The Best Part of the Best Season

I have always loved fall. The first chill in the air, the smell of leaves burning, wearing jeans and sweaters, football. It's just a great time of year and I can't imagine living somewhere that doesn't have this season. For that reason alone I could never move out of the Midwest. And the very best thing about fall in the Midwest is visiting a cider mill. Now there is a cider mill in the 'burbs near where I live and they do a good job, but to me there is just something wrong about pulling into a parking lot full of BMW's and hearing women wearing clothes worth more than I make in a week talk about going to watch apples getting "squished." Fortunately Randy and I were up to my parents this weekend and on the way home is the best cider mill. Okay, perhaps I'm a little biased since it's the mill that I have been going to for the past 25 years, but it really is good. It hasn't changed too much over the years since my first visit on a kindergarten field trip either. Of course it's a bit more commercialized and there is a winery with a tasting room, but other than that pretty much the same. We picked up 1/2 dozen doughnuts and a 1/2 gallon of cider. We also did some wine tastings. There are hard ciders and many wine varities. We purchased a bottle of blueberry wine and a cherry dessert wine. Both of which we will probably serve room temerature as more of a port type wine. So if you are ever on US 27 a highly recomend stopping Uncle John's Cider Mill, it's definately worth the trip.