The Cider Barn

Harvest Time's Cider Barn

In the Harvest Time Cider Barn, we make fresh cider during apple season. You will also find our delicious Cider Shakes, Caramel Apples, and Caramel Apple Dippers here. Cider-making will normally begin in mid-September and go through October. We make cider on most Saturdays and Sundays so that you can see our entire process.

Cider-making begins with washed apples in orchard bins. These bins hold about 17 to 18 bushels of apples that have gone through the apple washer. Our apple sorters look at each apple to determine if it is good enough to put in a first quality bag. If it is not good enough, it will go into either a second quality bag or into the cider bin.

The washed cider apples are dumped into a conveyor that drops the apples into the apple grinder. The grinder chops the apples up into a mash. The apple mash is put between cider cloths and plastic press boards in alternating layers. When complete, these layers are moved into the press where hundreds of pounds of pressure is applied to squeeze as much cider out of the apple mash as possible.

The cider is then pumped into a tank where it is mixed with a bit of preservative. We finally put the cider in gallon jugs.

100% Apple Cider Facts

100% apple cider is:

• fat free;
• saturated fat free;
• sodium free; and
• cholesterol free.
• Apples and apple cider are two of the best sources of the mineral boron, which may promote bone health.

Click here for the Cider Master's answers to some of our most frequently asked questions!

Cider Barn Hours

The Cider Barn is open on Saturdays and Sundays only in September and October. The last weekend for the Cider Barn is usually the third weekend in October. Go to the Harvest Time Calendar for more information.