This press was first used in
the 1890's, but Critz Farms is now in our fifth year of sweet
apple cider production!
The Harvest Moon Cider
Mill:
Sweet apple cider is pressed on our antique
Boomer & Boschert, 48" x 48" four screw press.
The press, circa 1890's, was made in Syracuse, NY, and was originally
used at a water powered cider mill in Pennsylvania. We acquired
the press in 2006 and have made significant renovations to meticulously
and authentically restore it. The press is line shaft driven
and is currently powered by an electric motor. Visitors can watch
all the steps of the cider production and will be intrigued by
the noisy series of conveyor belts, gears, and belts used to
move the apples through the process of being washed, ground,
spread, pressed, UV treated, and bottled to produce farm fresh
delicious sweet apple cider.
This historical machinery is one of the
last operating four screw cider presses in New York State. It
is designed to press over 1000 gallons of cider per day, using
25 bushels of apples to make about 75 gallons of cider per press.
Cider pressing demonstrations, complete with informational explanation
and audience participation, will take place on weekend days from
10-4 during our annual Fall Harvest Celebration.
Free samples of our delicious cider
are available on weekends, and of course you'll want to take
some home! Don't forget to try the
fresh, hot apple cider mini-donuts too!
The Apple Orchard:
We began planting our first apple trees
in spring 2005 and had our first harvest in September 2007. It
has taken a number of years to establish the orchard, now complete
with 1800 dwarf apple trees. The farm grows Cortland, Empire,
Macoun, several Macintosh varieties, and Honey Crisp apples.
Each year our production is expected to increase as the trees
mature. We have added a section of special European cider apples
that we use to enhance the flavor of our ciders. These apples
do not taste good as eating apples, so avoid this section when
you are in the orchard for pick-your own. Commonly known as "spitters"
due to their bitter tast, these special varieties are used for
our hard cider production.
Pick-your-own:
Critz Farms visitors are invited for apple picking on weekends
beginning in mid September and continuing into October while
supplies last. Currently, wagon rides to the orchard are only
offered on weekends, however, weekday visitors can inquire in
the gift shop about the possibility of accessing the orchard
at other times. This year we will start weighing the apples and
charging by the pound rather than our previous method of charging
for a specific sized bag.
Pre-picked apples: We will also have fresh, locally grown pre-picked
apples for sale. Some of the varieties may come from our own
orchard while others come from our fellow growers in Apple Valley.
Visitors can hand select their apples from the large crates,
allowing for ample opportunity to mix and match from the varieties
available each week.
The Harvest Moon Cidery:
We are very excited and
thrilled about the success of the Harvest Moon Cidery, an extension of the Harvest Moon Cider Mill. After
experimenting with hard cider production on a "home winery"
level, Critz Farms became a licensed Farm Winery in 2011. Thanks
to our loyal customers, our first season was wildly successful!
We have significantly expanded production to meet customer demand,
and are also working to have our ciders on tap in area restaurants
and bars.
The Harvest Moon Cidery
is a licensed Farm
Winery specializing
in hard cider.
We make all our hard ciders using our sweet cider as a base.
We have developed special recipes which we have enjoyed sharing
with farm visitors. We currently have six hard cider products
and are in the process of developing others. Four of our ciders
are offered on tap and can be purchased in refillable growlers
as well as in attractive bottles. Visit the Farm Winery web site for more information.
Big news: we just learned that we were awarded two medals at
the New York State Wine competition for our Blissful Moon Hard
Cider and our Red Barn Raspberry Hard Cider. We are thrilled!
The Tasting Room: Our beautiful tasting room was
completed just in time for the 2011 Fall harvest Celebration.
We built an addition on the south end of the Cider Mill / Sugar
House building. This new structure houses a winery production
area as well as a comfortable tasting room (with lots of windows
and a big patio!). We will offer tastings as well as hard cider
by the glass for on farm consumption. Of course you can purchase
hard cider to take home as well! We expect to provide interested
visitors with informational tours about hard cider production
too!
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|
Critz Farms
3232 Rippleton Road
Cazenovia, NY 13035 |
Phone: 315-662-3355 800-442-3225
Fax:(315)662-3040
email:info@critz farms.com |
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