An apple a day...
From the mountains of Kazakhstan, Apples were introduced into the Hudson Valley by Dutch settlers in the 17th century. Since their planting on US soil, the humble apple has become an unmistakable icon of New York state.
Many of us munch on a crunchy "apple a day", most likely a Fuji, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, or a Honeycrisp - an apple variety that, when cut open, doesn't oxidize and go brown as quickly. We are lucky to have these classic varieties grown locally, but what do they all have in common? They are crisp, sweet, not too tart. They represent the flavour profile and texture of the apples we have become accustomed to. We have almost unlimited access to these 'conventional' varieties of apples in New York State compared to tart, tannic varieties such as; Knobbed Russet, Cox or Gravenstein. So it's fair to say that our tastebuds have adjusted since the 17th century to favour the sweet, crisp kinds. If we were to bite into an apple that originally travelled over to the US all those years ago, many of us would screw our faces up as if we've just bitten into a sour lemon- very dramatic!
But the fact of the matter is, our craving for a consistently sweet "apple a day" has prevented us from getting to know the many hundreds of apple varieties that once filled the trees across New York. Our demands for the few we are a custom too, have bent the commercial market that now demands farmers to grow more apples of fewer varieties. Instead of taking each Apple for what it is, we scrunch our faces up and say it doesn't "taste good", so it has no purpose. There is truth in that some varieties just don't taste good enough to be eaten raw. However, those apples have a place. They can be processed, fermented, cooked, juiced, blended. They are natural acidity. NATURAL flavour. As a culture in New York, we have lost touch with our artisanal respect for the tart and tannic apples.
If we continue this way, both as farmers and consumers, we will lose rich Apple seed diversity.
Luckily, we have farms like Rose Hill Farm. A farm where they cultivate 72 varieties of apples on 3 acres- just for cider. A farm where they still grow the eating apples consumers demand whilst introducing us to some more unfamiliar yet delicious varieties. A farm that builds soil health in the orchard and utilizes fallen fruit for cider production. A place where natural is best. Where in the cellar, nothing but wild yeast and fruit is added, resulting in a wild fermented, minimal intervention cider. The flavours at Rose Hill represent the old and the resurrected flavour profile of New York State apples, a diverse, live product full of energy.
This year, Wally Farms is fortunate to get to know the team at Rose Hill Farm, a fruit farm and cidery located in Redhook New York. The more we learned, the more we wanted to share their work. We have partnered with videographer Kulton the Maker to produce a short film, From Soil To Cup. This video will be free to view when released Wednesday December 1st. To celebrate its release; you can purchase a bottle of the Rose Hill Kitchen Sink cider with a10% discount at Grapefruit Wine Co, Hudson Wine Merchants or directly from the Rose Hill Website and taproom in Redhook. Find out more here