Nothing ties people together like a love of food, and nothing ties a community together better than opportunities to share that love with each other via local gatherings like festivals and fairs. Our community is no different but this year, sadly, just about every festival and gathering has been cancelled or postponed. So far we've lost the Maple Festival, the Strawberry Festival, July Fest, and even, possibly, the State Fair which is seriously in question. Our biggest event of the year locally, The Spedie Fest and Balloon Rally, is tentatively rescheduled for October and we're all keeping our fingers crossed. So when the brave folks over at the Cider Mill announced that they would be opening August 1st as usual, you can imagine the cheers that went up all over the county and beyond.
I've written about the Cider Mill just about every year that this blog has been active but this year it is bringing a special dose of much-needed joy to all of us. In case you have somehow missed previous postings about it, let me bring you up to speed. The Cider Mill is a local establishment that opens for the season in August of every year. Their specialty is anything and everything made from or with apples: cider, pies, candied apples, apple butter, apple jams and preserves, plus the best donuts you've ever had. As the surrounding farms start to bring in their harvest, the outside bins are filled with every kind of apple imaginable (did I mention that just an hour's drive from here is the home of the much loved Cortland apple?) for eating, cooking, and baking. By September the autumn harvests of pumpkins, gourds, and every kind of squash are added along with other goodies. It is a paradise for those of us who live for fresh, home-grown produce and a nice, cold cup of freshly made cider. It wouldn't be August let alone Autumn without the Cider Mill.
Yes, they are following social guidelines and only letting a few people in at a time. Yes, they have added curb-side (or should I say parking lot side) service. Sadly, the tours to watch them actually make the cider and the donuts are closed for the present, but when we drive by I can see the trucks starting to pull in and the outside bins being set up to bring in the harvest. I can't wait to get down there and get my first glimpse of those lovely red beauties - applesauce, here I come.
These are sad times for everyone but when the community comes together and steps up to the plate, we all benefit. When I took my first bite of one of their donuts (cinnamon), and washed it down with my first swallow of cider, it was like coming home after being away for a long time. Sometimes it's the little things that bring us the moments of happiness that turn into happy memories. My family and I are blessed to live in a community that gifts us with those kinds of moments. Seriously, who can't smile over a donut?
And so it is.
