GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. —
It’s officially apple picking season, the largest fruit crop in Michigan.
There are more than 11.3 million apple trees covering 35,500 acres on 825 family-run farms in the state, according to the Michigan Apple Committee.
One of those is Robinette's Apple Haus & Winery near Grand Rapids.
They have now begun making fresh cider at their mill, and will continue through April or early May -- totaling around 25,000 gallons in a season.
Robinette's uses a blend of apples, which changes as the season progresses, always creating a balance of sweet and tart.
You can watch them make cider throughout the fall, and about once a week in the winter.
They treat their cider with a UV light, to prevent possible bacterial contamination, they say it produces a better cider than a heat pasteurization process.
Robinette's cider is 100 percent pure apple, with no preservatives or additives.
Their cider is also the starting point for their apple-based wines and hard ciders.
They also make several extra batches of cider in early November, to freeze for sale in the summer.
There are plenty of other fun fall activities at Robinette's, including a corn maze, hayrides, petting zoo, jumping pillow and U-Pick apples.
RELATED VIDEO:
MORE on 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.