Why CiderDay?

Orchards have given food and drink to New England for centuries. Here apples grow flavorful and juicy. Apple varieties---Baldwin, Newton Pippin, Roxbury Russet among them-- have been created. Hard cider has long been pressed, fermented, and enjoyed.

West County Winery started CiderDay in l994, to mark l0 years of fermenting. The hard cider tradition of the Franklin County hills--- part of the on-the-land, subsistence farming economy-- was changing. The number of gallons used for fermenting decreased as the century continued. Yet there still are and have been producers to talk to. CiderDay seemed a way to continue this tradition, giving fermenters a chance to meet, talk, taste and listen and to buy fresh-pressed, varietal, unadulterated cider.

Farmers and longtime cider makers and beer makers (a surprising number from the computer world near Boston) have been able to share attitudes and ciders. Paul Correnty (author of The Art of Cider Making) and Charlie Olchowski (of Frozen Wort Beer Making Supplies) have explained the basics. Local orchards have pressed cider to buy and ferment.

The first Saturday and Sunday in November have always been the dates for CiderDay. By then, even the late-bearing cider apples have been picked.

CiderDay has evolved. Nearby restaurants feature cider/apple recipes. The fresh-pressed cider is put in separate barrels, so those with carboys (or their own barrels) can create their own varietal mix. Growers, fermenters, and apple/ cider experts have become part of an afternoon program.

Cider makers from country and town, novices and long-time fermenters--come together and talk among themselves. They all are part of the cider making family-- part of the ingrained New England habit of using what is, of celebrating the apple, the power of fermentation, and the land.

CiderDay Photos by Mark Lattanzi
Lou Chadwick and a long line of heirloom apples	Apples waiting for the press at Clarkdale Orchards
Chef Michael Collins ready to cook	Judith Maloney pouring at West County Cider
Preserves at the Meeting House Market Place	Apple Desserts underway at The People's Pint
Working a home press	Pruning demonstration by Woody Lanoue