the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, November was an important month for early North Jersey families. It was “apple time” – And apples meant cider! Water wasn’t always drinkable, so cider became the popular beverage for early American families. During apple time, families would drink fresh ‘in-season’ cider. More importantly, these early settlers expanded the life of the cider by producing what we call hard cider – or “Jersey Lightning”. It was the beverage served at meals – children included!
By the 1850’s, the average Massachusetts resident was consuming 35 gallons of cider a year. But producing this cider was a labor-intensive, manual task. Then, in the late 1800s, the hand-cranked cider press was invented (see photo above). It quickly became a common household appliance that not only supplied fresh cider in season but made it possible to produce more “hard cider.”
To see a cider press and learn more about about life in the 1800’s including Lenape implements, early Dutch artifacts, farm tools, home furnishings, textiles and quilts, early cookbooks, and kitchenware come to the Schoolhouse Museum’s ‘Farm and Home’ exhibit.
To learn more about cider, apples and locally produced fruits and vegetables, and to get ready for your Thanksgiving holiday, stop by Demarest Farms in Hillsdale. Serving Bergen County residents since 1886, if you bring this article with you on November 19, Demarest Farms will donate 20% of coupon sales to the Ridgewood Historical.
Open to the public, the Schoolhouse Museum is located at 650 E. Glen Ave., Ridgewood, NJ. Museum’s hours are Thursdays and Saturdays; 1 to 3 p.m. and Sundays; 2 to 4 p.m.
To contact the Museum: 201-447 3242 or [email protected]t Demarest Farms is located at 244 Wiermus Rd, in Hillsdale, NJ.
