Foraging Follow-up to the post about Aaron Burr Ciders: As I was driving up NY 97 along the Delaware River, I noticed quite a lot of roadside apple trees laden with fruit just north of Hankins and south of Hancock. I’m betting, due to their road-side locations, that they are the progeny of apple cores thrown out the car window. Delaware valley scrumpers, get to it!
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97 is one of scenic roads in America, and the old North Branch cidery is loved by everyone in the county. It embodied the true spirit of cider. We are honored to try to restore what the people lost when it closed down- Andy of Arron Burr Cider
Hi Andy! I hope I haven’t outed one of your foraging spots! I took some pictures of the North Branch cidery while I was in Sullivan County last weekend and will post them on the blog soon. I spent several summers as an intern at WJFF Radio and lived with cousins in Jeffersonville – it is a very special place for me. I’d love to know more about the North Branch cidery if you know anything about it. Best, Maria
Hey Maria, I don’t know much about the North Branch cidery either except everyone in the county tells me they used to bring their apples there to press. It was an old German guy who everyone loved and he had hard cider too, but I don’t think he legally sold it. I believe the ecoli scare and pasteurization laws forced the shut down about 12 years ago. Someone was working on the building not long ago but it still looks abandoned. -Andy
I crisscrossed Vermont in July and never have I seen so many roadside apple trees. In his new book Apples of North America, Tom Burford says that spent pomace was often spread along fencerows to control weeds, resulting in numerous seedling apple trees in future years.