Living out in the country means that grocery stores are a bit further of a drive (among other things, read here) but one huge perk is all of the farmers in the area having produce stands in their front yard. Our neighbor to the north has a large orchard where he sells apples and other fruits, homemade apple cider and homemade apple cider vinegar. Last week Sunday Morning we were running low on our gallon of apple cider so off we went for a morning walk to the orchard.
Otto took some convincing to put Salem his kitten down and get into some real clothes but we finally managed. Side note: I’m obsessed with these long john style pajamas. They’re currently 40% off on the site right now). I just ordered him some Christmas ones and this cute little gnome sweater.
What is it about toddlers not wanting to put on actual clothes? Otto HATES buttons all of a sudden.
Every year our neighbor at Square Nail Farm grows his stand a little bigger. This year he built the shed out by the road with a refrigerator so cars can pull right up. He is also selling bottles of apple cider vinegar made from the apples on his farm. We stocked up on cider and yet another pumpkin (Otto is obsessed) before walking back home.
Joe will drink cider cold a gallon at a time if I let him, but I prefer it hot and full of spices. Our neighbors cider is a bit more tart than others I’ve tried (but not sour). I love letting it slowly warm up in the slow cooker with cinnamon sticks and fresh nutmeg. I make my own thick vanilla whip cream for the topping and on the weekends that is what we will have for dessert after dinner.
My other favorite way to have cider is with brunch. Instead of an orange juice and champagne mimosa I substitute the cider for the orange juice. I’ve been thinking about possibly tweaking my winter sangria recipe to include apple cider.. has anyone done this before?
If you are in my area of Allegan come and check out my neighbors produce stand, grab some cider for the weekend and enjoy a cozy weekend at home.
