What is the history of cider in the United States?
In the first 200 years of our country, apples orchards sprang up everywhere, and cidermaking was common. Colonists knew the benefits of cider and thought no ill of cider with a kick. Almost everyone had a small orchard in back of their home from which they made their own cider. Cider was almost a fool proof product. If the cider fermented one way it was good to drink; if it went to vinegar it was used for cooking and other household purposes. John Chapman (1774-1845), who was known as Johnny Appleseed, planted apple nurseries and had as his principal source of income the sale of seedling stock to settlers. He would gather seed from cider mills, travel to and beyond the established frontier. Chapman was bringing to the frontier a way to make alcohol and not a dessert fruit. Click here for more information about Johnny Appleseed.
