A family tradition

Springfield, Vermont

“In the 1960’s we used to sell big cider jelly jars to hippies, now we sell small jars to yuppies,” chuckles Willis Wood, owner of Wood’s Cider Mill. On land first settled by Willis’ family in 1798, he and his wife, Tina, carry on the diversified farm operation in Weathersfield, Vermont by remaining loyal to the farm’s apple cider history and hand-crafted, artesian products while adapting to changing market demands.

Located on 175 acres in southeastern Vermont, Wood’s Cider Mill has always been, as New Englanders locally put it, a “hill farm,” with a mixed topography of rolling hills, forested woodlands and pasture. “By definition, hill farms don’t have all their eggs in one basket. They have several businesses going on that keep income coming in throughout the year,” explains Tina. Today, apple cider and related products remain the core of the Wood’s operation and generate about 60 percent of revenues with the balance from maple syruping in the spring and about 50 ewes annually for the spring Easter lamb market.

The Wood’s farm history exemplifies family loyalty to the land and the livelihood derived from it run deep. Willis’s father grew up on the farm; however he moved away and pursued a career as an engineer in Boston, where Willis grew up in a suburban upbringing. Willis frequently visited the farm while growing up and was involved with the cider making process. Wanting to raise their own family in a farming lifestyle, Willis and Tina purchased the farm 34 years ago from a cousin of Willis’ grandfather and have been earning their household income from Wood’s Cider Mill ever since. Tina, who jumped into the Wood’s family business not having a farming background herself, feels the “hill farm” lifestyle proved to be a wonderful environment to raise their son and daughter, both now grown adults. “Our kids were always part and parcel of our life and work. We spend a lot of time together. Willis and I never left for a job during the day so they always knew exactly where we were,” explains Tina. “Josh and Marina always participated in everything going on and always felt needed, which I think really instilled a sense of independence and confidence in themselves as adults,” Tina adds.

The apple cider side of the operation remains the core of Woods’ business core, with an emphasis on producing specialty cider-related items and products such as cider jelly and boiled cider. “Many of the products we still make, such as cider jelly, are old-time pantry staples that not many folks make any more, so they are now a specialty item. In our case, persistence paid off. While other operations stopped making cider jelly in lieu of newer products, we just kept on making it,” Tina comments. Over 100 years ago, many cider mills made cider jelly, a common food throughout the 1800’s. The natural pectin elements in apples cause a natural jelling process when boiled. With the onslaught of commercialization and mass availability of jams and jellies 100 years ago, small-scale cider jelly making took a back-seat to the mass produced commercial products of the food industry.

“Because cider jelly is made without any added sugar–the cider boils down slowly and carefully to jelly and no extra sweetener is needed–we’ve always had consistent interest within the natural foods market, especially as we were one of the few places still making cider jelly,” explains Tina. However, with today’s strong, revitalized interest in local foods and the slow food movement– people seeking out and loyal to hand-crafted, artesian food– products like cider jelly are experiencing renewed interest with businesses like Wood’s Cider Mill reaping the benefits. Cider jelly remains their biggest seller and the Woods make an average of around ten to thirty thousand pounds of jelly a year. Sales are derived from the on-site farm store sales, mail order (an area they hope to expand) and wholesale orders to food co-ops and natural food stores as well as specialty retailers like Vermont Country Store and the King Arthur flour company. While the cider jelly-making process is somewhat similar to maple syrup making with the boiling down of the product, the technique is very different. “Maple syruping is a very fast boiling process, with about 40 gallons of sap boiling down to one gallon of syrup. Cider jelly is closer to a nine to one ratio and needs a much slower, carefully monitored process,” adds Tina.

In addition to cider jelly, the Woods make boiled cider, another product with historic roots. “Boiled cider is an old-time ingredient and method of preserving the apple crop. A syrup that captures the apple flavor but is not too sweet, it’s also sometimes called ‘apple molasses’ and historically used by the Shakers in mincemeat, applesauce and pies,” Tina explains.

The Woods use primarily Macintosh apple varietals in their cider, a total of 3,000 bushels a year. They grow some apples themselves but most are bought from a neighbor’s orchard, purchasing the economic “culls,” apples too small or blemished to be sold commercially but are fine for cider-making. Wood’s Cider Mill also make unpasteurized fresh apple cider, which by law they can only sell directly from their on-site farm store. Apple cider in its fresh form is a living, changing element. The Woods – as with many other cider devotees – feel the heating process of pasteurization which fundamentally changes cider to apple juice significantly alters and impedes the flavor of apples. Therefore, they remain committed to the cleanliness standards required for non-pasteurized cider. Tina and Willis also brew hard apple cider for their own personal use, with the regulations and costs of being licensed to produce liquor too cost prohibitive to sell alcohol.

Tina admits the apple cider making process can be an expensive, logistically complicated business to get into. They are fortunate to have their family’s historic ties to the business. “We still use the farm’s cider press from 1882, which makes about 200 gallons of cider per pressing,” comments Tina. A new cider press purchased today would cost over $25,000. Because its a high volume, seasonal business where everyone needs the equipment at the same time, a cooperatively owned cider press is not viable.

The state of Vermont supports and preserves historic food businesses such as cider and maple syruping with accessible licensing and processing regulations and guidelines, particularly for operations like Wood’s Cider Mill that have operated successfully for generations. Additionally, the Vermont Agricultural Department sponsors maple sugaring schools in each county annually as well as various apple growers conferences, something Tina and Willis have found helpful to keep up with new technology and trends.

“There used to be a lot of us small scale cider makers. Now we’re one of the few left,” adds Tina. While she and Willis see themselves keeping up and running the business, they would love to see their kids continue the family tradition. “It’s a balance for us. Sure, we’d love to encourage the kids to take on the business some day, but we don’t want them to feel pressure to do so if they don’t want to,” says Tina. But it seems odds are in their favor that the Woods family farming spirit are now rooted in Josh and Marina. Despite currently running a language school in Guatemala, Josh often returns home to help during busy farm seasons and Marina and her family — the next generation — are building a house right up the road.