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In the final episode of On the Road with Beer Sessions Radio Season One, host Jimmy Carbone travels to the Finger Lakes. He visits The Farmhouse Brewery in Owego, the first malting house in New York State in over a decade and one of only a handful also brews in-house. You’ll hear from a top grains farmer about the challenges he faces to produce and distribute unique, artisanal grains to brewers. You’ll also meet the experts who support him in his work. Up in Ovid, Jimmy visits Blackduck Cidery and meets the whole family behind some of the best cider in the state. Plus, meet the community behind New York cider at Finger Lakes Cider House. The Farmhouse Brewery Marty and Natalie Mattrazzo are the visionaries behind The Farmhouse Brewery in Owego, NY. Their motto is “farm fresh from ground to glass." Their delicious brews are a combination of the freshest ingredients, and Marty’s refined palate creates art in every pint. Diligent small grains farmers from all over New York State grow their barley. Only the highest quality grain makes its way to their on-site malt house, where they malt each batch of barley using a time-tested artisanal process. Their hops are of the highest quality that they can source from seasoned hops growers with New York State. The New York hops industry is currently expanding to again become a major supplier of hops varieties to the entire Northeast United States. Oechsner Farms Located in Newfield, New York, just south of Ithaca, Oechsner Farms is a feast for the senses. Thor Oechsner, owner and multi-talented, is the grandson of a German baker. As a teenager he was able to convince his parents to allow him to turn their suburban yard into his first cornfield. Oechsner graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Cornell and by 1991 had started a three-acre vegetable farm while also running a Volkswagen and Audi repair business. Oechsner now farms approximately 600 acres of certified organic grains on rented land throughout the Finger Lakes region. In addition, as part owner of Wide Awake Bakery, Oechsner sees a similar benefit to the bakery business as he does the milling operation. He is more interested in the role that the bakery serves as a tool for marketing for the unique and heritage grain varieties that he produces. Blackduck Cidery We visited Blackduck Cidery in the town of Ovid, NY in the Finger Lakes region. It’s a family run orchard that produces cider, Perry, and vinegar in small batches, using ambient yeast fermentation. John Reynolds and Shannon O’Connor run the operation of the cidery along with their two beautiful redheaded daughters, Idunn and Pippin. They have been growing fruit in the Finger Lakes region of New York for well over a decade. They sell fresh fruit using organic standards through farmer’s markets, restaurants, natural groceries and their farm stand. John is expert in his knowledge about orchards, apples, fruits and anything cider-related. A former student of Cornell University and later employed as a field technician, John actively supports professors in their research of orchards, harvest and post-harvest work. Shannon is more focused on the smooth running and operations of the business, along with the grunt work in the field, while juggling being a mother of two. In her “free” time she also is the Director of the Edith B. Ford library in Ovid, NY. Idunn, the elder daughter, is the master fruit tester and critic. Pippin is the youngest and newest member of the clan; she is just very cute and very skilled at flower picking. Finger Lakes Cider House The Finger Lakes Cider House at Good Life Farm in Interlaken, NY is a certified organic farm and a full diet CSA. The Finger Lakes Cider house is a collaborative multi-cidery tasting room. Melissa Madden and Garrett Miller started the operation in 2008 after purchasing 69 acres of land, mostly growing corn, wheat and soy. Since them it has transformed into a diverse ecological farm, they have planted bushes and trees and bought turkeys, geese, beef cows, and draft horses. They produce their Good Life Cider, a distinctive American style and creatively blended with international influences. Their range is based on traditional bittersweet apples and sharp, acidic heirloom fruits. At the Cider House, they feature their own cider as well as amazing ciders from other cidery friends. Each of these dedicated grower-producers live and work in the Finger Lakes region, and their ciders are true Finger Lakes originals.
This episode of Cider Chat was recorded by Alex Kroh, cidermaker, roving podcast reporter and super, duper nice guy in Ciderville! This chat begins with Alex and Melissa and Garett venturing outside to the orchard and the asparagus polyculture planting just south of the cider house. They then walk east down the hill to the new dwarf orchard and talk about the differences between the two planting styles. In the second half of this chat, Alex and Garrett are in the production space below the tasting room and get into the weeds talking cidermaking technique. traditional method (champagne method) encapsulated yeast vs. loose yeast tank carbonation making sweet reserve fermentation tanks yeast combinations and the ciders on offer in the tasting room. Alex writes, "When I visited the Finger Lakes Cider House in July of 2017, I was completely taken with the vibe of Good Life Farm, which is the on-going vision of Garrett Miller and Melissa Madden. More than just an orchard and more than just a cider house, Good Life Farm is a diverse ecological farm that was designed to do the most good for the land and the community that surrounds it. Central to their management philosophy are permaculture design principles, a system for managing the human impact on the planet by working with nature instead of against it. The difference between a “conventional” farm and one that incorporates permaculture design principles was immediately apparent to this midwesterner who is used to driving by the country miles of soy and corn. By contrast, Good Life Farm feels like stepping back in time before the Green Revolution transformed the agricultural landscapes of the United States into a patchwork quilt of monocrops with “high tech” petrochemical farming. Instead, Good Life Farm has picturesque orchards interplanted with asparagus, high-tunnel greenhouses downhill from the beautiful ciderhouse, apple trees grown along the contours of the hill, with vegetable rows, ponds and cow pastures interspersed. The methods used at Good Life Farm are decidedly low-tech. They use draft horses to accomplish many of the tasks that a tractor would normally do today. Other animals, such as turkeys, geese and beef cows, help with various tasks like insect control and soil fertilization." So what does this mean for their cider? Garrett and Melissa believe that by managing the land in this way they can grow apples that are more flavorful than apples grown under other management systems and will translate into better cider. Another component of their farm that contributes to their cidermaking paradigm is their tasting room. The Finger Lakes Cider House showcases their house ciders, Kite and String (previously Good Life Cider), and three other nearby cidermakers including Black Diamond Cider, Eve’s Cidery, and Redbyrd Orchard Cider. Melissa comments that because these other three cidermakers are tending toward the drier end of the sweetness palate, Garrett and brother/cidermaker Jimmy have created a number of semi-sweet, medium sweet and sweet ciders in addition to their dry ciders to appeal to drop-in traffic from patrons on the Finger Lakes wine trail. This range of cider style varieties gives them the opportunity to experiment with ciders that span the sweetness palate as well as develop some interesting cider styles that you likely won’t find anywhere else, such as a young cider, a royal cider, and a Rosé cider consisting of fermented apple juice and unfermented Riesling and Marachal Foch red wine. Below you’ll find the map that Melissa and I are standing in front of at the beginning of the chat while we discuss permaculture management zones. Contact Fingers Lakes Cider House website: http://www.fingerlakesciderhouse.com/ telephone: 607-351-3313 email: melissa@fingerlakesciderhouse.com Good Life Farm website: http://www.thegoodlifefarm.org/ Mentions in this chat: Permaculture: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture https://permacultureprinciples.com/ Other cideries at the Finger Lakes Cider House: Black Diamond Cider: https://www.blackdiamondcider.com/ Eve’s Cidery: https://www.evescidery.com/ Redbyrd Orchard Cider: https://redbyrdorchardcider.com/ Ask for the following 9 #ciderGoingUP Campaign sponsors - By supporting these cider makers, you in turn help Cider Chat Kurant Cider - Pennsylvania : listen to Joe Getz on episode 14 Big Apple Hard Cider - NYC : listen to Danielle von Scheiner on episode 35 Oliver’s Cider and Perry - Herefordshire/UK ; listen to Tom Oliver on episode 29 Santa Cruz Cider Company - California : listen to Nicole Todd on episode 60 The Cider Project aka EthicCider- California Albermale CiderWorks : listen to Chuck Shelton on episode 56 Cider Summit : listen to Alan Shapiro founder of this cider fest on episode 75. 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In the final episode of On the Road with Beer Sessions Radio Season One, host Jimmy Carbone travels to the Finger Lakes. He visits The Farmhouse Brewery in Owego, the first malting house in New York State in over a decade and one of only a handful also brews in-house. You’ll hear from a top grains farmer about the challenges he faces to produce and distribute unique, artisanal grains to brewers. You’ll also meet the experts who support him in his work. Up in Ovid, Jimmy visits Blackduck Cidery and meets the whole family behind some of the best cider in the state. Plus, meet the community behind New York cider at Finger Lakes Cider House. The Farmhouse Brewery Marty and Natalie Mattrazzo are the visionaries behind The Farmhouse Brewery in Owego, NY. Their motto is “farm fresh from ground to glass." Their delicious brews are a combination of the freshest ingredients, and Marty’s refined palate creates art in every pint. Diligent small grains farmers from all over New York State grow their barley. Only the highest quality grain makes its way to their on-site malt house, where they malt each batch of barley using a time-tested artisanal process. Their hops are of the highest quality that they can source from seasoned hops growers with New York State. The New York hops industry is currently expanding to again become a major supplier of hops varieties to the entire Northeast United States. Oechsner Farms Located in Newfield, New York, just south of Ithaca, Oechsner Farms is a feast for the senses. Thor Oechsner, owner and multi-talented, is the grandson of a German baker. As a teenager he was able to convince his parents to allow him to turn their suburban yard into his first cornfield. Oechsner graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Cornell and by 1991 had started a three-acre vegetable farm while also running a Volkswagen and Audi repair business. Oechsner now farms approximately 600 acres of certified organic grains on rented land throughout the Finger Lakes region. In addition, as part owner of Wide Awake Bakery, Oechsner sees a similar benefit to the bakery business as he does the milling operation. He is more interested in the role that the bakery serves as a tool for marketing for the unique and heritage grain varieties that he produces. Blackduck Cidery We visited Blackduck Cidery in the town of Ovid, NY in the Finger Lakes region. It’s a family run orchard that produces cider, Perry, and vinegar in small batches, using ambient yeast fermentation. John Reynolds and Shannon O’Connor run the operation of the cidery along with their two beautiful redheaded daughters, Idunn and Pippin. They have been growing fruit in the Finger Lakes region of New York for well over a decade. They sell fresh fruit using organic standards through farmer’s markets, restaurants, natural groceries and their farm stand. John is expert in his knowledge about orchards, apples, fruits and anything cider-related. A former student of Cornell University and later employed as a field technician, John actively supports professors in their research of orchards, harvest and post-harvest work. Shannon is more focused on the smooth running and operations of the business, along with the grunt work in the field, while juggling being a mother of two. In her “free” time she also is the Director of the Edith B. Ford library in Ovid, NY. Idunn, the elder daughter, is the master fruit tester and critic. Pippin is the youngest and newest member of the clan; she is just very cute and very skilled at flower picking. Finger Lakes Cider House The Finger Lakes Cider House at Good Life Farm in Interlaken, NY is a certified organic farm and a full diet CSA. The Finger Lakes Cider house is a collaborative multi-cidery tasting room. Melissa Madden and Garrett Miller started the operation in 2008 after purchasing 69 acres of land, mostly growing corn, wheat and soy. Since them it has transformed into a diverse ecological farm, they have planted bushes and trees and bought turkeys, geese, beef cows, and draft horses. They produce their Good Life Cider, a distinctive American style and creatively blended with international influences. Their range is based on traditional bittersweet apples and sharp, acidic heirloom fruits. At the Cider House, they feature their own cider as well as amazing ciders from other cidery friends. Each of these dedicated grower-producers live and work in the Finger Lakes region, and their ciders are true Finger Lakes originals.
In the final episode of On the Road with Beer Sessions Radio Season One, host Jimmy Carbone travels to the Finger Lakes. He visits The Farmhouse Brewery in Owego, the first malting house in New York State in over a decade and one of only a handful also brews in-house. You’ll hear from a top grains farmer about the challenges he faces to produce and distribute unique, artisanal grains to brewers. You’ll also meet the experts who support him in his work. Up in Ovid, Jimmy visits Blackduck Cidery and meets the whole family behind some of the best cider in the state. Plus, meet the community behind New York cider at Finger Lakes Cider House. The Farmhouse Brewery Marty and Natalie Mattrazzo are the visionaries behind The Farmhouse Brewery in Owego, NY. Their motto is “farm fresh from ground to glass." Their delicious brews are a combination of the freshest ingredients, and Marty’s refined palate creates art in every pint. Diligent small grains farmers from all over New York State grow their barley. Only the highest quality grain makes its way to their on-site malt house, where they malt each batch of barley using a time-tested artisanal process. Their hops are of the highest quality that they can source from seasoned hops growers with New York State. The New York hops industry is currently expanding to again become a major supplier of hops varieties to the entire Northeast United States. Oechsner Farms Located in Newfield, New York, just south of Ithaca, Oechsner Farms is a feast for the senses. Thor Oechsner, owner and multi-talented, is the grandson of a German baker. As a teenager he was able to convince his parents to allow him to turn their suburban yard into his first cornfield. Oechsner graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Cornell and by 1991 had started a three-acre vegetable farm while also running a Volkswagen and Audi repair business. Oechsner now farms approximately 600 acres of certified organic grains on rented land throughout the Finger Lakes region. In addition, as part owner of Wide Awake Bakery, Oechsner sees a similar benefit to the bakery business as he does the milling operation. He is more interested in the role that the bakery serves as a tool for marketing for the unique and heritage grain varieties that he produces. Blackduck Cidery We visited Blackduck Cidery in the town of Ovid, NY in the Finger Lakes region. It’s a family run orchard that produces cider, Perry, and vinegar in small batches, using ambient yeast fermentation. John Reynolds and Shannon O’Connor run the operation of the cidery along with their two beautiful redheaded daughters, Idunn and Pippin. They have been growing fruit in the Finger Lakes region of New York for well over a decade. They sell fresh fruit using organic standards through farmer’s markets, restaurants, natural groceries and their farm stand. John is expert in his knowledge about orchards, apples, fruits and anything cider-related. A former student of Cornell University and later employed as a field technician, John actively supports professors in their research of orchards, harvest and post-harvest work. Shannon is more focused on the smooth running and operations of the business, along with the grunt work in the field, while juggling being a mother of two. In her “free” time she also is the Director of the Edith B. Ford library in Ovid, NY. Idunn, the elder daughter, is the master fruit tester and critic. Pippin is the youngest and newest member of the clan; she is just very cute and very skilled at flower picking. Finger Lakes Cider House The Finger Lakes Cider House at Good Life Farm in Interlaken, NY is a certified organic farm and a full diet CSA. The Finger Lakes Cider house is a collaborative multi-cidery tasting room. Melissa Madden and Garrett Miller started the operation in 2008 after purchasing 69 acres of land, mostly growing corn, wheat and soy. Since them it has transformed into a diverse ecological farm, they have planted bushes and trees and bought turkeys, geese, beef cows, and draft horses. They produce their Good Life Cider, a distinctive American style and creatively blended with international influences. Their range is based on traditional bittersweet apples and sharp, acidic heirloom fruits. At the Cider House, they feature their own cider as well as amazing ciders from other cidery friends. Each of these dedicated grower-producers live and work in the Finger Lakes region, and their ciders are true Finger Lakes originals.