Wineries - Goodale Orchards

Orchards and Cider in New England

Fall in New England comes on without pretense. Suddenly, after a summer of warm evenings and green trees, a cool wind blows and the landscape becomes a painter's vision of warm color. People flock from all over the US to see the trees, covered bridges, ocean waves and other features that make New England unique. One of the biggest draws are the small farms, with their pumpkins, squash, homemade apple pie, and ciders and fruit wines.

One of the more famous farms in New England is Goodale Orchards, Ipswich Mass. Since 1920 this farm has been producing fine fruits and vegetables for people from hundreds of miles away. In addition to this produce, they put forth a startling variety of wines. Their fall supply includes:

• New England Cider
• Perry Cider
• Rhubarb Wine
• Peach Wine
• Pear Wine
• Strawberry Wine
• Cherry Wine
• Raspberry Wine
• Jostaberry Wine (black current & gooseberry)

Cider always had alcohol in it. Especially in New England, cider was an immensely popular drink with the pilgrims and was drunk at meals by everyone, including children. Even clergymen, while denouncing 'harder spirits', would drink cider as a matter of course.

In those days cider was not sweet, because there was no refrigeration. Now that modern technology makes it easy to keep liquids cool, sweet cider is a very popular beverage. Modern langugae has also evolved so that 'cider' often means non-alcoholic, while 'hard cider' means the stuff with alcohol.

Remember when buying Cider that There is a risk of E. Coli when purchasing it unpasteurized, so be cautious where you choose to purchase it.

2003 Visit Notes and Photographs

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Massachusetts Winery Reviews