Traditional cider, handcrafted from wild & forgotten apple trees.
Traditional cider, handcrafted from wild & forgotten apple trees.
Drop by the Pugwash Farmers' Market on Saturdays from 8:30am until 1pm to check out all the amazing vendors and pick up some cider and other treats! The 2024 market season runs from May 18th until October 12th.
I usually have a dry and an off dry (semi-dry or semi-sweet) available at each market, along with free samples of each. If you would like to purchase a specific cider please let me know by Thursday evening and I can bring your requested cider to the market for pickup.
I am pleased to be able to work with the fine people at the following businesses who support small local producers:
Please consider visiting these wonderful places. You won't be disappointed!
I currently do not maintain regular retail hours at the cidery, however if you would like to make a purchase, contact me at cider@farawaycider.ca and we can arrange a time to meet and to pick up your order.
The following selections are now available! Here are the details:
| Batch | Style | alc/vol | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opus 2021 No. 1 | Semi-dry | 5.5% | Available |
| Opus 2021 No. 2 | Semi-dry | 5.2% | Available |
| Opus 2020 No. 1 | Dry | 8.7% | Available |
| Opus 2020 No. 2 | Semi-dry | 6.0% | On Hold |
| Opus 2019 No. 3 | Dry | 7.3% | Sold Out |
| Opus 2018 No. 4 | Dry | 8.1% | Sold Out |
| Opus 2019 No. 2 | Semi-dry | 6.2% | Sold Out! |
| Opus 2019 No. 1 | Semi-sweet | 5.3% | Sold Out! |
| Opus 2018 No. 1 | Dry | 8.6% | Sold Out! |
| Opus 2018 No. 2 | Dry | 8.1% | Sold Out! |
| Opus 2018 No. 3 | Dry | 7.6% | Sold out! |
| Opus 2018 No. 5 | Dry | 8.0% | Sold Out! |
| Opus 2018 No. 6 | Semi-dry | 6.2% | Sold Out! |
Individual 500ml bottles are $16 each. If you bring back your clean empty bottle to the Pugwash Farmers' Market on Saturday, I can give you a $1 deposit back. Circular economy!
I use wild and uncultivated apples collected from local trees in and around Cumberland County Nova Scotia. These apples are never sprayed, and are packed with amazing flavours and textures that give the cider a character that is lively and unique. Each wild apple tree is one of a kind leading to a "beyond-terroir" experience where not only the local soils and climate affect the cider, but also our local wild apple tree communities.
To showcase the depth of the variety found in these wild and forgotten apples, I make my cider in tiny batches. Each batch will have the apples from only a handful of trees so the differences in colours, textures and tastes that each tree provides can shine through in the final cider.
As much as possible I let the cider chart its own course. I avoid adding sulphites to my ciders so that the wild yeasts and micro flora naturally present in the juice can help take the cider on its journey. Each bottle is still alive and kicking when you pop it open.
I do not force carbonate my ciders. The cider may develop an effervescence by the natural fermentation that occurs after the cider is bottled.
This method of making cider is both challenging and labour intensive. However, the end result is really something special that can't be replicated anywhere else. These apple trees are a fixture in the local landscape and they offer us a chance to create a truly local cider with flavours and styles unique to our area. It's worth the effort to make it happen!
With a curiosity for cider making and a distinct lack of apples, Peter Milner set out exploring the back roads of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, and started knocking on doors. This quest led to the discovery of some wonderful wild and uncultivated apple trees, plenty of delicious cider, and the birth of a cidermaker.
Since then Peter has been awarded gold and silver medals, as well as a "Best in Class" award, for his traditional dry ciders at the 2018 Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition. Spurred by this recognition and by enthusiastic family and friends, Peter started Faraway Cider in 2019 to make these previously unknown wild ciders available for sale to the public.
Do you have apples on your property that you would like to offer for cider making? We are always looking for new apples to purchase, so get in touch.
If your apples are small, sour, bitter and not good for eating, they might still be suitable for cider making. We can come out and take a look or you can bring by a sample.
Please see our apple harvesting page for more information.
Contact us by email at apples@farawaycider.ca or call us at 902-699-9083.
Apple blossom being pollinated by a honeybee.
Apple seeds beginning to sprout.
Apple tree seedlings getting started.
Wild apple tree.
Wild apples after a shower.
A sample of apple diversity.
And the resulting cider diversity.