Child of the Planet

I've long thought that it was a bit 'on the nose' that Ozzies 'bag' the Americans for implementing protectionist policies, but are happy to 'stick the boot' into their cousins 'across the ditch'. Australia fights to keep out Kiwi apples, but embraces the humble cider... “Taking apples, smashing them, adding a bit of yeast and putting them in a bottle and charging 10 times as much for them, that gets a big tick,” The-juice-on-how-to-smuggle-apples-into-Oz So the moral seems to be 'that there is more then one way to skin a cat'! Anyone who says 'we need protection' is actually saying 'my product isn't good enough'. You can use disease or bugs as an excuse, but processing the raw material into something else is a way around those issues. In an earlier post ( Cider Decider ) I asked 'why there isn't more Tazzie sourced product? Instead of complaining, why haven't Tasmanian apple growers followed the same ...

The 'incline' is a decommissioned railway track that crosses the Rimutaka ranges, connecting Wellington with the Wiarapa. The tracks have been ripped up, and thanks to the requirements of rail,  there is now a pleasant hike along a gentle grade. I set off with a mate on an Sunday afternoon hike. We were dropped off on the Wellington side, and the plan was to meet up with our transport on the Wairarapa side three hours later for a fish and chip supper. The grade of the track starts out very easy, and there are regular info pillars inscribed with facts and histories. We passed a camping site on the way up and discovered a second site up at the summit. There are four tunnels on the hike so packing a light is a good idea. Once off the summit and heading down towards the Wiarapa, my hiking partner was starting to despair. The terrain is much more 'mountian like' and she was getting a bit tired and cranky with the much steeper grade. I'm glad we were walking ...

I was in featherston recently and discovered a new cider, a wild cider! Pale colour, honey sweet, refreshing taste, and no bubbles! It was 'so wrong', something in the back of my brain was crying out. Despite this, we were eating Indian and they complimented each other well. Lack of bubbles soothed the palette. It was pointed out by someone over dinner, that wine isn't bubbly (apart from champagne) Alpinegold Wild cider I enjoyed the novelty. Turns out that the 'carbonation' is an additional process. That I was having difficulty dealing with the lack of effervescence which is a bit daft. I've had 'still' cider before. In the U.K. At the atmospheric Maltings Pub in York. www.maltings.co.uk It was blood red and lived in a plastic carton perched high up behind the bar.

Back for round two. It's the great Cider tastings. ( Round one can be found here... ) Comments: I'm finding that a lot of the ciders are sweet or sour. I wish there were a few more 'dry' options on the market. Cheeky Rascal Summer Berry Lois: I could drink 'too many' of these. Strong alcohol. You could get pretty hammered with this one. Bunny: Sweet cherry infused champagne. I could drink this till the cows come home. Dave: Sherbet flavoured liquid Rohypnol.

Our favorites Lilly Napoleon Mercury Pipsqueak Jack Mercury Pipsqueak Monteths Lois Monteths Two Step Pipsqueak Dave Monteths Pipsqueak Mercury   Comments: Why do ciders not have any twist tops? Why can't I find any more Tazzie ciders? (Lois) Why aren't there more ciders like Monteths? Few of the ciders we sampled had a distinctive taste, colour, and aroma. I'm wondering if the market will need to diverge a bit to find ways to make their products stand out from the crowd. I though it was interesting that Lilly and Jack both thought the men/girl duo riding the tandem bike TV advertisement, was for Pipsqueak which has a bike on the label. The advertisement is for Five Seeds. See also :  cider-decider-round-two

I did a quick survey amongst a group of Wellingtonians and asked where they thought their cities cultural desert was? They all replied 'The Hutt' (The Hutt valley, of which there is an upper & lower, is north of the city CBD). I'd like to challenge the image these locals have. The Douse (named after Mayor Percy and Mayoress Mary Dowse ) opened in the 1970's. It's a modern art institution hosting a really diverse range of exhibitions. They also run several community embracing activities such as the 'Late Lounge'. You know it's a good band when people get up  and have a bit of a dance On the first Thursday of every month the Douse galleries are open until 9pm and feature a selection of performances. Tapas, Pizza, and wine can be purchased at the cafe Entry is free, as is the Wifi Link to Late-Lounge-at-The-Dowse