originally published in thelocaldish.com.
Photo: Katherine Montalto
Nothing marks autumn in Michigan quite like a trip to the cider mill. There is something wonderful about sitting at a picnic bench by a big red barn in the cool air of fall eating hot greasy doughnuts and sipping cool freshly pressed cider.
Michigan has been peppered with cider mills since the 1860s. Apple growers would bring their fruit to the mill to be pressed into juice, which would be used to make apple cider, applejack, hard cider, apple wine, and other apple products. Since the 1860s apples have become one of Michigan’s biggest cash crops with over seven million commercial trees across the state. Most of those seven million trees are grown on small family farms some of which have their own ‘u-pick’ orchards and small cider mills.
Photo: Katherine Montalto
For most people living in metro Detroit a cider mill is just a short drive north. Visitors can watch as the apples are washed, mashed, and then pressed into juice before picking up a jug of their own, along with a sack full of small cake doughnuts served hot.
Yates cider mill in Rochester serves fresh cider and doughnuts along with an assortment of other treats like fudge, pies, and apple and pumpkin butters. The park around the mill offers scenic walks along the river that powers the mill. Other mills, like Blake’s in Armada, have ‘u-pick’ orchards, where customers can fill up bags of apples before grabbing some cider and doughnuts.
