Our 2-acre orchard is located in the foothills of Overlook Mountain, where we began planting back in 2019. We were drawn to planting lesser known varietals that are prized for their use in cider, with other fruit trees and perennial fruits interplanted. Today, our orchard is home to a diverse collection of more than 25 varieties, mostly bittersharps and bittersweets rich in tannins, often with rather peculiar names such as Esopus Spitzenburg, Kingston Black, Cox Orange Pippin and Dabinette, to name a few.
Wrapped by ancient field stone walls, the soils in our orchard are shallow and rocky for certain, but healthy and well drained. We grow on a glacial till, which results in a diverse soil mineral profile which gives our fruit a distinctive regional complexity. In fact, we benefit from a rather ideal blend of sand, silt and clay which keeps our soil consistently moist without ever oversaturating or drowning the roots. This soil, along with the maintenance of consistent grass cover, allows us to practice very low intervention growing strategy without over irrigation, allowing for the apples to express the nuance of their locale more definitively.
As New York natives, the apple has always been woven into the fabric of our lives. New York State is the second-largest apple-producing state in the United States. The Hudson Valley is one of New York’s major apple-growing regions. More so, Ulster County, where we call home, is one of the top apple-producing counties in the entire United States. According to Cornell’s Ulster County agricultural profile, our county has more than 4,000 acres of bearing apple trees and we are proud to contribute a couple more.
the cider
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a bit of history
We’re making unfiltered traditional farmhouse cider inspired by America’s formerly most popular beverage, in the spirit of being our region's everyday “table wine.” When we speak of cider, we’re not talking about the modern colloquial term for unfiltered fresh apple juice, nor the canned, sweet, and force-carbonated drink that a lot of Americans have grown accustomed to. We mean fermented apple juice. Our cider is dry, and conditioned in the bottle until it has developed a style of carbonation known as pétillant naturel (what the French call “naturally sparkling”). It is akin to a sparkling white wine but rather than use grapes, we prefer to use our home state’s best known fruit: the apple.
New York State, and the country at large, has a long history of not only apple cultivation, but also of farmers making this type of cider and drinking it at their own tables. Early farms in Ulster County planted small orchards because apples were an extremely important staple for food and drink, and by as early as 1780, the area was know to have "apple orchards aplenty," producing apples for eating, cider and even apple whiskey. In those days, cider was made from whatever apples the farm had available. It was an unpretentious everyday beverage known and loved in agricultural communities, not seen as a specialty but as a reflection of that year’s harvest. It was a part of the rhythm of life, made from the harvest to be enjoyed at home or sold along the Hudson River when there was more than a family needed.
As time passed, the apple trees remained, but the cider largely disappeared from our culture. Commercial orchards shifted towards varieties grown for eating, oftentimes ripping out the old astringent cider apple trees in favor of more palatable and juicy (but bland) varieties, and the craft of cidermaking began to disappear with them. It is this lost tradition which we are interested in putting back on the center of the table.
our approach
Our nano-cidery is intentionally small. We ferment a blend of apples grown and gathered locally on our family orchard and neighboring farms. We have learned to make cider in a low-intervention way, and continue to learn with each new vintage. Every batch is fermented, aged and bottled by us on our farm, with a focus on highlighting the apples grown right here in the Hudson Valley.
Our goal is to help inspire a renewed appreciation for traditional cider while making the drinks we produce approachable and reasonably priced. Like the cider makers and orchardists before us, we’re here to celebrate each year’s harvest and the fermentation it brings.
Cidermaking is not a matter of following a recipe, as there is only a single ingredient: apples. Our cider is made from 100% pure juice, and is never pasteurized. There is nothing to hide behind, and so the quality and the character of the apple itself is of utmost importance. This also means that no two batches can be the same. Each bottle may smell, taste or look slightly different. These variations are the aspect of this process that is most exciting to us, and we hope it will be for you too!
locality
Similar to eating local honey, we feel that drinking locally made cider can communicate the story of the life of the apple and the landscape that it calls home. The Hudson Valley remains one of New York’s largest apple-producing regions, yet when we think of a bottle to bring to the table, more often than not we will reach for a wine. Why not cider?
We want our cider to be a comforting companion for all of your days, whether you’re celebrating a big life event, sharing a glass over conversation with friends or pairing with a typical dinner. It used to be that almost every town would have their own cider mill, and we want to be yours!
csa
Our first CSA is now open! Become a founding member and taste our first ever vintage!
For those unfamiliar, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. At its heart, it’s a direct relationship between a farm and the community that supports it. CSA members support the farm at the beginning of the season and, in return, share in that year’s harvest.
Having a community of CSA members helps us plan our production and supports the growth of our orchard and cidery. As a member, you’ll receive our cider at a discounted rate while supporting our operations. Our first vintage will spend the winter aging and will be ready by the summer.
We’re excited to share our first vintage of cider with the people who have been cheering us on, and with those who are just discovering us for the first time.
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contact
Please reach out with any questions you may have about our cider or CSA, wholesale inquiries, or just to say hello.
The farm is not open for regular visits. Join our mailing list for cider releases, CSA and pickup updates, occasional gatherings, and future events.
