Behind the Scenes: The Sweetness of the Cider Squeeze

By Sarah Brooks, Associate Director  

I still get nervous before our events.  Are all the little details (and the big ones, for that matter) in place?  What will happen that’s out of my control?  What if no one shows?  What if we don’t have enough food?   What if…

Prepping for my 8^th annual Cider Squeeze, it seemed I shouldn’t be too nervous.  After all, it’s a great event every year:  generous hosts Marilyn and Dave Sabold are about the nicest people you could meet, there is always plenty of tasty cider flowing from a cool antique press, the weather was set to be sunny and warm, and who doesn’t enjoy an excuse to enjoy a fall day at the Sabold’s beautiful pond? 

On Friday afternoon, however, I found something to worry about.  I went to the Sabold’s early to do a little pre-pressing to ensure we had enough cider for all the guests.  I was excited to have some time on the press—usually I work the nametag table, so I don’t get to be a part of the cider making.  All too soon, the yellowjackets arrived.  They were fierce.  No one could remember them being quite so ferocious quite so late into the fall.  I found myself seeking an almost Zen-like state of calm to work the press or the tap without making a movement too quick to cause a wasp frenzy as they swarmed the filtering screen.   Despite my focus, I still managed to get stung and ended the day with a rapidly swelling arm.

And, so, I fretted most of Friday night and Saturday morning.  What if others get stung ?  What if no one wants to press the cider because of those pesky wasps?  Here was an event wrinkle I had not anticipated.

The event began and soon enough the press was running.  I must admit that I spent much of the following two hours thinking about all the details that could go awry.  I saw lots of smiling faces and people seemed to be having a good time (and no medical emergencies emerged), but I still couldn’t seem to relax.

As the event drew to a close, Nellie Casey stopped by my nametag table to say thank you for the event.  She then proceeded to say that she looks forward to the event because even if you don’t leave with cider, there’s just something about taking a turn on that press and looking up to see another community member working with you.

And suddenly, I stopped all that fretting.  Nellie was completely right.  That’s the point of the Cider Squeeze.  It does take a whole team of people to make that sweet nectar:  people to put the apples in the press, someone strong to spin the wheel, someone else to monitor the flow, another to crank the press, others to filter and fill the bottles.  A whole crew of people—who often haven’t met before—have to work together. 

That’s a pretty perfect metaphor for doing conservation work in the Methow.  You can’t do it alone.  It takes a whole team – a whole community—of people.  And, it takes working with people you may not know for the end cause you all care about. 

So, maybe the yellowjackets were annoying and maybe it was too hot for the cream cheese frosting, and maybe the speeches were hard to hear in the wind.  That didn’t matter, because at it’s core (excuse the bad pun), the Cider Squeeze is the perfect celebration for conservation.  It is about all of us coming together to celebrate our collective work as people protecting a place we love.  And, that’s pretty sweet.