Saskatoon Glean 2012

KevinForaging, From the Cellar, From the Garden, From The Wild, Fruit from the Yard, Saskatoon Wine, Saskatoons, Saskatoons Galore, U Pick Fruit, Wild Fruits, Wine6 Comments

Long, long ago, in a former saskatoon u-pick that is now more lawn than bush, a friend and I harvested saskatoons by the 5 gal pail and I made wine. Not your usual cooler-esque cheery saskatoon wine, but a heavy, dense, rich, viscous wine, aged with american white oak. That was way back in 2009. That vintage is now 3 … Read More

Episode 29 – Applejack

KevinApple Wine, Applejack, Apples, Cider, Cider Making, From the Cellar, From the Garden, Fruit from the Yard, Wine11 Comments

Applejack is a hard liquor of 20-30% abv that can only be made when it’s extremely cold out. For that, it is special to me. Its flavours and smells cannot be created in warmer climates – perhaps why the Normands don’t do applejack despite their apple-booze culture…they simply can’t. It’s extra special due to the fact that distilling booze to make spirits is … Read More

I’m So Over You, 2011 Apple Crush.

KevinApple Wine, Apples, Cider, Cider Making, From the Cellar, From the Garden, Fruit from the Yard, Wine7 Comments

There has been an inverse relationship between my activity with food and my number of posts lately – ie, I’ve been so busy harvesting and processing fruit and veg that there’s really not much time left to write. But I believe I’ve turned a corner. Apple crush is over. Last year I crushed and pressed about 1000 lbs of urban … Read More

Normandy, Part 2: Apple Booze

KevinApple Wine, Apples, Cider, Cider Making, From the Cellar, Fruit from the Yard, Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton, Wine1 Comment

[Part 1 is here]. Over lunch yesterday it came up that some of the calvados I was tasting in Normandy was 40 years or older, the oldest specific vintage being a 1969 Dupont. That would be very unusual in the wine world, and highlighted  one of the fantastic things about spirits vs. wine: shelf stability. Opening a bottle of 1969 … Read More

Normandy, Part 1: How They Do Things

KevinApple Wine, Apples, Cider, Cider Making, From the Cellar, Fruit from the Yard, Wine, Wine Making, Wine Vinegar7 Comments

I’m back. Not surprisingly, Normandy was quite the beautiful adventure. I was there to educate my palate, learn some methodology in cider and calvados production, and most importantly to glean from their centuries-old apple food culture. I live in a place of copious amounts of largely wasted urban apples, with a brand-newly emerging scene surrounding how to save them and … Read More