Homegrown flavors abound in Thatcher Farms’ apple cider
Dennis Thatcher has been pressing his homegrown apples into cider at his western Logan County farm for the better part of the last half century.
He prides himself that his cider is a pure as it gets: No sugars, colorings, preservatives or other surprises are added, the result being a pure and full-bodied apple cider that puts the store-bought products to shame.
After pressings, Thatcher’s squeezings are transferred to those ubiquitous plastic gallon jugs, in which are then offered for sale at his farm.
Just don’t ask Thatcher to deliver it.
Since Thatcher does not pasteurize his apple cider, the Ohio Revised Code prohibits him from selling it anywhere but on his property.
So if you have a hankering for purest and tastiest apple cider this side of the Ohio River, you have to visit Thatcher Farms at 4551 Township Road 23 North, Quincy, in person. Since his cider is not pasteurized, Thatcher is not allowed to sell it anywhere past the end of his driveway. It’s state law.
Pasteurization is the process where potable liquids and semi-solids — milk, beer, yogurt, wine, juice, soft drinks, you name it — are heated to a prescribed temperature to rid the liquid of bacteria that shortens the shelf life of the product.
But when it come to cider, according to Thatcher, pasteurization of the juice ruins the product altogether.
“Most of the apple cider you see for sale is just brown sugar water,” Thatcher said. “After it’s pasteurized and all of those additives are put it in, it’s not cider anymore. (Pasteurization) takes the taste of the apple out of it.”
Each of the apples that go into Thatcher’s cider are hand-picked (none that have fallen to the ground are used), sorted for quality, scrubbed, not once but twice, with a special machine with a chlorinated water-based system as required by law and then sorted again where bumps, scabs, bruises and the like are removed from each apple.
Once there are enough apples for a pressing, the fruit is tossed into a pulping machine – rather than a chopping or slicing machine – to avoid cracking the seeds. The pulp is then alternately layered on special Dacron cloths and heavy-duty plastic frames nine stories high before being slid under a 3-ton press where every last drop of juice is squeezed out of the pulp.
The juice is collected and immediately stored in a cooler at exactly 37 degrees, where the cider is gently agitated for 24 hours before being pumped into the plastic jugs. The jugs then make the 15-foot trip from his apple press to his refrigerator, where they are sold to those seeking a little more unadulterated apple cider in their life.
Thatcher tweaks the recipe for his cider as the growing season progresses as different types of apples ripen at different times, with Thatcher noting that his cider tends to become slightly sweeter as autumn advances. But by manipulating the mixture of varieties — Jonagold, Honey Crisp, Fuji, Lady Macintosh, Yellow Delicious and Rome Beauties were among the many types of apples that were being used for cider during his second pressing last week — he gets a consistent product throughout the season.
In addition to the apple cider, Thatcher also apple sells by volume, not by weight as they do in grocery stores, anywhere from a half-peck to a bushel at a time. The hand-picked apples are kept in a huge walk-in cooler under a controlled temperature to keep them ready for both pressing and eating.
Given that he has over 400 apples trees that he planted himself after moving to the T.R. 23 property with his wife Andrea 50 years ago, Thatcher had plenty of apples to both press into cider and sell, with visitors rarely leaving the premises without both a gallon of cider and a peck or two of apples.
The series of heat waves and the prolonged drought this past summer and fall has put a big dent in Thatcher’s apple yield this season. He estimates that he’s lost 30 to 40 percent of his crop because of the weather, but notes there are still plenty of apples on the trees — for both pressing and eating — and he expects to get in a few more pressings in this year, having collected 71 gallons in his first batch.
As can be expected, there are locals who eagerly await these unadulterated squeezings and they are usually the first ones in line for both Thatcher’s cider and apples. He doesn’t advertise, other than a sign out front of his property that says “Thatcher Farms,” and is usually open for business after 3 p.m. most weekdays during the harvest season.
Thatcher has completed two pressings already this year and expects to get a couple of more in, depending of course on how many apples are left to be picked.
Thatcher said that his cider stores very well for up to a month if kept at exactly 37 degrees, but it has a respectable shelf life of about 17 days if kept at 40 degrees, the temperature at which most refrigerators are are set. The cider also freezes very well without losing its taste.
When asked if he would ever consider pasteurizing his cider to expand his market, Thatcher scoffs at the idea.
“Not a chance,” Thatcher said emphatically. “Why ruin a good thing?”
