Smith, Jones, Plumb and Penn.

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Smith, Jones, Plumb and Penn. Cider Apples of Yesteryear.

The National Agricultural Library’s collection of pomological watercolor illustrations includes images of cider apples of renown such as the Harrison, Virginia or Hewe’s Crab, Ablemarle and Newtown Pippins.

Also documented by the artists working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Division of Pomology are less well-known American cider apples such as the Smith Cider,  Jones Cider, Plumb Cider and the Penn Cider.

Malus domestica: Smith Cider
Malus domestica: Plumb Cider
Malus domestica: Smith Cider
Malus domestica: Smith Cider
Malus domestica: Plumb Cider
Malus domestica: Smith Cider
Malus domestica: Jones Cider
Malus domestica: Smith Cider
Malus domestica: Penn Cider

Image credit: “U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705”

Malus domestica: Smith Cider, Rosslyn, Arlington County, Virginia, 1932

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Malus domestica: Smith Cider
Malus domestica: Smith Cider

Malus domestica: Smith Cider

Artist:
Arnold, Mary Daisy, ca. 1873-1955
Scientific name:
Malus domestica
Common name:
apples
Variety:
Smith Cider
Geographic origin:
Rosslyn, Arlington County, Virginia, United States
Physical description:
1 art original : col. ; 17 x 25 cm.
Specimen:
112350
Year:
1932
Notes on original:
Section J, Row 17, Tree 3
Date created:
1932-01-30
Rights:
Use of the images in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection is not restricted, but a statement of attribution is required. Please use the following attribution statement: “U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705”

Celebrate Repeal Day®: Drink a Cider.

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Repeal Day® Is December 5.

The motto:

The Freedom To Celebrate. Celebrate The Freedom.

Read more about Repeal Day®  and suggested activities at www.repealday.org

We Suggest A Fine Way To Celebrate Repeal Day®: Drink a Cider.

Read the fascinating Analysis of the U. S. Liquor Industry during Prohibition originally published in Fortune Magazine: U.S. Liquor Industry (Fortune 1931)

Suggested Accompaniment: A Glass of Cider.

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Plans are afoot for The Wassail.

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Plans are afoot for The Wassail.

Watch for more news about
The Great (North) American Wassail 
Jan 5-17, 2014 
Honoring The Orchard & Celebrating The Apple.
Halfdome, Yosemite 1933, Ansel Adams NARA

Cider is one of the good gifts which are to be received with thanksgiving.

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WPA October

We therefore believe that cider is one of the good gifts which are to be received with thanksgiving; and we desire to see its manufacture so perfected, that it will rank with wine in public estimation: and if our experience can add to the stock of information on this subject, we cheerfully give it, though we may encounter the reprobation of some ultra abstinence, not to say, temperance men.

From: Tilton’s Journal of Horticulture, Volume 5, J. E. Tilton & Company, 1869.

To read more about Cider and Cider-Manufacture, see Tilton’s Journal of Horticulture, Volume 5.

WPA November

Image credit:  October. Leslie Bryan Burroughs. [1938]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, WPA Poster Collection, Reproduction Number: LC-USZC4-7683.

November. Ben Kaplan. [1938]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, WPA Poster Collection, Reproduction Number: LC-USZC4-7684.

 

The State of Cider: New York: New Amsterdam Market Cider Revival!

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Celebrate the 3rd Annual Cider Revival at New Amsterdam Market, Sunday November 24, 2013 from 11 AM to 5PM.

The Final Event of Cider Week NY: Enjoy cider tastings with New York cidermakers , including: Blackbird Ciders, Breezy Hill Orchard, Docs Hard Cider, Orchard Hill Cider Mill and Sovereign Cider.

And a Cider Library collection of wonderful cider & apple books (pictured) will be raffled with all proceeds to benefit New Amsterdam Market.

From the New Amsterdam Market website:

On Sunday November 24, New Amsterdam Market will host the Third Annual New York State Cider Revival in collaboration with Glynwood, a continuation of Cider Week. The event will feature New York hard cider makers, reviving a century’s old tradition of the fermented beverage. Once one of the most popular beverages of New York, hard cider faced a quick demise as Prohibition ended legal sales. As cider orchards transformed into traditional apple orchards, the number of farmstead and craft ciders drastically reduced. Join us in celebrating the return of this historic drink, with numerous tasting and pairing from select vendors. The perfect accompaniment for your Thanksgiving meal.

In addition, our November 24th market will stock all your holiday essentials- from pies to poultry!

Join the Cider Revival

&

Support New Amsterdam Market

Celebrate the New York Cider Revival and Win Your Own Cider Library!

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LOC apple image

It’s The 3rd Annual Cider Revival at the New Amsterdam Market in New York City Sunday, November 24.

Visit The New York State Cider & Thanksgiving Market for a chance to win Your Own Cider Library AND Support The New Amsterdam Market.

Enter to win an amazing Cider Research & Reference Library – several publishers have generously donated some terrific books – perfect for the cider & apple lover or the cider curious. For yourself or for gift giving.

WAIT There’s MORE!

The Cider Research & Reference Library includes a few bottles of real New York cider!

Stop by the main Market table on Sunday Nov. 24th, and enter to win The Cider Library with Libations! Tickets $5 each or $10 for 3. Such value! and for a good cause.

All proceeds to benefit The New Amsterdam Market.

Take a look at the books included in the Cider (and Apple) Research & Reference Library:

Cider Hard & Sweet: History, Traditions, and Making Your Own 3rd Edition by Ben Watson, The Countryman Press, 2013.

Cider Hard & Sweet

Taste, Memory: Forgotten Foods, Lost Flavors, and Why They Matter by David Buchanan, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2012.

697

The New Cider Makers Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for Craft Producers by Claude Jolicoeur, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013.

755

The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart, Algonquin Books, 2013.

Drunken-Botanist-Cover-low-res

Worlds Best Ciders by Pete Brown & Bill Bradshaw, Sterling Epicure, 2013.

9781454907886_p0_v1_s600

Apples of North America: 192 Exceptional Varieties for Gardeners, Growers, and Cooks by Tom Burford, Timber Press, 2013.

True Brews: How to Craft Fermented Cider, Beer, Wine, Sake, Soda, Mead, Kefir, and Kombucha at Home by Emma Christensen, 10 Speed Press, 2013.

True Brews Cover

Johnny Appleseed And The American Orchard: A Cultural History by William Kerrigan, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012.

johnny-appleseed-cover2

Apple Lovers Cookbook by Amy Traverso, W. W. Norton & Company, 2011.

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Cider Handbook from Scott Labs, 2013.

Scott 2013-14

Stop by the New Amsterdam Market this Sunday, November 24th, to celebrate the New York Cider Revival, enter to win this swell cider library, and get your holiday marketing done.

Link: newamsterdammarket.com

Directions: newamsterdammarket.com/map.html

Celebrate The 3rd Annual New York Cider Revival at The New Amsterdam Market

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LOC apple image

It’s The 3rd Annual New York Cider Revival at the New Amsterdam Market in New York City this Sunday, November 24, 2013 from 11AM – 5PM.

Visit The New York State Cider & Thanksgiving Market for A Chance to Win Your Own Cider Library AND Support The New Amsterdam Market.

Several New York Cidermakers will be in attendance, including: Blackbird Ciders, Breezy Hill Orchard, Docs Hard Cider, Orchard Hill Cider Mill and Sovereign Cider. Meet The Cidermakers & enjoy some cider. See the full list of vendors at The New Amsterdam Market website here.

Link: newamsterdammarket.com

Directions: newamsterdammarket.com/map.html

A Cider And Apple Stand On The Lee Highway, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia 1935

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8a07722r-1

Photographer: Rothstein, Arthur – United States. Resettlement Administration

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, FSA/OWI Collection, [reproduction number, LC-DIG-fsa-8a07722 (digital file from original neg.) LC-USF33-T01-002196-M3 (b&w film dup. neg., 70mm size) LC-USF3301-002196-M3 (b&w film dup. neg., 4×5 size)]

For more Virginia Cider 2013 Visit: CIDER WEEK VA ciderweekva.com

What We’re Reading: The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart

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Drunken-Botanist-Cover-low-res

What We’re Reading: The Drunken Botanist. The Plants That Create The World’s Great Drinks.

Algonquin Books, 2013.

Author: Amy Stewart

Exploring botany in a bottle, plant by fascinating plant, with cocktail recipes. Organized by process and botanical families, and styled with a nod to antique tomes, chapter headings include:

Part One: We Explore The Twin Alchemical Processes of Fermentation and Distillation from Which Wine, Beer and Spirits Issue Forth.

The entry for Apple, Malus domestica, Rosaceae (Rose Family) – includes a discussion of cider, notes regarding heritage apples, outlines apple spirit styles, and provides cocktail recipes with history notes. Pear, Pyrus communis, perry and pear spirits are examined as well.

Full of fun facts to know and tell, with Grow Your Own and Field Guide sections, and a diverse array of recipes.

This is the kind of reading you can easily enjoy with a glass of cider; educational, informative, and amusing – a very handy imbibers reference guide indeed.

Visit: drunkenbotanist.com