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Restoration of a 150 year old Barn.
clockmanFRA:
--- Quote from: Bruce S on January 15, 2016, 09:40:15 AM ---How did the apple Brandy turn out ?
--- End quote ---
We won't know yet for a couple of years.
It goes into oak casks, (hand made jobs, they still have Coopers here), its those casks that gives the flavour.
I have 5 diferent sizes of oak cask, so I could rotate them.
Trouble is I don't really think I can drink a cask a year.............. :P
We got all our equipment, scratter, (chpper/crusher), big screw press, oak casks, and several thousand bottles from the small Chateau up the road when they sold the place in 2003.
In general a good 15 to 20 year old Calvados, (apple brandy) is up there with a good Scottish Single Malt Whisky.
So I am a happy man.
Bruce S:
Happy yes!
I've made home-made apple Alky, then did what a "vintner" called cheating by doing freeze/thaw method using purchased oak barrel wedges.
WAS some of the smoothest Alky I made in years. I grow a heirloom ( small naturally) apple. To keep tree rats away, we pickup all that have fallen dump them into a air-locked barrel. Once I have enough , I get out the small solar still and get a brew going.
I cannot barrel mine (no room) so using freeze/thaw stages allow us to enjoy sooner.
NOT anything to brag about but,,, waste not want not ;D.
I would've thought the sunshine on the panels would melt that snow.
Cheers!
clockmanFRA:
Still winter here.
Last few days, the rain has stopped pelting down, and the winds have calmed down.
Building projects are still on hold.
But I did, with the help of my 9 year old, manage to cut and trim all the trees and hedges around the Wind turbine area.
Here is a photo of the once a year cut Reed Beds, Norfolk Reed, (Phragmites australis ), in the Wind turbine and the Lavoir building, (Power station), and wash pond area.
No 2 Turbine still down, 12 meter/ 40ft mast, Gin Pole is up, awaiting suitable dryish weather to get the trailer down the wet field to get the PMG down.
All our grey water from all our properties goes to the 40 sq meter reed beds. First a top feed 20sq meter gravel bed, then a settlement pond of 10sq meters and a final clear water area of 10sq meters, then all waters pass into the 100,000 litre fish pond, carp.
We have a separate, 200 meters away, foul water sewerage system for all our buildings.
ontfarmer:
Looks like solar panels on the " Lavoir Building " ?
The cat is checking to see if it is OK.
'
clockmanFRA:
Hi ontfarmer,
Yes, those PV panels are my oldest. They are Amorphous types, 80w, some are 28 years old and still producing, 2 are early Monos at 100w.
They now run a 9 year old small 12v water pumping system, 4off 12v bilge pumps, that takes the water up 5 meters to a 2000 litre Polypropylene water tank that gravity feeds 300 meters to our walled garden.
Need a walled garden here to keep the local flipping Cows out of the veg plot. Farmers fences here are not the best. Its small dairy herds, less than a 100 cows, clay heavy soil, rolling countryside that is not suitable for arable. Most farmers send the milk for Camembert Cheese, (EEC protected regional product), that is only 10 miles away.
Yes that's Kiwi, a French cat from a local rescue centre, just checking that everything is ship shape. He's a big cat and swims, and chases my carp about. Very odd to peer into the water to see a cat coming up towards you, yes he has webbed feet.
The local hunters around here shot are previous UK cat, a guy leaning over the gate then driving away.
My Mrs, very Parisian French, gave the local Hunt what for!..... But then we need them to keep the Foxes under control, we are always losing our chickens, even in broad daylight.
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