Cider Making This Weekend at Terry’s Berries in Tacoma/Puyallup

Looking for places to make cider or pick apples near Tacoma or another South Sound spot? The bad news is there really isn’t any close spot for apple picking. But the good news is you can press your own cider tomorrow-October 19th-at Terry’s Berries on River Road. Terry’s is certified organic, and while their crops didn’t do well enough to let people do u pick this year, they do have plenty of apples for sale (at great prices for organics) and bins of apples for pressing!

The cider making is part of an event they’re calling Squash and Squeeze. Cute, right?

 

Other activities will include a potluck, hay rides, farm tours, and more fun.

The cider is 10.00 a gallon, so definitely not a bargain-but oh, so delicious!

Now, I do want to issue a few reminders:

First, you should know that  Terry’s is a real, working farm, and it’s a mom and pop operation. Expect to wait in a long line for the register. You might have one person wait and let everyone else walk around or feed the chickens (you can ask for scraps). You should also expect to find mud (WEAR BOOTS),  the occasional loose chicken, and yes, you may run into some Portlandia style farm helper attitude. The guy working the cider press is also a bit of a Grumpy Gus.

Having said that, we love Terry’s-in fact, the picture in this post is of Henry making cider there several years ago. I just want to give you the complete picture because this is not an outing for everyone.

Not scared off? When you arrive at Terry’s, you’ll want to angle park to your right. It’s a nice, new gravel lot this year.

The event runs from 10AM-3. The potluck (bring your own eating dishes and utensils) is at 1PM. There is no admission, so you’ll just have to pay for whatever pumpkins, apples, or cider you decide to buy. Traditionally, they’ve asked you to pay for your cider before you press it. I suggest poking your head in the store to see what’s what.

The cider making area is in back of the store to the right of the Honey Bucket. First, you’ll take your apples and dump ’em in a solution that has the teensiest bit of bleach. After you give them a bath, there is a second rinse bucket. Then you stand around a bit and wait until the cider makers let you know it’s your turn to put apples in. Kiddos can help, as long as they’re good listeners. The cider press is kind of a rare and expensive thing, which explains why you may get barked at if you don’t follow directions.

The cider isn’t pasteurized, so we do heat ours up before we enjoy it. It’s hard to wait!

If this all sounds a little too ambitious to you,  I have plenty of other ideas on the home page today. If you’re determined to go u pick apple picking, I also have a post with a few more ideas here.  Most of them will require a road trip.

Missing a post on your favorite fall tradition? Let me know!