A look at how apple cider is made in Maple Park
Apples fly along a conveyor belt up through a contraption where they are ground, juiced, pasteurized and finally poured into gallon jugs ready for market at Kuipers Family Farm. This process, called cider pressing, usually takes place two to three times a week, yielding 800 to 2,000 gallons of cider. That's 28 bins of apples, 18 bushels to a bin, producing three gallons of cider per bushel.
In 1998, Wade and Kim Kuipers returned to their love of farming by opening their 71-acre pumpkin patch to the public in Maple Park. When the 160-acre apple orchard across the street became available, they purchased it and renamed the 231 acres Kuipers Family Farm.
Their orchard produces more than 20 varieties of apples that combine to make their apple cider.
In addition to apple picking and cider pressing, other activities include hayrides, pumpkin picking from the pumpkin patch and even cutting your own Christmas tree during the winter months.
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