I've been in quite the autumnal mood lately and as such I thought I'd share my reviews for two staples of autumn fun- Cider Mills and Apple Orchards (sometimes, but not always one in the same).
All ratings out of 5, 1= piss poor, 2= meh it as alright, 3= good, but not great, 4= really good, 5= Great/bestest ever.
Yates Cider Mill
Overall rating: 3
Here's the deal, Yates is a lovely cider mill with some really nice walking trails and a lovely seating area across the road by a river these aspects if not marred by some rather important details would easily earn Yates a 4. The only major drawback is that it gets incredibility crowded, particularly in the shoppe, and the crowds can make it feel a bit more like a packed in fairground than a quaint cider mill.
The goodies: Here is where things start to go down hill a bit. You can buy all sorts of autumnal goodies at Yates and I'll talk about what I consider to be the four essentials here.
1. Cider, I give it a 2.5 out of 5. Yates's cider is somewhat disappointing and is a little too close to apple juice in color and taste. I'm not sure exactly why this is, but it tastes as though it has been thinned out too much. I like nice dark cider. I am aware that cider varies in taste and yumminess throughout the fall and from batch to batch.
2. Donuts, 3 out of 5, Sadly I can't say I'm overly impressed with their donuts either. They are smallish and usually somewhat dry.
3. Apples, 5 out of 5 they sell bags of apples in their apple tent and I've never gotten bad or mealy apples from them. They have a large variety and are reasonably priced.
4. Caramel Apples 5 out of 5, I'm not sure what kind of apples they use for these, but they don't use the Red Delicious that a lot of places use which are almost always mealy and flavorless. Yates's caramel apples are always delicious and flavorful and one of my favorite fall treats.
Overall Yates isn't a bad place, they lose points for being crowded (although what cider mill isn't this time of year), and for what I feel is a sub par effort in the cider and donuts area two vital components to any good cider mill. On the other hand Yates is a lovely place for a date or an afternoon spent with friends.
Erwin's Apple Orchard
Overall rating 5 of 5
I love love love this place.
Located near Kensington lake Erwin's is a lovely little apple orchard and you couldn't ask for a better atmosphere. Wagons pulled by tractors take you out into the orchard where you can fill your bag with a large variety of apples and the friendly staff is great at filling you in on what kinds of apples are best for your different needs. Oh and they have a pumpkin patch as well!
Treats
1. Cider 5 out of 5, this is seriously the best cider around so much better than Yates. Dark and just a bit tart this is autumn in a glass.
2. Donuts 5 out of 5, warm and never stale these donuts are amazing. Not too small or too big I always end my visit to Erwin's with cider and donuts.
3. Apples 5 out of 5, you just can't beat pick your own.
4. caramel apples 5 out of 5, so delicious and they don't skimp on the caramel.
