APPLEJACK FESTIVAL 2011 HOW TO

in 1934, producing their own version of applejack for restaurants and residents across the region.Īccording to the Historical Society publication “At the Headwaters of Cheesequake Creek,” rejected or dropped apples were sent directly to the cider mill, where the cider was piped into vats and frozen during the winter. The most famous apple farming family, the Cottrells, also famously created their own applejack, incorporating a distillery under the name New Jersey Apple Growers Inc. It was one of those unregistered ‘family trades.’ ” “It had to be something else they had that for. “You know they weren’t just making applesauce or Concord grape jelly,” Rihacek joked of the presses. Presses were very common among families throughout the area, and with its access to the water, Old Bridge had a somewhat active role in bootlegging throughout the Prohibition.

Industrious early farmers would use whatever apples they couldn’t use for food, or ship, to create applejack, a tradition that continued for centuries, most likely even into the dry years of Prohibition. Cider could also be kept out to create vinegar or, if done right, distilled to create a favorite spirit of several founding fathers, including George Washington: Jersey lightning, or applejack. In addition, apples could be ground up and pressed to create cider, which in many cases was more healthful to drink than the local water, Rihacek said. You can use it for every meal of the day,” Philbrick said. “You could dry them, you could cook them, you could mash them, you could make butter, you could make applesauce - everything that you would want. ARCHIVES OF THE MADISON TOWNSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY, THOMAS WARNE MUSEUM So the early settlers grew a variety of produce, including the apple, which, thanks to New Jersey’s climate and versatility, became a mainstay for the earliest Old Bridge residents, said Kate Philbrick, curator of the Thomas Warne Museum. Excess produce could be easily shipped off to Perth Amboy, New Brunswick and New York City.Ī view of a press inside the Herbert Cottrell cider mill, where apples on the property were turned into cider and later distilled. The soil, while maybe not as good as the lands of Monmouth County, was workable, and the area had great waterway access. Old Bridge was formerly called Madison Township.įrom its earliest roots, the township was an agricultural community, according to the historical society. 6, noon to 4 p.m., at the Old Bridge Municipal Civic Center, is a tribute to the township’s agricultural past, saidAlycia Rihacek, president of Madison Township Historical Society. The 46th annual Apple Festival, which will be held Nov. ARCHIVES OF THE MADISON TOWNSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY, THOMAS WARNE MUSEUM The famous pies are in the oven, and the Madison Township Historical Society is set for its annual celebration of a fruit that has had quite a legacy in Old Bridge: the apple. This event is made possible by Humanities Nebraska.The New Jersey Apple Growers Distillery building on the Herbert Cottrell property distilled applejack before eventually being sold to Laird & Co. For questions contact the Kregel Windmill Factory Museum directly at (402)-873-1078. Hansen collaborated with rancher and writer Linda Hasselstrom on the collection Dirt Songs: A Plains Duet (2011) the book won the Nebraska Book Award in poetry and was a finalist for the Willa Literary Award and the High Plains Book Award.

APPLEJACK FESTIVAL 2011 HOW TO

She is the author of numerous books of poetry, including How to Live in the Heartland (1992), Sanctuary Near Salt Creek (2001), and Potato Soup (2003), which won the Nebraska Book Award for poetry. She was raised on the farm her grandparents had purchased as immigrants from Denmark in the late 1880s.

Twyla Hansen was born and raised in northeast Nebraska. Hansen will read selections from her poetry & stories, and discuss how Nebraska’s water-its rivers, streams, and aquifer, as well as its landscape-has inspired, influenced and shaped her writing. Former Nebraska State Poet (2013-2018) Twyla M.

Applejack festival 2011