Vintage Virginia Apples
"Historically, and in other cider drinking countries today, "cider" is fermented apple juice, and was the libation of choice in colonial and early America. Cider was already a centuries old tradition in England by the time America was settled, and the first settlers to the New World brought with them both cidermaking knowledge and the apples necessary to its production. Except for two species of crabapple, apples are not native to America, nor do they come true from seed, and so the extensive seedling orchards planted by early Americans would have produced a bevy of new apple varieties. Most of these seedling apple types would have been unappealing for eating fresh, but many made excellent cider, and as such were enjoyed as a locally pressed alternative to coffee, tea, and wine, all expensive imports"
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