Moore County sits squarely in North Carolina’s main peach producing region, but at Ann Marie and David Thornton’s James Creek Orchard, it is the heirloom and cider apples that take center stage as the foundation of their award-winning ciders.
Fermented or hard cider can trace its roots back to the beginning of our country, with history noting the beverage was enjoyed by founding fathers and presidents James Adams and Thomas Jefferson. They were not alone. According to Wikipedia, the average New England family in 1767 consumed seven barrels of hard cider annually, or about 35-gallons per person.
The popularity of the drink declined due to Prohibition and an influx of immigrants from countries where beer was the drink of choice, but cider has seen a resurgence in interest in recent years, Ann Marie said.
“We still do meet people who are just discovering ciders or are maybe unsure if they will like it,” she said. “But it has changed a lot in the years since I’ve been doing this.”
The Thorntons take pride in including fruit and produce from their farm, and their neighbors and friends’ farms to make their cider.
On their farm, they planted 65 varieties of heirloom and cider apples from England, France and Spain, along with persimmons, blueberries, pears and, yes, peaches. Local strawberries, rhubarb, basil and honey are some of the seasonal additions bringing unique flavors to their ciders.
The discovery of heirloom apple varieties was a happy accident that became the foundation of the farm’s apple orchard.
“We were casting about for a farm apple and we stumbled across Lee’s,” Ann Marie said.
“Lee,” being Lee Calhoun, a renowned Pittsboro man who along with his wife, Edith, struck out to catalogue and collect Southern heirloom apples, eventually grafting and cutting around 2,000 different varieties before his death in 2020.
His passion for preserving these heirloom varieties struck a chord with the Thorntons and so began the foundation of James Creek Orchards.
Three main cider blends are produced each year from the James Creek Orchard, each blend is typically tied to the time when the apples ripen and are harvested. Those are Summer Gold, Harvest Moon and Russets & Twigs.
“Summer Gold features apples that ripen in late summer and are yellow. Those include Grimes Golden, Hewes Crab, King David,” Ann Marie said. “Harvest Moon features red apples that are mid-season; classics like Stayman, Winesap and Arkansas Black, plus European apples. Then we have Russets & Twigs. Those apples have really thick skin and are mustard colored. They almost look like potatoes. They have really rich nutty flavors.”
The cidery also produces a Stargazer line with apples from other growers, plus peaches from their orchard, Ann Marie said.
The couple not only grow the fruit, but they are also the cider makers.
“My husband has a good background in chemistry, which helps,” she said. “David will take the lead on ciders that are all apples and those that are barrel aged. The fruit seasonals have come from my ideas and inspirations.”
For example, a strawberry rhubarb cider was inspired by a flavor Ann Marie has loved since childhood. Other inspired spirits include Prowling Peach – a bourbon barrel aged peach cider – and Pepper Peach made specifically for the Pittsboro Pepper Festival and flavored with Scotch Bonnets and Habanero peppers.
Blueberry Basil Cider has been a popular flavor experiment.
“I don’t know exactly what the inspiration was for that, but basil has a beautiful bold aroma. I found myself wondering if blueberry and basil would work,” Ann Marie said. “Most people thought I was strange, but it was wonderful. It was a big surprise. It always sells out and people are crazy about it.”
But one of its most popular ciders is the Bee Hive Ginger that includes local wildflower honey and ginger.
“Last year, USA Today named it the #5 cider in the U.S., which seems funny to us because we are very small and we self-distribute close to us,” she said.
Helping people discover cider is what makes the job enjoyable, said Ann Marie.
“This can be a lot of hard work, but it is also a lot of fun to share these with people. I love going to the farmers market and hearing who our ciders were shared with. Some become birthday gifts or hostess gifts. It is fun for our fruits and cider to be part of people’s lives and celebrations.”
Adult visitors will have the opportunity to taste and buy James Creek ciders at the Got to Be NC Pavilion during the Got to Be NC Festival May 16-18 at the State Fairgrounds.