The American Cider Book: The Story of America's Natural Beverage [Paperback]

Vrest Orton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Vrest Orton (1897-1986) was the founder of The Vermont Country Store, a specialized goods outlet modeled after his father's and grandfather's emporium. Today, the store has expanded greatly, and its catalog, Voice of the Mountains, is mailed tri-annually to customers around the world. The American Cider Book is sure to find a place in every natural-food kitchen as a companion volume to Mr. Orton's wife's book, Cooking with Wholegrains.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: North Point Pr (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865474842
• ISBN-13: 978-0865474840
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,818,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book on the culture of New England cider making, November 9, 2004

By 

Maxwell Goss - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The American Cider Book: The Story of America's Natural Beverage (Paperback)

Few things in life give more satisfaction than a cool glass of unpasteurized cider, a mug of hot spiced cider, or a bottle of English hard cider. What a pleasure, then, to run across this little book by Vrest Orton, a lifelong Vermonter who spent two years researching the methods of New England cider makers.

The American Cider Book begins with a delightful history of apple cider in England and America, noting, among other things, that John Adams drank a tankard of it every morning and that the humble cider barrel was a symbol of William Henry Harrison's presidential campaign. It goes on to outline the traditional and modern methods for making cider in New England, then devotes a brief chapter to making it in the home. The book concludes with several dozen recipes for cooking with cider and some concluding reflections by the author.

Orton's strong opinions and quirky anecdotes make for an entertaining read. At one point he refuses to reveal the name or whereabouts of one cider maker, fearing that "vast conglomerates that know nothing about cider, vinegar, or even food would vie to buy him out, change his product, destroy its quality, and replace one of the best cider makers I have ever known." At another he notes that he likes to make cider with his wife, since "one of the great and noble functions of womanhood is to stand by and hand things to men to work with."

I should mention that, while the book does walk the reader through the various processes used to make sweet and hard cider, it often lacks in detail. In other words, the book gives you the basics, but you'll also need to use some creativity and common sense to see your cider through from the tree to the glass. This is no doubt what Orton intended, as experimenting is half the fun, but the meticulous reader may want to supplement the American Cider Book with a more specific how-to book. However, do not fail to read Orton's wonderful book first.

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Overall disappointment, May 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The American Cider Book: The Story of America's Natural Beverage (Paperback)

The text was hard to follow and was lacking in technical content.too much theory of society and cider .There were some recipes however. No photos, all B/W art , a few sketches....Save your money in my opinion.....Il sell you my book for 7.00