It’s cider time

Posted by Bill on Monday, October 6, 2008   |   No Comments

Spectacular fall color, the smell of burning leaves, doughnuts, the snap of a crisp apple and, of course, fresh apple cider. This is the stuff of autumn in Michigan. According to the Michigan Apple Commission, more than 90 nations produce some 130 billion pounds of apples. In the U.S., 35 of our 50 states grow apples—a crop with an estimated worth of more than $1.7 billion. As the nation’s third largest producer of apples, Michigan growers devote approximately 37,000 acres to apple production. Most of our state’s farms, though, are less than 200 acres.

Michigan growers supply about 18 million bushels of apples annually. Our state’s apple crop also figures prominently in processed apples, and nearly two-thirds of Michigan’s crop becomes pie filling, jellies, apple butter, juice, applesauce, vinegar and cider.

According to the Michigan Cider Makers Guild, U. S. Department of Agriculture has touted the Great Lakes State as a model for the fresh cider industry. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration has used measures already in practice in Michigan as the foundation for some of its safety rulings. And cider makers from surrounding states come here in search of ideas to improve their own operations.

The doughnut’s best friend has a long and colorful history dating at least to 55 B.C. It was then that Romans arrived in England to find the locals enjoying a cider-like drink made from apples. Although it is widely agreed among people who study such things that apple trees grew along the Nile River as early as 1300 B.C., no one knows if Egyptians drank cider.

After English colonists brought apple seeds with them to the New World, orchards were abundant, and hard cider became one of the most popular beverages in the Colonies. In later years cider’s popularity wilted in head-to-head competition with German beer, but today it is once again enjoying great popularity on both sides of the Atlantic.

Although the process of crushing or pressing apple pulp (pomace or pommy) is basically the same from one maker to another, there is enormous variety in cider. Everyone seems to have their favorite. Each year we travel to Mattawan to get ours. It never disappoints. Schultz Fruitridge Farms (60139 County Road 652, Mattawan, MI 269/668-3724) has been around since 1951. And it’s not just us who think their cider is exceptional.

Since 1997 the Michigan Apple Commission has sponsored an Annual Apple Cider Contest. I don’t think Schultz’s cider has ever won, but I know a couple of years ago it was the runner-up in the opinion of the judges. No matter, it’s still the best I’ve ever had. In case you’re curious, the winner for 2007 was Engelsma’s Apple Barn of Walker, MI. It was chosen from among almost three dozen entries at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo held each year in December.

If all this talk about cider has your mouth watering, you can find a list of Michigan cider mills by contacting the Michigan Travel Bureau (888/784-7328). You can also find lots of information about cider and apples in general by visiting these sites: Michigan Cider, Michigan Hard Cider, and Michigan Cider Mills.

You might even take a day trip to an apple orchard or cider mill. Enjoy! It’s the taste of the season, and October is Michigan Apple Cider Month.

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