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Our state's signature fruit is in season! It's true we can get apples at the grocery store year-round, but the finest, freshest, most delicious bounty comes in the fall. Savor the sweet flavor of the season with apple cider-pressing and other apple events around Seattle, the Eastside and the South Sound.
Try out a cider press, visit a farm, harvest apples for local food programs, even rent a cider press to make your own cider at home — and drink up all that's wonderful about our amazing Washington apples.
1. City Fruit's Queen Anne Neighborhood Cider Pressing
Thursday, Sept. 28, 5:30–7:30 p.m., Seattle
Stop by the Queen Anne Community Center to help make cider from local apples picked right in Queen Anne and Magnolia. Try out the press and bring a jug to take some cider home. Kids can decorate a caramel apple and everyone can buy some apple-tastic treats.
2. 4th Annual Cider Swig
Saturday, Sept. 30, noon–5 p.m., Gig Harbor
Unlike the other events listed, this fest at Sehmel Homestead Park features grown-up cider from 24 Northwest cider makers (90 ciders total). But while grown-ups enjoy the 21-and-over cider garden, they can drop kids ages 12 and under in a supervised kids' zone with crafts, games and a snack ($7.50 per hour). Buy tickets in advance for this popular event.
3. Lattin's Apple Festival
Saturday–Sunday, Sept. 30–Oct. 29, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Olympia
At Lattin's Country Cider Mill and Farm you don't get to press your own cider, but tasting it will make you swoon. Then you'll want to buy jug after jug to take home. In addition to apples, pears and other produce for purchase, there are pumpkins to pick, farm animals to visit and lots of tasty treats to buy.
4. 44th Annual Steilacoom Apple Squeeze
Sunday, Oct. 1, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Steilacoom
Join the Steilacoom Historial Museum Association for a street fair featuring old-time fun. Press apples into cider with hand presses, stroll through the historic orchard, take part in kids' activities and eat apple pie. Kids can even take a pony ride from noon–4 p.m.
5. Customer Appreciation Festival at Keep It Simple Farm
Saturday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Redmond
KIS (Keep It Simple) Farm celebrates its sixth anniversary with farm fun such as cider pressing, horse buggy rides, pumpkins, food and more. Clint McCune plays live music while visitors enjoy the farm.
6. Vashon CiderFest
Saturday, Oct. 7, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Vashon Island
The Vashon Island Fruit Club, stationed at Vashon Village across from the Vashon Library, will press cider out of Vashon-grown apples. Buy some of the fresh-pressed cider, and a homemade apple crisp to take home. Kids can take a turn with the kids' cider press. If you've got your own apples, head to the Village Green where you can use the cider press on site to make your own cider (10 a.m.–2 p.m.), with experts on hand to guide you.
7. Meeker Mansion Cider Squeeze
Saturday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Puyallup
Buy apples for sale at this lovely historic mansion, then give them the squeeze in the cider press. Also enjoy live music, pick a pumpkin at the pumpkin patch and snack on some tasty apple treats.
8. Family Harvest Day at Meridian Playground
Saturday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m.–1 p.m., Seattle
You won't end up with apples to take home at the end of this volunteer event, but you'll feel like a million buckets of apples. Help harvest the fruit from the apple trees at Seattle's Meridian Playground to distribute to local food bank programs. All ages welcome; sign up in advance to help.
9. Issaquah Goes Apples
Saturday, Oct. 21, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., Issaquah
Experience an old-fashioned cider press at work, shop a pop-up farmers market at the Historic Shell Station, blow a mini glass pumpkin, take a chocolate factory tour and lots more fun as downtown Issaquah celebrates our state's signature fruit.
10. Rent a cider press
Want to make your own cider at home? Pick apples from your backyard — or from one of the orchards in our apple-picking guide — and rent Fox in the Forest School's cider press. This Bothell-based school owns its own Weston Press, which it rents out to families for a few days at a time. Find contact information at the website and call or email for details.
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