Author: UnitedStatesofCider

These Days of Wassailing

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Hello Friends of Cider!  Join us in embracing Wassail in 2014.

We’re observing North American celebrations from January 5th to January 17th, 2014*, from ‘New’ 12th Night Eve to ‘Old’ 12th Night.

Our Goals for The 2014 Wassail: Explore Old & New World Wassail Traditions, Salute The Orchard, Honor The Apple, and Celebrate With Cider.

How are WE Wassailing? To being the festivities, January 5th, 2014, we visited “the four beloved quinces at the Cloisters Museum and Gardens, along the Hudson River in Fort Tryon Park.” The Wassail did not go as planned, but Pomona surprised us with an amazing Wassail Wonder.

Read more about the New York Quinces in this piece In Praise of the Misunderstood Quince by By Michael Tortorello, published May 2, 2012 in the New York Times.

*Note: Our Wassailing activities are likely to continue throughout the month of January 2014, yours can too!

Image: Specimen 8168   Artist: Prestele, William Henry, 1838-1895

Scientific name: Cydonia oblonga  Common name: quinces  Variety: Bourgeat

Source: “U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705”

Wassailius Mirabilis

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Glowing Pome d'Api

A solitary Lady Apple or Pomme d’Api outside the walls of the Bonnefort Cloister garden at The Cloisters in New York City,  January 5th, 2014.

It Begins. 13 Days of Wassailing 2014.

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Ansel Adams Yosemite

Join Us In Wassailing.

We’re observing North American celebrations from January 5th to January 17th, 2014 – ‘New’ 12th Night Eve to ‘Old’ 12th Night – and posting daily about our Wassail adventures. Stay tuned.

Cider Mixology: Aperitivo Tertulia.

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Cider Mixology: Aperitivo Tertulia

A Bit About Wassailing.

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The Wassail (Charles Rennie Mackintosh)About Wassailing From the National Association of Cider Makers:

“Wassailing is the chief custom associated with cider apple trees. The word wassail is derived from the Anglo Saxon ‘wes hal’ meaning ‘good health’ or ‘be whole’. The earliest written records of wassailing date from the late 17th century.

This custom is performed to protect the trees from evil spirits and to make them bear a plentiful crop and is still carried out in the West of England. The rite involves five main elements: gathering around an apple tree, singing the Wassailing song, pouring cider over the tree’s roots, loud noises and a toast.

The pouring of cider over the roots symbolised the carrying forward of the life juice of the tree from one year to the next. It was also the custom to place a cider-soaked piece of toasted bread in the fork of the tree to attract good spirits while guns were fired into the trees so as to frighten away the evil spirits. The health of the tree would then be drunk as often as was felt necessary. Nowadays, it is traditional to hold the rite on Twelfth Night.

Over time, the custom was adapted and added to, so that each area had its own variation. The date for instance varied, and old tea kettles and tin trays might be clattered together to scare away the spirits instead of firing guns. In Herefordshire it was traditional for Morris Men to take part by dancing around the trees.”

Source: National Association of Cider Makers.

Link: www.cideruk.com

A Call To Wassail. January 5th -17th, 2014.

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The Wassail (Charles Rennie Mackintosh)

A Call To Wassail. January 5th – 17th, 2014.

Hello Friends of Cider!

We ask YOU the cider community to join us in embracing Wassail in 2014.

What is Wassail?

Wikipedia:

“The Orchard-Visiting wassail refers to the ancient custom of visiting orchards in cider-producing regions of England, reciting incantations and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year.”

Herefordshire Times:

“Steeped in history, wassailing is traditionally held on the Twelfth Night after Christmas and performed in orchards to awaken the apple trees from their winter slumber and ward off bad spirits.”

When is Wassail?

We propose to observe North American celebrations from January 5th to  January 17th, 2014. (‘New’ 12th Night Eve to ‘Old’ 12th Night – more about that later).

Goals for the 2014 Wassail:

Explore Old & New World Wassail Traditions

Salute The Orchard

Honor The Apple

Celebrate With Cider

How Can You Wassail?

Enjoy cider and a wassail bowl with friends.

Visit an orchard, cidermaker or local cider-serving establishment and toast the orchard & the apple.

Host a Wassail Event.

Let us know if you plan an event – we’ll post it on our Wassail 2014 page.

The 2014 Wassail Theme: Discover Wassail.

We hope this will be an informal collaborative effort and an annual event for the growing cider community in North America.

The Wassail (Charles Rennie Mackintosh)

Views from New Amsterdam Winter Market 2013

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Images of floral beauty taken at the stall of, and garland making demonstration lead by, Emily Thompson of Emily Thompson Flowers www.emilythompsonflowers.com

Thank You to Rowan Imports for cider, and to Sterling Publishing, Countryman Press, Storey Publishing, Timber Press, Ten Speed Press, Chelsea Green Publishing, Johns Hopkins University Press, and Running Press for all the wonderful books included in our raffle gift baskets for the November & December Markets. Thank You All for helping us support New Amsterdam Market and share the cider joy.

Events: NYC: New Amsterdam Winter Market and 8th Anniversary Celebration

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New Amsterdam Market Winter Market & 8th Anniversary is December 15, 2013.

“Featuring over 60 regional food artisans, purveyors, market fare and handcrafted goods. From holiday wreaths, garlands, tools and ornaments for home decor to holiday treats, latkes, sweets, baked goods and gifts.”

To celebrate New Amsterdam Market’s 8th Anniversary we coordinated 3 amazing gift baskets (for yourself or for gift giving) containing some of our favorite books AND some terrific ciders. Support the Market with a raffle ticket or two, and you could be the lucky winner of one of these swell books & cider baskets.

Each basket comes with a selection of ciders of the world donated by Rowan Imports.

Cider Enthusiasts Selection:

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Books: Worlds Best Ciders by Pete Brown and Bill Bradshaw, Sterling Publishing, 2013

Cider Hard & Sweet by Ben Watson, Countryman Press, 3rd Edition, 2013 and

Cider: Making, Using & Enjoying Sweet & Hard Cider, 3rd Edition by Lew Nichols, Annie Proulx, Storey Publishing, 3rd Edition

Apple & Cider Aficionados Selection:

Books: Worlds Best Ciders by Pete Brown and Bill Bradshaw, Sterling, 2013 and

Apples of North America: 192 Exceptional Varieties for Gardeners, Growers, and Cooks by Tom Burford, Timber Press, 2013.

NYC Food Culture Selection:

Books: I Love New York: Ingredients and Recipes by Daniel Humm, Will Guidara, Ten Speed Press, 2013 and

New York a la Cart: Recipes and Stories from the Big Apple’s Best Food Trucks by Siobhan Wallace and Alexandra Penfold, Running Press; 2013.

Celebrate 8 years of New Amsterdam Market, and support the revival of the historic Old Fulton Fish Market.

Links:

New Amsterdam Market newamsterdammarket.org

Rowan Imports rowanimports.com

 

Mixology: The Buffalo Gold Cocktail. Brookville Restaurant, Charlottesville, Virginia.

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Virginia Pippin Gold Cider (with Virginia apple brandy) Meet Kentucky’s Buffalo Trace Bourbon.

Virginia knows how to make a cider cocktail. One of our favorites, (enjoyed with Brookville’s deliciously addicting bacon fat popcorn):

The Cocktail: The Buffalo Gold.

The Venue: Brookville Restaurant, Charlottesville, Virginia.
The Cider: Foggy Ridge Cider Pippin Gold.
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The recipe is as follows:
Iced highball glass
1 1/2 oz. Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
1 1/2 oz Foggy Ridge Cider Pippin Gold
long squeeze grenadine
Fill with your favorite ginger ale
Garnish with a cherry
 
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Foggy Ridge Cider Makers Tasting Notes for Pippin Gold:
Pippin Gold is a unique blend of 100% Newtown Pippin hard cider and apple brandy from Laird and Company, the country’s oldest distiller. Pippin Gold is delicious as a dessert cider or sweet apéritif. Some have swooned over peaches soaked in Pippin Gold served with homemade pound cake.
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Links:
Brookville Restaurant: www.brookvillerestaurant.com
Foggy Ridge Cider: www.foggyridgecider.com
Laird & Company: www.lairdandcompany.com
Buffalo Trace Distillery: www.buffalotracedistillery.com
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Image: Malus domestica: Yellow Newtown. Charlottesville, Virginia, 1904.
Artist: Deborah Griscom Passmore
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705
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Smith, Jones, Plumb and Penn.

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Smith, Jones, Plumb and Penn. Cider Apples of Yesteryear.

The National Agricultural Library’s collection of pomological watercolor illustrations includes images of cider apples of renown such as the Harrison, Virginia or Hewe’s Crab, Ablemarle and Newtown Pippins.

Also documented by the artists working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Division of Pomology are less well-known American cider apples such as the Smith Cider,  Jones Cider, Plumb Cider and the Penn Cider.

Malus domestica: Smith Cider
Malus domestica: Plumb Cider
Malus domestica: Smith Cider
Malus domestica: Smith Cider
Malus domestica: Plumb Cider
Malus domestica: Smith Cider
Malus domestica: Jones Cider
Malus domestica: Smith Cider
Malus domestica: Penn Cider

Image credit: “U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705”