Some of our favorite family traditions are in the fall and center around apples, pumpkins, and farms. There's nothing so delicious as fresh apple cider and hot pumpkin spice donuts. We gained that habit (and several pounds) in Michigan and have been searching for ways to keep it going in Maryland. Fortunately, Shrimp's preschool took a trip to a local orchard only 10 minutes away that makes DELICIOUS apple cider. They told us the secret was using lots of different kinds of apples to give it a full round flavor, but we've also learned (by sad experience) that it also takes a hot summer and plenty of rain. Too bad we still haven't found any where that makes pumpkin spice donuts to compare to Jenny's in Dexter, MI... :(
My pretty little ladies
Picking apples and putting them in the official apple-picker bag
Learning how the sorter sorts apples by size
Waiting for apples to come out the medium size chute
Beautiful fruit
Now the apples get a bath
The cider press was pretty loud grinding up the apples
Squirting out the apple pulp which apparently is very tasty. Gravity makes the juices run through the cheese cloth and down the trays. There is a collection system that funnels it to spigots.
Mmm, truly the FRESHEST cider you can drink.
Shrimp getting her own little bottle of cider (which she drank in one day).
3 comments:
Don't worry, we'll eat a few good donuts for you when we visit Jenny's. I must admit with you gone, we haven't been there yet! What a sin.
Boy Shrimp looks so grown up, I hardly recognized her! Is she still picking at her cheek?
We miss you guys!
I must say that's one thing about MI that I miss - especially since fall is here...although finding good cider is a step in the right direction. I'll have to come check it out sometime soon!
Those donuts are a craving that will never be satisfied :( I wish I could find a cider mill around here. You'd think there would be one with so many apples around.
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