Franklin County CiderDays celebrates everything applesDate: 10/24/2023 In the fall, when orchards cool, the apples crack when you bite them and gush sweet juices. The Franklin County CiderDays celebrate those apple pleasures, along with the sweets and drinks made from the popular fruit and the orchards where they grow.
Apples grown in forests and overgrown fields will also be featured on Friday, Nov. 3, the first day of the weekend event. The Grange Hall in Williamsburg, a new venue this year, will host the Gnarly Pippin, also known as Matt Kaminsky, who will lead the fourth Annual Wild and Seedling Pomological Exhibition. Kaminsky explained his event, unique in the world, as a chance for people to see if an apple they found in the wild is suitable for cultivation.
“A wild apple tree, it is unique and one of a kind,” Kaminsky said. “No identical apple exists in the world until that variety is grafted and cloned by a human and grown elsewhere.”
Pomology is the study of fruit. At Kaminsky’s event growers in the cider and orcharding world will taste wild apples and examine them with the nine parameters of the American Pomological Society. Taste and juiciness are prime considerations, but the apple experts will also consider fruit weight, diameter, skin texture, shape and growth habitat. The goal of sharing their notes will be to find wild apples ideal for cultivation for a specific use, wines or liquors, apple sauce or pies.
The CiderDays includes a cider trail that leads from orchard to distillery, retail store to wine bar. Many cideries will showcase special displays, guest vintners and bakers, talks, presentations and oysters. West County Cider, located on Peckville Road in Shelburne, invited Lucky Lips Oysters, a family oyster farm on Cape Cod, to serve up the tasty shellfish on Saturday, Nov. 4.
Bill Seibert, owner of the Shelburne Falls Cork, a seller of locally produced wines and liquors, said his customers love West County Cider products. Seibert also sells chocolates, baked goods and other local treats. For Seibert, the most important offering of the cider trail may be the publicity for local businesses.
“It draws people from all over the world,” Seibert said. “A lot of people … it introduces them to hard cider [or] introduces them to new brands.”
Not all cideries distill and ferment the same way. Peter Mitchell, owner of Headwater Cider on Forget Road in Hawley, ferments his hard cider slowly, at low temperatures, over four or five months. The slow fermentation preserves the delicate esters that give cider its taste and bouquet. Mitchell will also pour ciders from five producers outside of Franklin County to expose fans to Western Massachusetts cideries that use different processes.
Mitchell will pour Spanish ciders, which are “a different bird altogether.” The fermentation, acidity and pouring technique are all different. Mitchell’s own cidering process resembles wine making. His ciders are crisp and on the dry side, like a dry white wine.
“What’s the difference between wine and cider?” Mitchell asked. “The way I do it, not much. They use grapes and I use apples.”
Jerry Friedman, owner of Beaver Pond Distillery in Petersham, makes stronger libations, a variety of fruit brandies. He imported a 50 gallon copper still designed specifically to render fruit schnapps, different from most schnapps made in the United States, which are sweet. Before he was asked to be a vendor, Friedman followed the cider trail because it’s a lot of fun.
“My distillery, generally speaking, is not open to the public,” Friedman said. “This is an opportunity to come, try new things, and see products that are not in the mainstream.”
Friedman was traveling through Europe when, in France, he discovered the distilling process known as eau de vie, water of life. The spirits he distills are also known as rakia in the Balkans, polenca in Hungary and schnapps in Germany. His brandies are made in small batches, with local and regional fruit.
Cideries and orchards outside of Franklin County are also on the cider trail, but will take more driving to reach. The Brewery at Four Star Farms and Cameron’s Winery are located in Northfield, Massachusetts, while Pine Hill Orchards is in Colrain, across the Connecticut River. Red Apple Farm lies in Phillipston, near the border with Athol, and features a full food menu, petting zoo and hayrides. Scott Farm Orchard in Dummerston, Vermont, active since 1791, cultivates a wide variety of fruits and berries.
The Franklin County CiderDays will run from Nov. 3 to 5. More information on venues, including an interactive map, can be found at ciderdays.org/venues.
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