When I have a hankering for apple cider and cider donuts, I head for the cider mill and farmers market near GZ in Parkville. Many people might remember when the shingles on the roof had the name of the place?
When you find this cache, you will be standing down the hill and behind the iconic Cider Mill and Farmers Market. This is more than just a place to buy corn and tomatoes. It is also the oldest continuously operating cider mill in Maryland. The cider press has been putting out delicious cider since 1947. If you walk up to the cider barn, there are windows that allow you to watch the mill in operation. Cider is available year round, but it seems to taste best in the fall, when the apples are at their ripest.
The Cider Mill is still run by the Weber family, now in the hands of the 4th generation of the family. It has changed over the years. Fewer animals in the barnyard out back. The gift store inside is bigger than it was a couple of decades ago. It is not so much the place to go to get your vegetable plants and flowers in the Spring as it used to be. The orchard is much smaller now. Still, I cannot go by this place without reminiscing about the days when my kids would run around the barnyard, laughing with excitement upon seeing the goats clamber around. And this is still the place to go for the Peach Festival and Fall festival, when the field across from the cache site is jammed with cars and the barnyard is filled with children of all ages. Don't even get me started on the pies.
The family also runs a PYO farm in Long Green, on Harford Road. My wife and I still go there to pick berries, bringing home more than we will ever eat. No matter. It's not about the fruit...
The cache: While this a great place for kids, GZ might not be. It is next to the road, so be aware of vehicles. There is a small turnoff on the other side of the little bridge. Additional parking is available a short distance away. Cache itself should be an easy find.
Congratulations to JL826 and Fyregypsy for FTF.