A Return to Artisan Cider Making

Like peaches, apples are typically grown with the use of poisons to kill a variety of pests, from fungi to insects. Scrubbing and peeling doesn't eliminate chemical residue completely, so it's best to buy organic when it comes to apples. Peeling a fruit or vegetable also strips away many of their beneficial nutrients.

Can't find organic? Safer alternatives include watermelon, bananas and tangerines.

Down from No. 2 in 2009, apples still rank among the dirtiest fruits and vegetables, with 42 different pesticides having been detected as residue.

Photo: Gloria Dawson

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Artisan cider making is a small but growing craft in the modern-day United States. Eve's Cidery in New York's Finger Lakes region is run by husband and wife team Autumn Stoscheck and Ezra Sherman and their partner James, who comes from a long line of orchardists. Though there are only a small number of commercial cider makers in the US today, it has deep roots in traditional American culture.

On the Eve's Cidery website they write: "In the Finger Lakes region during the 1700’s and 1800’s there was a cidery nearly every ten miles. Before prohibition the fermented juice of apples (called simply cider) was the most popular beverage in America with estimated per capita consumption as high as one barrel per year."

In early September we visited Autumn and Ezra (see video below), who showed us around their orchard and let us watch the cider pressing process. Part of eating locally is staying connected to the traditions and history of where we live. Be it cider, putting up for winter or gardening, explore your landscape and find those lost traditions. You can start whereever you are.

Find where to buy from Eve's Cidery at www.evescidery.com or if you live in New York City, visit them at the Union Square Greenmarket on Fridays and Saturdays.

Sophia Brittan is a trained chef and the editor of Kitchen Caravan, an online resource for healthy eating and cultural education.

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