In Colonial times, hard cider was the alcoholic beverage of choice in the Hudson Valley; now, after a long hiatus, its time of coolness has come around again. Cidery tours have joined wine trails and microbrewery crawls as a festive way to spend an afternoon. An acquaintance who became a hard cider evangelist following a recent trip to England claims that the finest product in our region comes from the Bad Seed Cider Company, based in the orchard country of the Town of Lloyd.
You can put this local cidery’s offerings to the taste-test and simultaneously support a worthy environmental cause this Saturday afternoon, January 7, when Bad Seed’s Tap Room, located at 43 Bailey’s Gap Road in Highland, hosts a Craft Hard Cider-Tasting Fundraiser for the Wallkill Valley Land Trust (WVLT). With the US economy gradually bouncing back from recession, development pressures are on the upswing, and the not-for-profit conservation organization fielded a marked increase in land protection inquiries from landowners in the area in 2016. Find out what plans are on WVLT’s docket for the coming year while you sample some of Bad Seed’s line of six different craft cider types.
This event runs from 3 to 5 p.m. on January 7. Admission costs $25 for WVLT members (you can join at www.wallkillvalleylt.org) and $30 for the general public. All proceeds go to southern Ulster County land conservation. To register or for more information, visit the website, call (845) 255-2761 or e-mail info@wallkillvalleylt.org.
Join the family! 
