Several weeks ago I mentioned that I went back to my hometown to attend my husband’s reunion and the Guilford Fair. While we were in town we had the opportunity to visit an original cider mill.
We have a friend whose family home has been in the family since the 1700’s! On the property is an old cider mill that was in operation from the 1700’s until the early 1900’s!
Everything that was once used in the cider making process is still intact in the old cider mill barn.
People used to bring their wagonloads of apples to this mill to be crushed. The apple juice was then made into vinegar and hard cider. It was amazing to see the large gears that had been used to crush the apples.
Apples were unloaded into the top of the barn and then poured into the chute where the apples would be ground up.
A team of oxen was hitched up to the yoke and then they would walk in a circle and the apples would be crushed by the large gear. Kind of like a very large meat grinder!
The apple mash would then be transferred to a pressing station and the large press would be screwed down to extract the juice out. There were groves in the wood where the juice would pour out.
If you picture a small apple press the process is very much the same but on a much large scale.
This antique cider mill is in the process of slowly being restored. It was so interesting to see the ancient tools once used in the cider making process. It would have been amazing to go back in time and see the process in action. It’s wonderful that this gem has been saved and is slowly being restored. It gives people a glimpse into the past and how hard cider was once made.
I am so thankful for the opportunity to have viewed this cider mill. I look forward to visiting again someday when the whole barn has been restored.
Nancy on the Home Front 