I am drenched. Despite waiting for the rain to ease up the rain permeates to the core. The grey leggings I began in now a deep charcoal. As I lean to release my feet my cap sheds rivulets of water. The skin on my arms slick where I smoothed Calm the evening before. It is June.
A June in which it has poured. After a Spring in which it poured.
Running in warm rain can actually be a lovely thing. I listen to audio books if I’m running busy lanes but rarely hear much beyond the first few minutes. Or rather; my ears disengage once my legs hit their rhythm. I still hear the voice, gently lapping at my senses, the occasional word breaking through the membrane that surrounds my thoughts.
Since I reframed my running from speed to experience, my brain can flow for miles. Thoughts and memories circulate. Some dredged up through the silty depths of time, others floating fresh from recent sights. As with seeds of differing sizes planted at differing depths in the loam of my mind, some take longer to germinate and push upwards into the light.
It’s been a reflective year for me. Couple of years. It seems my mind has had the ability to smooth over, erasing the marks in the sand where grains have been shifted, leaving disturbance and uneven footing. As the waves of time lap on the shore, those grains are retained but jumble along with the will of the tide. Every so often a grain rises up again, rubbing against unfamiliar ground and making itself known once more.
These lone grains have been gathering mass as they swirl upwards from murky corners of my mind. Noted for the new forms they begin to take. Their curved lines and gentle mounds growing to drifts that must be navigated. It’s these banks that are being navigated as I’ve begun to record the journey that brought us to Rull. That you’re navigating with me.
Hello and welcome to this month’s Out of the Orchard, a letter in which I share what’s been occupying my time, and mind, when we’re not in the orchard. If you enjoy what you read, do hit the little heart at the bottom of the post and leave me a comment, I’d love to hear from
you all!
Beyond the heavy intermittent pouring from the skies, the last month has been punctuated with pourings. Pouring cider and perry. Pouring with sweat as we lumber through the orchard meadow to water this year’s young trees in the three week drought in May.
The pouring of cider and perry drew me out of the orchard during the terrific heat that arrived in mid-May. We were invited to pour a selection of our ferments at the London Cider salon at the Tate Modern. I rarely go to London, the call of the rolling hills of Devon being louder and more convincing than that of the big smoke. A trip to London feels too bulky for a single day, so I extended my visit and reached to connect with far away friends whom I rarely see.
Packed for five days in my day pack, I trundled through London streets capturing humid vibes from a city that emits a vibrancy of mankind. The heat was cloying, my backpack growing heavier as the afternoon progressed. An orchard beast lumbering over unfamiliar ground, my eyes ever searching for signs of nature and glimpses of green. In the orchard I’d head to the dappled shade of a leafy Pigs Snout, or Slack my Girdle under drooping boughs. In London I sought the refuge of park benches under ancient Planes. The grasses of Westminster an enchanted emerald, nourished from the grace of mists from cooling sprinklers. How I envied those blades.
It wasn’t until I settled down at the end of the first day that I looked at my phone. As I’d been wandering distant streets, Mike had been chatting with the crew at the Devon County show over our entries in the West Country cider and perry Championships. The arena of cider competitions is not one of hazardous gauntlets or Code Duello. The community of orchard fruit fermenters is a harmonious one, with makers sharing the evolution of their entries and celebrating one another’s deserved success1. Glasses are poured, entries are shared, the final judgement is judged. Some are lucky enough to have their entries acknowledged a more accomplished than their neighbour’s.
Our relationship with our ferments begins before each harvest, lasting several years for some as the flavours develop and tannins soften. Each one is poured many times before it leaves the orchard. Any we feel have progressed with exceptional aroma, depth, or length may be chosen to represent us in a Championship. Now is the season for judges to pour and savour. Some of our entries have received the subtle nod of approval, others not2. Not always the ones you feel had the strongest chance or had invested the most time in. All greatly appreciated for their recognition.
From our ciders being poured behind the closed flaps of country marquees, I headed to pour at the London Cider Salon. On one of the hottest days this year, hundreds descended on the Tate Modern to experience as many of over one hundred ferments for themselves. An air thick with anticipation, a quickened beating and eager outstretched glasses. I envied them. To be on the other side of the table opened the door to sampling so many ferments from so many makers. The majority being from the UK but with some visiting from overseas. Rarely is such an opportunity presented for the taking3.
From the pouring of freshly pressed juice into a fermentation vessel to the simple pouring of a cider into a glass, time and again our journey with Rull offers us potentials and possibilities. Pouring rain quenches our trees, pouring drinks quenches our thirst and yours. Long may there be pouring!
(Hopefully not from the skies on 20th June when it would be absolutely delightful if you could join us for our Midsummer Orchard Picnic as the sun sets over the glorious, rolling Devon countryside. We’ll be offering treats from local producers to pair with your Rull drinks.)
I’m pictured with James - do follow vagrant cider for his work on preserving Cornwall’s gribbles and Ross Cider for their orchard updates (and try both their ciders if you ever get the opportunity!)
So lucky to have been recognised for several of our ferments this year!
There is a Bristol Cider Salon in August - if you’re nearby, or have the option to be, then come along!