On this Harvest Moon...

We sat down with Anthony, head cider maker at Hardscabble Cider. Hardscrabble Cider's location and production takes place at Harvest Moon farm and orchard in North Salem, NY. "Hardscrabble Cider was founded by three brothers with firm horticultural backgrounds – Alex, Kevin and Ben Covino of Brewster, NY. Farmers, scientists and businessmen all around, the brothers found inspiration in the words of local hero, Theodore Roosevelt, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are”; and (Mother Nature willing) apples they have a plenty." They have a few varieties growing at the farm; however, Anthony typically uses Macintosh for the ciders which are prevalent through out the orchard. The family run operation is an iconic destination for people looking for a quick getaway from the hustle-and-bustle of NYC. The farm is the quickest, far away place from the city and although visiting anytime is great, the weekends during the fall season is full of all sorts of fun activities which includes much imbibing & music. Anthony and the crew at Hardscrabble have carved out a niche for themselves by partnering up with farmer Todd to explore a multitude of produce and botanicals available to them at Harvest Moon. They often infuse into their base ciders producing some amazing blends. We explored a beet cider, jalapeño cider as well as a hopped cider. One of our favorites is to blend both beet and the hopped cider together. With a rich display of tap handles and expressions we highly suggest having some fun by exploring the limitless blending opportunities. They have a full service tasting room including retail for NY craft spirits, wine, beer and cider. Enjoy your visit next time you're in the Hudson Valley.