134: Medlars "Pomme Rock Stars" & Judging Cider

What are Medlars?

• Medlars are pommes.
• It can be either a tree or a large bush.
• The small brown medlars are picked in the fall. Because Medlars are eaten in the winter months they were very popular at a time when fruit was not easily accessible during winter months.
• To Blet a Medlar, means that this pomme is allowed to over ripen to the point of almost being rotten.

How to eat a Medlar

• Wait until the medlar provides a smell of apple and figs - this tell you that the medlar is really ripe
• peal off the outer layer of skin
• squeeze off the green tail end.
• Plop the whole medlar in your mouth or eat with a spoon

The Eastern States Exposition annual Cider and Perry competition is now in its 3rd year. The short local name for the exposition is "Big E", which is fair held over two weeks, on the second weekend after Labor Day. In preparation for this year's  Big E a wine, cider and perry competition took place. The wine segment has been running for over 13 years! Cider and Perry as noted is now 3 years in the running.

This year’s judging for the upcoming Big E,  took place on June 9, 2018. There were over 50 ciders entered from all five New England states and New York.

The judging was held on the ground of the Big E and wine judges were also present, naturally sitting away from the cider judges

The Big E cider judges for 2018

• Charlie O’chowski - Founding members of CiderDays
• Mark Gryska - CiderDays Competition Director
• April Woodard - Wild Child Cellars
• Curt Sherrer - Millstone Cellars and Wild Child Cellars
• Emily Kovach editor of Cider Culture, an online cider publication.
• Ria Windcaller, Cider Chat Producer and Host

Big benefits for medal winners

• All medal winners are displayed in the Wine and Cheese Barn during The Big E exposing New England Ciders to a potential audience of over 1.8 million Fairgoers.
• Wine and Cheese Barn participants are able to sell and promote their ciders with one-on-one direct sales.
• All winners entering 2 or more ciders will be able to sign up for a day to sell ciders in the Barn for the day. Eastern States Exposition takes care of all the busy work, maintaining your inventory, setting up your display in the shop, and ringing up all your sales for the day! Cider Makers will be expected to pour, sample and build relationships with patrons. 

The Best is Show judging was recorded during this competition and is featured on this episode of Cider Chat.

The winner was Redfield cider produced by West County Cider, Massachusetts. Maker, Field Maloney is featured on episode 1 of Cider Chat

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Ask for the following ciders - By supporting these cidermakers, you in turn help Cider Chat

1. Kurant Cider - Pennsylvania : listen to Joe Getz on episode 14
2. Big Apple Hard Cider - NYC : listen to Danielle von Scheiner on episode 35
3. Oliver’s Cider and Perry - Herefordshire/UK ; listen to Tom Oliver on episode 29
4. Santa Cruz Cider Company - California : listen to Nicole Todd on episode 60
5. The Cider Project aka EthicCider- California
6. Albermale CiderWorks : listen to Chuck Shelton on episode 56
7. Cider Summit : listen to Alan Shapiro founder of this cider fest on episode 75.
8. Ramborn Cider Co. Luxembourg.
9. Big Fish Cider Co. Virginia
10. Tanuki Cider Co. Santa Cruz California episode 103
11. Ross on Wye Cider and Perry, UK
12. Process and Analytical NMR Services - John Edwards provides analytics of cider - stay tuned for his Chemical Fingerprints workshop coming up on Cider Chat
13. Ironbark Ciderworks, Claremont, California

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