To the Cider Mill!

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Autumn is Apple Cider Season! With fun books to celebrate cider, trips to the local cider mill, and delicious treats, this is one of our favorite signatures of the season!

I love love love Apple Cider - it may be my favorite "fall food" with Apple Cider Donuts - my FAVORITE breakfast- running a close second (followed by Carolyn's Pumpkin Donuts). After picking apples this fall at Cider Hill Orchard, and enjoying delicious cider from the store, we decided to add to our apple cider fun and we enjoyed reading, coloring and drawing along with To the Cider Mill, a book by Belton mom, Danna York, along with visits to our two local cider mills!

To the Cider Mill

Local mom, author, and illustrator, Danna York published a charming "Draw along with the Story" Book, "To the Cider Mill." The book celebrates everything we love most about autumn, with cider mills, cider donuts, jugs of delicious cider, pumpkins, and scarecrows. Each page tells the story of autumn with delightful illustrations the children are invited to color, then the accompanying pages encourage the kids to draw their own autumn scenes. My daughters have enjoyed reading the pages, coloring each one, and drawing their own fall faves in the space provided. The end of the book features a small bucket list of ideas for fall fun! The book encourages the budding artist in young children and it captures favorite fall memories! The book is available for purchase at Louisburg Cider Mill, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Rainy Day Books, Dunn's Cider Mill, and Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead.

Danna also presents the book at educational programs and events, where she encourages children to develop a passion for writing and drawing. Events including:

A few of our favorite pages:

Louisburg Cider Mill

Every year, we visit Louisburg Cider Mill to watch cider making (14730 Hwy 68, 913.837.5202. Cider Mill Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-6pm, Sunday 9am-6am.)! We also enjoy visiting the Louisburg Pumpkin Patch. Fresh cider is made from scratch at the cider mill every day as a shipment of apples arrives (call ahead to ensure you'll watch cider making, but right now it is nearly every day). From your first step on the property, you'll smell the aroma of the cider. The Louisburg Cider Mill is truly special, offering one of the most educational outings in town with a full tour of the cider making and donut making process along with educational signs explaining the process in great detail. The Cider Mill also offers a nice country store where cookbooks, goodies, and souvenirs are available for purchase and, in the fall, the pumpkin patch and corn maze (additional fee charged) are terrific fun! Buy some cider to take home and be sure to try their delicious apple cider donuts. With so much to see and do, you can spend half a day or more at the Cider Mill. Be sure to visit Cider Fest on the first weekend in October!

Tip: Call ahead and verify that they are making cider in the morning and that you will be there in time. If you've never been, this is a definite "autumn must do" in the KC area.

Read all about it in our feature, Watching Cider Making at the Louisburg Cider Mill.

Bonus: While you're in Louisburg, be sure to visit Cedar Cove Feline Sanctuary and Powell Observatory!

Dunn's Cider Mill

Dunn's Cider Mill (17003 Holmes Road, Belton, MO. 816.331.7214. Open in the fall Wed-Sun 9am-6pm). Dunn's Cider Mill is smaller than Louisburg, but the cider is also delicious and the donuts are too! At the mill, you may purchase cider, donuts, cookbooks, and Danna's book To the Cider Mill. If they are making cider and donuts from scratch while you are there, you may watch through windows in the main building and taste samples! 

More Favorite Apple Books for Fall:

These children's books are available at local libraries and book stores:

  • Apple Cider Making Days by Ann Purmell. This book tells the story of a family operating a cider business and the process of cider making.
  • Apples by Jacqueline Farmer. This is one of the most educational apple books for children. The book is overflowing the details about apples, how they grow, where they came from, and the many varieties of apples there are to enjoy.
  • The Apple Pie that Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson. I loved the illustrations in this book! The story is a fun family story to be shared with little ones.
  • Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie by Herman Parish. Amelia Bedelia books are a family favorite as a great introduction to fun with words.
  • The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall. This story tells about a tree growing and producing apples.
  • The Apple King by Francesca Bosa. This story tells about the importance of sharing through a charming parable.
  • An Apple Pie for Dinner by Susan VanHecke. This book has fun illustrations with clay and felt and emphasizes the importance of sharing with others.
  • One Red Apple by Harriet Ziefert. This book has beautiful pictures and an easy read aloud story for little ones.
  • Apple Pie by Gennady Spirin. This is an alphabet book with beautiful illustrations.