Canton, NY, Oct 09, 2012 — It is absolutely cider season, from big operations to small. Martha Foley and her neighbors usually gather at this time of year for "cider day." The hand-cranked press lives in an old milk house. It's a barrel-shaped contraption, with heavy slatted sides.

Whole apples, mostly wild, are washed, chopped and packed into the press. The cranking starts, squeezing the apples tighter and tighter, and eventually, the cider flows.

The whole process is a team effort, starting outside with a bath for the apples.