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There are three principal reasons for making your own cider.
Environmental. The vast majority of old cider apple trees have all but disappeared, with less than a dozen varieties remaining in large scale cultivation and young plants of rarer varieties sold in only a handful of nurseries. We collect and grow an increasing list of true cider apple trees, but this is only possible if there is demand for them. This range of varieties is almost entirely made up of trees that are superior in in most respects (including quality and taste) to those in modern, large orchards. Superior in all respects except two. They do not produce as many apples and they are often more disease prone. But they help create a biodiversity that we need more each year
Quality. As a counterbalance to their relative lack of productivity (and it is relative as a dozen well grown trees on semi-vigorous rootstocks will keep a large and very thirsty family merry all year), they make far better cider, more naturally and in almost infinite variety.
Satisfaction. Spend a warm afternoon in the garden, working up a good sweat. Retire to the garage and pull yourself a pint of your own cider, blended from 3 or 4 vintage varieties to your own recipe and drink it. Only then can you understand the sheer pleasure that comes from making your own cider.
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