Favorite Cider Mills

**Brainiac** · October-19-09, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by detroitbred

New favorite is Three Cedars Farm in Northville on the north side of 6 mile, just east of Curtis Rd. ... Worth the trip.

I totally agree. That place is a class act, and regularly busy too!

It's nice to see a success story during these times.

**Motor City Sam** · October-19-09, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by detroitbred

My favorite for years [[ westside ) was Foremans on 7 mile in Northville, but sadly, they became a subdivision during the housing boom of several years ago. New favorite is Three Cedars Farm in Northville on the north side of 6 mile, just east of Curtis Rd.They don't make there own cider but it is delicious., and they make their own dounts.....very good. Eat in or out. Nice play areas and some animals for the kids to feed. A really nice gift store that sells great Halloween decorations [[ christmas too). They also are open for Christmas trees / wreath sales etc. Worth the trip.

Definitely worth the trip. I went there for the first time on Saturday because the new girl I am seeing wanted to go to a cider mill. I had never even been to one before, but enjoyed myself immensely. Great donuts, delicious cider, friendly staff.

**PlymouthRes** · October-19-09, 07:16 PM

Since no one has mentioned it, I'll throw in a recommendation for Plymouth Cider Mill on West Warren. They do make their own cider [[you can watch the press through the glass!), they have a nice eat-in/stuff for sale area and they sell the apples that they grow.

They offer hay rides into the orchard and a petting zoo for the kids. It gets a bit crowded sometimes, but I've been to some of the others mentioned here and they are just as crowded, so it is what it is and you just have to deal with the fact that lots of people like to go!

**Motor City Sam** · October-19-09, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by PlymouthRes

Since no one has mentioned it, I'll throw in a recommendation for Plymouth Cider Mill on West Warren. They do make their own cider [[you can watch the press through the glass!), they have a nice eat-in/stuff for sale area and they sell the apples that they grow.

They offer hay rides into the orchard and a petting zoo for the kids. It gets a bit crowded sometimes, but I've been to some of the others mentioned here and they are just as crowded, so it is what it is and you just have to deal with the fact that lots of people like to go!

Funny you mention Plymouth Cider Mill; it was the other option I was considering on Saturday before heading to Three Cedears because it was closer to where we were at the time. Plymouth Cedar is closer to my house, so maybe we'll give them a try before the season ends. Thanks for the review.

Buy American · October-19-09, 08:29 PM

Yates Cider Mill was featured on "Unwrapped" just now.

**jhartmich** · October-19-09, 08:32 PM

Ruby Cider Mill is my favorite. I use to work there tending the animals and sitting on a tractor all day cutting grass between the trees. On the weekends the guys pressed cider while the women made donuts. It was a great job while growing up. 10 miles west of Port Huron. Nice drive on a Sunday.

http://www.rubyfarmsofmi.com/

**Warrenite84** · October-20-09, 06:33 PM

Stony Creek Cider Mill and Goodison Cider Mill have REAL cider, [[unpasteurized). Although i'm a regular at Blakes, Yates, and the farm markets in Romeo, I'll still go the extra mile for authentic cider

**gnome** · October-20-09, 09:22 PM

Does anyone know how cider is made? I know about the pressing of the apples, but that is just the juice, something must happen to the juice to turn into that distinctive sweet zing. I assume they age it, but that seems pretty tricky in an unpasterized form.

Only wondering if someone knows.

**reddog289** · October-20-09, 11:30 PM

My folks go to the Plymouth Cider Mill every year, And since the "wife" has been bugging me well maybe I should take her.I myself have always liked Franklin Cider Mill. But I don't wanna make the drive.

**Zacha341** · October-21-09, 04:52 AM

My favorite is Franklin cider mill in Franklin MI, boarding Southfield MI. No hayrides, but close and convenient. And they have the best donuts! Ummm, hmm

Nice creek running thru and a really nice wheel!

**gazhekwe** · October-21-09, 08:13 AM

Technically, cider is apple juice fermented to produce alcoholic content. I guess what we are calling cider is sweet cider, pressed and unfiltered apple juice. Some may be pasteurized and/r sweetened. The alcoholic stuff we call hard cider. Different flavors result from the age and type of apples used and as the season progresses, the flavors get stronger.

The process involves picking and aging the apples. What kind of apples determine the flavor. They they are crushed into a mash. Then the mash is pressed at very high pressure until the it is completely dry. The resulting juices may be bottled as is or pasteurized as sweet cider, or further fermented and turned into hard cider. If you leave your sweet cider in the jug for a week or so, it will start to ferment. You might have to add some sugar to keep a nice sweet flavor.

Apple juice is further processed to stop the fermenting process.

**jcole** · October-21-09, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by gazhekwe

Technically, cider is apple juice fermented to produce alcoholic content. I guess what we are calling cider is sweet cider, pressed and unfiltered apple juice. Some may be pasteurized and/r sweetened. The alcoholic stuff we call hard cider. Different flavors result from the age and type of apples used and as the season progresses, the flavors get stronger.

The process involves picking and aging the apples. What kind of apples determine the flavor. They they are crushed into a mash. Then the mash is pressed at very high pressure until the it is completely dry. The resulting juices may be bottled as is or pasteurized as sweet cider, or further fermented and turned into hard cider. If you leave your sweet cider in the jug for a week or so, it will start to ferment. You might have to add some sugar to keep a nice sweet flavor.

Apple juice is further processed to stop the fermenting process.

And more places are pasteurizing since there have been some incidence of E Coli from unpasteurized cider made from windfall apples that came in contact with deer feces. Technically, I believe it's against health laws to use windfalls in Mich.

**Johnlodge** · October-21-09, 09:00 AM

We go to Erwin Orchards to get our pumpkin and pick apples and get cider and donuts.

http://erwinorchards.com/wordpress/

You do the hayride through the orchard and you pick your pumpkin from a pumpkin patch and all that good stuff. They have a whole autumnal entertainment complex going on there.

**313WX** · October-21-09, 12:47 PM

There used to be a nice one we would go to around 10-15 years ago near Farmington Hills [[I forgot the name of it).

I assume it was also a victim of the late 1990s/early 2000s housing boom.

**gazhekwe** · October-21-09, 01:18 PM

Speaking of Erwin Orchards, we were by there a couple weeks ago, and I was shocked to see only a huge CVS and parking on the corner. We did go around the corner to see the orchard is still there, but that doesn't look too hopeful.

**Johnlodge** · October-21-09, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by gazhekwe

Speaking of Erwin Orchards, we were by there a couple weeks ago, and I was shocked to see only a huge CVS and parking on the corner. We did go around the corner to see the orchard is still there, but that doesn't look too hopeful.

Hey Gaz, the CVS has been there a little while. Why would that effect the orchard? They seem to be as open as ever.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=61475%...N&hl=en&tab=wl

**gazhekwe** · October-21-09, 01:30 PM

I think that whole corner was growing things for the orchard, and their used to be a farmers market there.

If they rezone the surrounding area to match, the taxes will go up and there you go.

**sarge** · October-21-09, 01:35 PM

Yates was always my favorite.

**Pam** · October-21-09, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by gazhekwe

I think that whole corner was growing things for the orchard, and their used to be a farmers market there.

If they rezone the surrounding area to match, the taxes will go up and there you go.

Yes, there used to be a "country market" there. A few years ago there were rumors they were selling the whole orchard to a developer, but I guess the deal fell through since they are still in the apple/berry biz.

**Johnlodge** · October-21-09, 02:13 PM

Well that would be too bad. Probably won't happen now though, I don't think there's a ton of demand for more empty strip malls in the area.

**Novine** · October-21-09, 05:09 PM

The Erwins aren't some poor old farming family put upon by developers. They are responsible for the development that has taken place on the adjacent properties. They did have plans for a large residential development on the rest of the property when the housing market was hot but that tanked with the economy. Erwins also had a market in Novi for many years. They sold that off and the market was replaced by Walgreens.

**gazhekwe** · October-21-09, 06:12 PM

That has happened to lots of orchards. There were at least two big ones with shops out along Grand River on the way to Novi. Gone to development by the 70s. It is hard to resist those inflated land prices and pay those taxes for a farm enterprise that involves lots of hard work.

**Crystal** · October-21-09, 09:04 PM

Mom, Mom's caregiver and I visited Parshallville Cider Mill today and partook of cider and warm doughnuts. It was nice to visit *just* a cider mill, no petting farm, no maze, no rides, no faux country ambience, no haunted anything.

http://www.parshallvillecidergristmill.com/