Traditions worth preserving
I haven’t been doing much in the workshop lately, so please bear with me while I ruminate on some other topics this month. I promise to circle back to modeling before the column is done.
Columbus Day weekend in October 2017, found my family traveling to Vermont and New Hampshire to attend my brother’s annual Oktoberfest bash. All five siblings took advantage of the gathering to surprise our father with a belated 80th birthday party.
As we drove through New England and proceeded farther north, it was hard not to notice the splendid display of autumn foliage and its progression. Nothing marks the passage of time in New England like a summer cut short by spectacular fall foliage.
Although still well short of peak, it was clear that this year’s leaf season was shaping up to be a good one. Fortunately, traffic was light and the hazards few. Despite letting my mind wander to watch the leaves and reflect on family traditions, we made it safely.
A couple of days before we left, I found myself watching Matthew Cremona on YouTube, who talked about a pair of new cider presses he has been making. That inevitably sparked memories of crisp, autumn days long past when I was growing up in Maine.
There was a cider mill approximately a mile or so from our house, and some neglected apple trees on our property. I don’t recall that the fruit was much for eating, but we always had great fun gathering up a few bushels and turning them into fresh cider.
Cider pressing is one of those activities that I had not yet shared with my son, and during the drive I started to wonder about trying to put a press together. Little did I know what the weekend would have in store.
Soon after crossing into Vermont, I called my newlywed sister to relay our timing, and her husband told us not to rush. He would be at home with
some friends, pressing cider! We arrived approximately 45 minutes later, only a few moments before the first apples were tossed into the grinder. My son, Gryffin, would finally get to see the entire process, save picking the fruit!
It turns out that cider is a pretty big deal for my new brother-in-law. He had recently bought a hydraulic bladder press to get the job done. Its main advantage is the time that is saved because you don’t need to stack pre-mashed apple pulp into multiple cloth-wrapped layers. Instead, you simply fill the cavity between the press’s porous shell and inner bladder with mash.
After it is in the press, the weight of the mashed apples will start to drive
The author’s brother (center back, wearing the hat) added Oktoberfest to his family’s traditions after working in Amsterdam for a few years. Appropriate wardrobe is encouraged and adds much to the festivities.
Thayer Syme
thayer@flying-models.com
The fresh cider was probably long gone by the time the author’s brothers posed for this photo! The photo booth got quite a workout throughout the evening.
cider from the pulp. Closing the press and starting the water to expand the bladder saw a virtual fountain of nectar streaming forth.
Succumbing to temptation, we couldn’t help but tuck a glass into the flow to sample the fresh juice. We pressed approximately 8 gallons that day, which proved just enough to get through the weekend’s festivities.
Later that afternoon, we headed to my brother’s Oktoberfest party. The hours-old cider proved quite popular that evening, despite an abundance of more traditional refreshments. As for the party itself, well, perhaps some tales are best left untold. Suffice it to say, planning is well underway for next year.
I might try to put together a small cider press for my own use. Matthias Wandel is a well-known YouTube woodworker, and he has a few videos about a simple grinder that he designed and for which he offers plans. His grinder would be a perfect complement for a sturdy oak press, and building the pair would be a great project to share with Gryffin. Who knows? Maybe it could be the basis for a good weekend project with his Boy Scout troop.
Links for both Matthew Cremona’s cider press and Matthias Wandel’s grinder are listed in “Sources.”
Oh, and our father’s party? It was a great success, and caught him completely unaware. We continued pretty much right where Oktoberfest ended the night before.
A group of his old work associates and sailing friends stood in for the lederhosen crowd, and we enjoyed several hours reliving old stories and making new plans while taunting each other around the hammerschlagen stumps. I even tossed up my quirky little Quadruplane for a few quick circuits over the lawn.
The author’s Quadruplane made a brief, festive flight to commemorate his father’s birthday. Its low wing loading and maneuverability safely allowed it to be kept in close for best viewing.
Summer Camping With the Boy Scouts
Last night, after a meeting of our local Scout leaders, my wife commented that our troop’s 2018
