National Apple Day

 

 

Today, October 21, is National Apple Day.   Fresh and dried apples were basic staples in western forts.   In an account from 1867 from a soldier camped near Fort Larned, one solider reported that General Custer had a barrel of apples. 

Apples would have been a treat for travelers on the Trail and early pioneers when available.    Fresh fruit was a rare commodity, and the Kansas climate can be challenging to grow apples. According to culinary historian Sam Arnold, one other popular use of apples was for producing applejack.   It surpassed rum in popularity in the early nineteenth century.    During the winter, a keg of hard cider was allowed to freeze.  As the water solidified, the alcohol would remain liquid, and the highly potent applejack could be drawn off without heat distillation. 

Today, throughout Kansas, one can find Louisburg Cider from Louisburg Cider Mill.  The mill has been producing cider products since 1977, and available at different locations in Larned, including the Santa Fe Trail Center.