I admit it. I was culturally deprived child. Hard not to be, when you grew up in Presque Isle, waaaay up north in Maine.
It's true: I never had real cider until I well into adulthood. At least as far as I can remember.
The cider of my childhood was the Bessy's Cider my grandmother served children at family gatherings, which came in gallon jugs, crystal clear, probably pasteurized, and was indistinguishable from apple juice.
Real cider, I found out, is unfiltered, unpasteurized, untreated, with no added preservatives. It is cloudy, a rich golden brown, a tad thick, and absolutely delicious. What passes for real cider in the supermarkets these days has sodium benzoate added as a preservative. Not good.
The first Real Cider that I remember was from the Lollypop Shop, midway between Bangor and Bucksport. The Lollypop Shop was a modest place that carried bolts of yard goods, catering to women who sewed, but had the good fortune of being located in an apple orchard. So in the fall, the Lollypop Shop sold the most wonderful cider, the bench mark for all cider since. Ice cold from the fridge, just the right mixture of sweet and tart, no one could drive off before uncapping the gallon jug and taking a big swig. Or two.
The Lollypop Shop disappeared years ago, so I had to switch to Merrill Farms, on the road from Bangor to Ellsworth. I can still smell the store, cold inside with bags of several varieties of apples, cheddar cheese, and a fridge full of cider. Then, Merrill Farms got sold in 2001 and the orchard disappeared. Lloyd Capen's orchard and cider press here on Deer Isle substituted for a couple of years, then Lloyd's age got in the way (he died in 2008), and no more cider.
I noticed in the Island Ad-Vantages that the historical society here was hosting a cider pressing a couple of weeks ago, so we went. Here is the process:
Cut up the apples, then grind them (That's Drew working the crank):
Then pour the crushed pulp into the cider press:
Crank away at the press:
And out comes cider:
Magic!
But this was just a demo. Where can we buy the stuff locally?
Presto!
On route 175 north of Brooklin, and sort of half way between Blue Hill Falls and the Flye Point Road, you'll find 5 Star Nursery and Orchard. We bought some super fruit trees here last spring and got a quick tour of their cider pressing operation. And they are pressing. Here is the result:
Yummy cider, and we hear the aged cider vinegar is fabulous. Plus peaches and cherry tomatoes.
But we went for the cider!
P. S. We are going to Maine Apple Day later this month. Stay tuned for a report.
P. P. S. I forgot. My college roommate was from Union, in the heart of Maine apple country. She went home every weekend and brought back a gallon of real cider. We kept it cold on the window sill, and by Thursday, it was hard. Talk about good...
It's true: I never had real cider until I well into adulthood. At least as far as I can remember.
The cider of my childhood was the Bessy's Cider my grandmother served children at family gatherings, which came in gallon jugs, crystal clear, probably pasteurized, and was indistinguishable from apple juice.
Real cider, I found out, is unfiltered, unpasteurized, untreated, with no added preservatives. It is cloudy, a rich golden brown, a tad thick, and absolutely delicious. What passes for real cider in the supermarkets these days has sodium benzoate added as a preservative. Not good.
The first Real Cider that I remember was from the Lollypop Shop, midway between Bangor and Bucksport. The Lollypop Shop was a modest place that carried bolts of yard goods, catering to women who sewed, but had the good fortune of being located in an apple orchard. So in the fall, the Lollypop Shop sold the most wonderful cider, the bench mark for all cider since. Ice cold from the fridge, just the right mixture of sweet and tart, no one could drive off before uncapping the gallon jug and taking a big swig. Or two.
The Lollypop Shop disappeared years ago, so I had to switch to Merrill Farms, on the road from Bangor to Ellsworth. I can still smell the store, cold inside with bags of several varieties of apples, cheddar cheese, and a fridge full of cider. Then, Merrill Farms got sold in 2001 and the orchard disappeared. Lloyd Capen's orchard and cider press here on Deer Isle substituted for a couple of years, then Lloyd's age got in the way (he died in 2008), and no more cider.
I noticed in the Island Ad-Vantages that the historical society here was hosting a cider pressing a couple of weeks ago, so we went. Here is the process:
Cut up the apples, then grind them (That's Drew working the crank):
Then pour the crushed pulp into the cider press:
Crank away at the press:
And out comes cider:
Magic!
But this was just a demo. Where can we buy the stuff locally?
Presto!
On route 175 north of Brooklin, and sort of half way between Blue Hill Falls and the Flye Point Road, you'll find 5 Star Nursery and Orchard. We bought some super fruit trees here last spring and got a quick tour of their cider pressing operation. And they are pressing. Here is the result:
Yummy cider, and we hear the aged cider vinegar is fabulous. Plus peaches and cherry tomatoes.
But we went for the cider!
P. S. We are going to Maine Apple Day later this month. Stay tuned for a report.
P. P. S. I forgot. My college roommate was from Union, in the heart of Maine apple country. She went home every weekend and brought back a gallon of real cider. We kept it cold on the window sill, and by Thursday, it was hard. Talk about good...
