get around to it, probably next
winter.


I'm going to need a pot still soon, as I especially want to make apple
cider brandy and cherry brandy. Also want to put through some
alcoholic ginger beer and see what happens. And of course, some spiced
mead liqueur once she's aged enough... yum.

Although I have a still, its a conventional type which means that
it'll strip any colour, smell and flavor from anything put through it,
a pot still doesn't do that, hence the need for a pot still.

Interesting. What is the difference between a conventional vs a pot and
where does one buy such a thing in Oz anyway? I have seen a very neat
little still in a brew shop in Mildura, but I wouldn't know it was a pot or
a conventional one.

This page explains the basic differences:
http://homedistiller.org/types.htm


We've had a mild winter really (by local standards), had a few -6's
with hard frost but nothing like 2008 and '09. I hope we don't have
another mild spring/summer/autumn again, nice weather for humans but
not so great for flowering and fruiting plants.

We've had quite few low temps and the mornings seen to be worse this year
than we've had for a while, but perhaps that is just me getting older and
feeling it more. I think I'm becoming more like a lizard as I get older - I
now like to bask in winter sun.

No sun here lately, we're flooded in for the fourth time this year.
All the locals say they've never seen weather like this before, what
with record snow falls as well. At the same time ironically this
winter has been relatively warm. I need to go to Hobart this Friday,
so hopefully we won't get much more rain this week...