How about them apples (and pears)?

In the October issue of Hudson Valley Connoisseur magazine, Jessica Bard has a great article on hard apple cider – the magical drink you get when you let apple juice ferment into alcohol. She included a nice guide to local sources that produce exceptional hard cider on a regular basis such as Warwick Valley Winery in Orange County and Hilltop Orchards & Furnace Brook Winery in Richmond, Massachusetts (near Lenox.) As far as I am concerned, a well-made hard cider ranks right up there with good sparkling wines made from grapes.

I also am a big fan of hard pear cider (perry) and was heartbroken when Elizabeth Ryan’s cider mill at Breezy Hill Farm in Staatsburg burned a few years ago. Elizabeth produced an exceptional perry. Thankfully I discovered that the Warwick Valley Winery Doc’s Draft Hard Pear Cider is also delicious. In her article, Jessica shared the news that Breezy Hill may resume cider production soon, and that Montgomery Place Orchards might be producing some hard cider on a limited basis.

Last Saturday I headed out for some shopping at the Montgomery Place farm stand on Route 9G in Red Hook near Bard College. What a crowd when we got there! Granted, the farm’s produce is outstanding but still I have never seen the place with both parking lots filled, and cars parked across the road. Turns out they were having an apple pie contest. It was much too busy for me to ask farmer Thalia Finke which apple varieties made up the winning pie, but I’ll have to follow up on that. (I picked up some Northern Spy for my own pie and some nice Empires for eating fresh, because they didn’t have any of my new fave -- Honeycrisp -- on hand.)

And they did have hard apple cider, packaged in cute pint canning jars! But as I got there, they were out of the jars. The staff assured me they would be making more. Can’t wait!

People to be proud of ...

With still no hard frosts in the valley (at least none having hit MY garden), there are lots of fresh local veggies still available at our regional farmstands. These recipes featuring local and seasonal ingredients are in the latest issue of HVC magazine (October-November), now on sale at the outlets listed on our Web site.

--Farro Fettucine with Guanciale, a delicious form of artisan Italian bacon (with sourcing info)
--Cavatelli and Broccoli
--Beef & Barley Soup with Garden Veggies
--Pork Chops with Apple Hard Cider-Shallot Sauce

They accompany a column by Chef Tom Griffiths about Chef's Garden programs and eating local, seasonal food, and Jessica Bard's article about regional artisan hard (alchol) ciders. And don't forget to get the free download we have on the HVC Web site of Tom's instructions for making the most perfect holiday turkey and our wines columnist's tips for the best wines to pare with holiday fooods.

We're lucky to have some of the country's best food and wine experts writing for HVC magazine. Folks such as our food columnist, Tom Griffiths, a Certified Master Chef (and Culinary Institute of America associate dean) and our wines columnist Michael Arthur Weiss, a CIA professor who has authored important wine books and who keeps racking up international recognition and awards for his contributions to wine education.

Freelance food writer and chef Jessica Bard (a CIA grad) is a frequent contributor to HVC, with her informative articles and delicious original recipes. (Jessica also teaches cooking classes at Warren Cutlery in Rhinebeck.) And here in the office, Theresa Marquez, also a graduate of the CIA bachelor's degree program, makes sure the recipes we print will actually work in your home kitchen.

If you prepare any of the recipes, please let me know how they turn out! And if you have a food topic or item you'd like to see in the magazine, please let me know.