Check out the newest twist on apples at Bucks County cidery: Farm-to-bottle tastings with a view
Making cider was a natural next step for Amy and Gary Manoff.
They had been running Manoff Market Gardens since the couple started farming the 35-acre Solebury Township property in 1984. Back then, it was all brambles and trees.
Fresh out of college and newly wedded, they used their combined education — Amy with a degree in marketing from Penn State University and Gary with his horticulture degree from Delaware Valley College (now Delaware Valley University) — to eagerly put the overgrown land to good use.
“We had no idea what we got into or what we could do,” recalled Gary. “But after almost 40 years, now we know what we can do.”
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And what they did paid off. Over the years, they built and nurtured an orchard, a family and a life together.
“It’s an adventure,” said Amy. “Gary is a visionary. He dreams things up I would never think of. I’m the practical one. We are definitely a good team.”
Today, endless rows of fruit crops stretch across the fertile land where the Manoffs grow flowers, peaches, nectarines, blackberries, strawberries, pears, cherries and apples.
Against the backdrop of freshly tilled soil and greenhouses sits their farm market, a quiet yet welcoming board and batten building where visitors can purchase local farm-to-table products like apple butter, peach preserves, honey and fresh cut flowers.
Around the back side of the market is Manoff Market Cidery, the newest venture for the family-owned business.
“It just became the obvious next thing. We do everything in-house. Everything gets used. The hard cider just seemed like the next thing that fit into that,” said Amy.
A cider tour in England put on by the Penn State Extension set Amy and Gary on a path to further explore the cider-making business and eventually obtain a limited winery license from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board in 2018, which permitted them to start producing and selling hard ciders from the apples grown on their farm.
The cidery’s tasting room faces out onto the farm where apple trees sway in the breeze. On nice days, visitors can purchase a glass, flight or bottle and enjoy the cidery’s outdoor space overlooking the orchards.
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Whether someone comes out to explore ciders for the first time or are seasoned cider lovers, staff is on-site to help customers select from the variety of ciders offered — ranging from single varietals and blends to hopped and non-carbonated ciders.
“We have so many different types of trees and so many different types of apples that we’re really able to experiment a lot with variety and with taste,” said Ellie Brehme, a cidery associate. “One of the fun things is telling people about the process of making cider and exposing them to a more traditional style of hard cider.”
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Creating farm-to-bottle ciders is a process that requires time and patience, explained Chelsea Manoff, assistant cider maker and daughter of Amy and Gary. From the time the apples are harvested and pressed, fermentation and barrel-aging can take up to a year.
The variations in flavors come not only from the 50 varieties of apples they grow, but also through switching up ingredients and processes — like adding hops, using wild yeast, sweetening with honey, or aging in a tequila barrel.
But apples remain the star of the show, so they prefer to keep it simple.
“If you’re starting with something that’s a quality product, like a quality fruit, you don’t want to mess with it too much. It’s more about taking care of it throughout the whole process, that’s the most important part,” Chelsea noted.
Chelsea and her husband, Maher Alazehh, work fulltime alongside her parents at the orchard and cidery. The expansion into cider-making created an agrotourism experience which Chelsea felt was needed to help keep their small farming business sustainable.
“If you are not big enough, then you can’t make it. (The cidery) was a way to expand our business, so we can continue to farm,” she explained.
“Seeing people come and hang out in a casual space and really just enjoy the cider and enjoy people’s company, that is a new thing for us, and I really like the feeling of that,” said Chelsea.
Manoff Market Cidery, also known as M2 Cidery, is open Thursdays 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For evening hours, come for Locals Night the first and third Thursdays of each month when they stay open until 8:30 p.m.
Bottle sales are also available in the market Monday-Saturday and online as well.
“Come to the farm,” encouraged Amy. “It’s about taking a moment, drinking some cider, taking a look around and enjoying where it all came from. It’s really a beautiful thing.”
Go: Manoff Market Cidery is located at 3157 Comfort Road in New Hope; 215-297-8220; manoffmarketgardens.com/cidery
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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Manoff Market Cidery in Solebury offers new experience at Bucks County orchard
