Fall Cider prices

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roadymi

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Has anybody heard any reports on the status of the apple crop in their area?

I've heard that Michigan lost 90% of the apple and tart cherry crop due to late frost. I'm afraid this will make fresh pressed juice horribly expensive in my area.
 
I know of a large Chicago farmer that lost 75% of their apple crop... Another lost almost all of their peaches and cherries. Early warmup followed by late frost.
 
Who did you talk to UpstateMike?
The farmers I talked to are looking more like 60-80% loss.
Schumer is even trying to get some federal disaster aid for the area farmers hardest hit.
 
Who did you talk to UpstateMike?
The farmers I talked to are looking more like 60-80% loss.
Schumer is even trying to get some federal disaster aid for the area farmers hardest hit.

This is what I'm hearing as well. Major operations are already looking to the west coast and mid-atlantic areas for fruit and juice.
 
Who did you talk to UpstateMike?
The farmers I talked to are looking more like 60-80% loss.
Schumer is even trying to get some federal disaster aid for the area farmers hardest hit.
Robb Farms, and Zarpentines. Both did say it was a bit early to be sure, though.
 
Wow.That is all CRAP. (by crap I don't imply that it is untrue, merely that it sucks)

Around here, there was virtually NO frost, and everything that grows is spasming with joy. weeds that are normally just getting going are 4 ft tall if uncut, I have 1 tomato plant that is taller now than any of mine got last year.

DAMMIT! Was it a late frost? or an early spring and an on time frost?
 
It was a very unusual early warm spell, like 25 degrees above normal for a couple weeks straight, followed by more than one frost/snow/sleet/freezing rain and hard freezing temps at night. The local newspaper published a few pictures of fruit trees with ice hanging from the blossoms.
 
It was a very unusual early warm spell, like 25 degrees above normal for a couple weeks straight, followed by more than one frost/snow/sleet/freezing rain and hard freezing temps at night. The local newspaper published a few pictures of fruit trees with ice hanging from the blossoms.

Exact same situation here in Michigan
 
roadymi said:
Has anybody heard any reports on the status of the apple crop in their area?

I've heard that Michigan lost 90% of the apple and tart cherry crop due to late frost. I'm afraid this will make fresh pressed juice horribly expensive in my area.

Sounds like only the southern most orchards received heavy damage due to the frost here in Minnesota. But if that damage was wide enough spread the prices everywhere will reflect it. :(
 
Here is email exchange with my local orchard/cider supplier.

ME: Hello Mike,

I know the late frosts were devastating to the MI tree fruit crops. I was just wondering if you have any insight as to what the availability and pricing will be for cider this fall?
I made 35 gallons of hard cider last fall and am running out already. Having it on tap seems to have increased consumption. Will be looking to make around 50 gallons this year. Looking forward to the hard cider and perry tasting event again in Sept.


His reply: I think there will be cider to be had. The problem is…. Bulk cider will be $7-$8/gallon


Ouch.......I think I paid $3.75 for bulk fresh pressed juice last year.
 
That sucks. I already pay close to $8 for a gallon of Apple Juice at Whole Foods. I mainly buy it for the one gallon glass jugs though.
 
For the 4th of July, I went to see fireworks in Lyndonville, NY. One of the best places to see them is at the edge of the LynOaken apple farm. Every tree that I saw in the orchard looked like it was loaded with small apples. It looked to me like they were going to have a very good crop.
 
A friend of mine here in New Jersey has about 900 trees and it looks like he won't even be able to make an apple pie this year.
 
For the 4th of July, I went to see fireworks in Lyndonville, NY. One of the best places to see them is at the edge of the LynOaken apple farm. Every tree that I saw in the orchard looked like it was loaded with small apples. It looked to me like they were going to have a very good crop.

Good to know!

Got a letter from Mott's apple juice at work the other day, looks like they're already expanding their search for juice and are offering top dollar to anyone expecting apples this fall.

Expect to see a lot of 'from concentrate' on products with apple ingredients this year. Good for growers in China and Argentina I guess.
 
I am VERY new to cider making, and have gotten lots of positive feedback from my family, and good constructive feedback from my club.

I'm looking for local juice / cider from my area when it comes available. In the meantime I'm practicing my cider making on the store bought juice. I've used both Tree Top and Costco for my sources.

What is the shelf life regarding store bought pasteurized apple juice and cider?
 
This sucks. I made a cider last year that I wasn't very happy with, so I was hoping to do some experimenting this time...maybe that'll have to wait until next year.
 
I am VERY new to cider making, and have gotten lots of positive feedback from my family, and good constructive feedback from my club.

I'm looking for local juice / cider from my area when it comes available. In the meantime I'm practicing my cider making on the store bought juice. I've used both Tree Top and Costco for my sources.

What is the shelf life regarding store bought pasteurized apple juice and cider?

The "from concentrate" stuff is like a year or longer. I just bought 30 gallons when Walmart had it on sale for $3 a gallon. I believe fresh pressed pasteurized would be much shorter but not sure. You can always freeze fresh pressed if you have the room.

One of my local mills has frozen fresh pressed from last year available for 5.50 a gallon. They have it offsite in storage somewheres? The gal working new very little about it. I need to contact the owner to see what it was treated with and if i can buy in bulk?
 
Right now my plan is to try and get 15 or 20 gallons fresh pressed this fall to use for basic cider and some cyser. I will use from concentrate to make my heavily flavored ciders like the Caramel apple, mulled, and atomic fireball.
 
Well, I stopped by Robb Farms in Spencerport NY today.

The good news is that they will start pressing next week.

The bad news is that they will be charging $6 - $6.50 per gallon this year. That's at least a 50% markup from last year. And I bet all the other local farms will be charging in that ballpark too.

Looks like I may be sticking with Wegmans apple juice for a while.
 
The bad news is that they will be charging $6 - $6.50 per gallon this year. That's at least a 50% markup from last year. And I bet all the other local farms will be charging in that ballpark too.

About the same down here in Ithaca where most places are selling fresh juice near $7.

U-picked 2 bushels this weekend at Littletree Orchards for $20/ea. 2 of Burgundy, 1 Newtown Pippin and one Paula red. Base, structure, and aromatic respectively. U-pick prices seem to be about the same as last year but you have to extract the juice yourself.
 
I was told yesterday they are getting close to $12 / gallon for fresh pressed in the cities around here. My local guy says he is importing apples and hopes to keep bulk prices under $6.
 
anyone hear any new about the apple hill crop here in Cali? gonna start my first cider either tomorrow or the next day
 
anyone hear any new about the apple hill crop here in Cali? gonna start my first cider either tomorrow or the next day

Haven't heard a thing, but no news is good news amiright?!

This past Friday a hail storm passed through the area a knocked about 25% of the remaining fruit at a couple of orchards to the ground. Clearly we are not meant to have apples around here this year.
 
Spoke with my best local cider producer in upstate NY. Usually they sell in bulk for a discount but not this year. They apologized and said the only way I can get cider is to pay the straight retail price of $7/gallon. That's actually the cheapest around, most other places are around $8/gallon. Even the orchards that didn't get hit too bad are taking advantage of the spike in prices. :(
 
I paid $8 a gallon in mid-michigan this summer while traveling through. I was going to make apfelwein this year but not at that price.
 
Virginia had a great apple crop this year, but prices are still almost double what they were 3 years ago. I have heard stories about processors from Illinois and Michigan offering to buy entire orchards' output for ridiculous money, which is driving the prices up.

OTOH - The apple growers around here have been getting hammered for years by cheap imports, so its good to see them finally getting some decent money on their apple crop. A lot of farmers will be able to get new tractors and fix up their barns this Spring and thousands of new trees will be planted this Fall. And even with the spike in prices, a keg of good cider is still pretty inexpensive to make. So yeah, it kinda sucks that good juice isnt dirt cheap anymore, but its not going to slow us down. My friends and I are getting 120 gallons of juice on Thursday.
 
I know it's not 100% fresh pressed, but Motts Natural is actually pretty damn tasty and a good option. Its a combo of fresh pressed and concentrate, with no preservatives or additives. Looks like cider, tastes like cider. I just started a one gallon batch on Saturday - you can get a gallon for $5 on sale, 50 cents more regular. So, not perfect but it's an option
 
A few weeks ago I paid $10/gallon for 75% cider 25% pear west of Milwaukee. It was pressed right in front of me, and picked 30 minutes before. I was told that the yield keeps getting better throughout the season, so hopefully the price will go down a bit.

After doing some research, it looks like the weekend of Sept. 15th is when more orchards will start to have cider in SE WI.
 
I ended up paying $6.50 a gallon near Burlington VT. Owner said that a lot of orchards are not making cider in bulk this year. Rather they are selling to companies like Gerber for higher prices.
 
Grand Rapids, MI here. One mill that I bought at last year said probably no bulk sales. They brew cider commercially so I can understand they probably cant get enough to fill their brewery orders let alone selling bulk to the public.
Another mill I bought at last year said they will be selling but at a higher price. Not sure how high but they were really cheap and considering the situation I wouldnt mind paying double to get some.
 
Local orchard here quoted our club members $5 gallon for bulk fresh cider.
 
Virginia had a great apple crop this year, but prices are still almost double what they were 3 years ago. I have heard stories about processors from Illinois and Michigan offering to buy entire orchards' output for ridiculous money, which is driving the prices up.

OTOH - The apple growers around here have been getting hammered for years by cheap imports, so its good to see them finally getting some decent money on their apple crop. A lot of farmers will be able to get new tractors and fix up their barns this Spring and thousands of new trees will be planted this Fall. And even with the spike in prices, a keg of good cider is still pretty inexpensive to make. So yeah, it kinda sucks that good juice isnt dirt cheap anymore, but its not going to slow us down. My friends and I are getting 120 gallons of juice on Thursday.

Good to hear VA is having a good year, lived down there for a couple of years and enjoyed the ciders and nice folks at Albemarle Ciderworks in your neck of the woods. Now if only y'all could learn to spell 'Newtown Pippin' correctly! :D
 
Picked up some Sunday in the Chicago burbs. Pressed in front of me at $7.00 a gallon. I'm going to mix it with some store bought stuff and hope it turns out.
 
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