A Trip to a Maine Apple Orchard

For many families in the Bangor area, one special memory from kindergarten is of a trip to Conant Orchards along Route 2 in Etna. This popular school field trip includes a demonstration of the cider-making process. For generations, young students have watched apples getting the juice squeezed out of them on the same press. There is only one cider press at Conants. It has been used for decades.

The cider making process

In case you missed this outing as a youngster, let’s fill you in a bit on how they make the cider at Conant Orchards. The apples for the cider are always hand-picked, not drops which have fallen to the ground. Conants has eighteen varieties of apples. The cider is made from a mix of them.

The apples are fed into the machine where they ride up to the top and then literally get pressed! The juice from the apples is strained through cheesecloth and then sits in a large vat ready to be bottled. The orchard will produce about 2500 gallons each season. It is raw cider so it is not pasteurized. And, no, Conants doesn’t sell hard cider.

Early in the season the cider is lighter in color and more sour in taste. As autumn progresses, the liquid becomes darker and sweeter. The jug of cider you buy at Conants will last a week to ten days or so in your refrigerator. If you’d like to relive all the apple loveliness of fall in the middle of the winter, you can freeze the cider — just remember to leave some extra space at the top of the jug as it will expand when freezing.

A Family Tradition

Conant Orchards stretches over 23 acres and includes one thousand apple trees. It has been cared for by the same Maine family for four consecutive generations. Clint and Danielle Parsons, along with Hannah Hegarty, currently run the operation. Clint’s great-grandfather Alphonso Conant founded the business in 1945. Eventually his son Vincent took over, then his granddaughter Janet and her husband Michael Parsons carried on the tradition until 2011.

Not only is Conants family-owned and -operated, but its customer base includes families who make visits to the orchard an annual autumn tradition. Visitors can grab a tote of their favorite apple variety or head out into the orchard to pick their own. Even an “ordinary” trip is loads of fun for all, but Conants works hard to provide a great experience on special days, as well.

Maine Apple Sunday is held in September. Conants goes all out. In recent years, this festive event has included horse-drawn wagon rides through the orchard and an ice cream truck that offered apple pie ice cream.

If anyone reading this isn’t a fan of apples and cider, rest assured that the shelves of the Conant’s stand hold far more than these traditional orchard items. You can find donuts, cheese, fudge, pumpkins, beans, maple syrup, and more.

If you’re passing through Etna, you can see if Conants is still open for the season by connecting with them on Facebook or Instagram.

Did you (or your children or grandchildren) visit Conants as a child? I’d love to know how many readers have a memory from this iconic Etna location! Let me know via a message on this site or through the Maine Features social channels.