For anyone looking to understand how pioneers made cider with antique, hand-cranked presses and sample the results, the Philip Foster Farm Historic Site has an event to quench that desire – the 2022 Philip Foster Cider Squeeze. The annual cider squeeze celebrates the late summer harvest and showcases the spirit of the early settler families and the life and time in which they lived.

“It’s a big party,” said Jennifer Goldman, programming director at Philip
Foster Farm. “Families are invited to experience life as a pioneer.”

Guests are invited to bring their own apples and enjoy the satisfaction of
making apple cider the old-fashioned way using the hand-cranked cider
presses. The event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
at the historic farm, located at 22725 SE Eagle Creek Road in Eagle Creek.
“The event started with early members of the Home Orchid Society getting
together, making cider and selling it,” Goldman said. “It was the original
fundraiser to raise money to open the historic farm site.”

The cider squeeze has been held annually since the Philip Foster Farm historic
site opened in 1993. Guests can also buy cider already prepared and
packaged on site.

The cider presses used at the squeeze were originally built between 1900 and
the 1940s. They were donated to the farm by families in the Mount Hood
region and restored for modern use.

Families are asked to limit the amount of apples squeezed at the event to two
gallons to allow time for others to make use of the cider presses. A bulk
squeeze will be held the following day, Sunday, Sept. 18, from 2-6 p.m. for
the production of an unlimited amount of apple cider.

“At the bulk squeeze people can use one old press from 1910 that is
enormous,” Goldman said.

In addition, the event will feature live music, folk dancing, kid's games and
tours of the grounds, including a tour of an 1860s barn with a corn-grinding
station and the opportunity to use a cross-cut saw. There will be various food
vendors on site and reenactors in historical costumes to explain about the
history of the region and give people a hands-on experience.

Admission to the event is $5 for individuals and $20 for families. Admission is
free for Jacknife-Zion-Horseheaven Historical Society members, including
volunteers who have worked at least 10 hours at the farm this year.

The costs for participating in the cider squeeze include:
– Press cider from your own apples: $3.00 per gallon
– Press cider from provided apples: $6.00 per gallon
– Use provided jugs: $1.00 each (jugs hold 1 gallon of cider)
– Pre-pressed, pasteurized cider: $7 per gallon.

Parking for the event is available at both parking lots at the farm. Guests
attending the bulk squeeze are invited to park in the lot on Eagle Creek Road.

More information regarding the event is available online at
https://philipfosterfarm.com/farm-events/cider-squeeze/.