Imagine selling 180,000 apple cider donuts in a single fall season. That’s the kind of cinnamon-sugar operation happening at a Maryland farm.
The apples have been working overtime for generations here.
The secret starts with a cider press bought from a New Jersey farmer back in 1947. It’s still squeezing apples today. Most kitchen appliances would have retired three times over.
The farm calls it Maryland’s oldest continuously operating cider mill. And the family behind it has been growing fruit since 1908, back when getting apples to Baltimore meant loading up a horse-drawn wagon.
More than a century later, the horses are gone, but the cider keeps flowing.
With that many donuts coming out each fall, it’s safe to say the old press has earned its bragging rights.
The Old Cider Press Has Outlasted Every Gadget You Own
Back in 1947, Earl Weber bought a Runkle’s Company cider mill from a farmer in New Jersey. That same machine still presses cider at Weber’s Cider Mill Farm, Inc. today.
Weber’s calls it the oldest cider mill in continuous use in Maryland. Plenty of things from 1947 live in museums now, but this one still clocks in for work.
The process sounds simple, yet the numbers are wild. One bushel of apples weighs about 40 pounds and makes roughly 3.3 gallons of cider.
Do that math across a whole season, and you get a lot of apples. The farm presses roughly 15,000 to 20,000 gallons in a typical year.
During fall, several thousand gallons flow out each week. That’s a busy schedule for a machine old enough to collect a pension.
A hydraulic press handles the squeezing, and the cider undergoes a safety treatment afterward.
You get that fresh-pressed flavor without worrying about what’s floating around in your jug.
Next time you sip a cup here, give a quiet nod toward the mill. It has been doing this job longer than most of us have been alive.
Four Apples Walk Into A Jug, And Something Great Comes Out
Every batch of the regular cider uses at least four types of apples. That blend matters, because one apple alone can taste a bit flat.
Mixing sweet, tart, and crisp varieties gives the cider more depth. Think of it like a band instead of a solo act.
Then there’s the Honeycrisp Apple Cider, which stars just one famous apple. Honeycrisp fans already know why that’s a big deal.
Having both options means you can do a side-by-side taste test at home. Pour two cups, grab a friend, and argue about it like it’s a sports debate.
Fresh cider is a fall staple at Weber’s, and the market sells it daily. The farm market keeps the same hours all week, from 9 AM to 6 PM.
A smart move is grabbing an extra jug while you’re there. Fresh cider works for warm mugs on chilly nights, pancake mornings, or simply drinking cold straight from the fridge.
Just know that cider tastes best fresh, so keep it chilled once you get home. Nobody wants a forgotten jug lurking behind the leftovers in November.
You Will Lose Count Of These Donuts Before You Lose Interest
More than a thousand dozen donuts get made on a single October weekend day. Weekdays are calmer, with only several hundred dozen. Only.
These apple cider donuts are made fresh in-house every day. The secret is no secret at all, since Weber’s mixes its own pressed cider right into the dough.
That connection is the fun part. The apples become cider, and the cider becomes donuts, all on the same farm.
One recent fall, the farm projected selling 180,000 of them. Somebody in that kitchen deserves a very long nap in December.
Cider donuts aren’t the only choice, either. Specialty donuts and Marshmallow donuts also show up on the lineup.
A practical tip helps here. Donuts have to cool before they’re packaged, or they turn soggy in the box, so boxed ones won’t be warm.
Want them warm? Plan to enjoy a few on-site during festival season, then take a cooled box home for later.
A short trip in the microwave at home can bring back some of that cozy feel. Breakfast tomorrow just got a lot more interesting.
Mrs. Weber’s Apple Cake Deserves A Spot On Your Table
Family recipes have a way of lasting, and the Country Bakery proves it. The Jewish Apple Cake here is based on Mrs. Weber’s recipe.
That alone makes it worth a look. A cake with a family name attached usually carries some serious pride.
The pie lineup goes well beyond apple. Various fruit pies rotate through, along with a Pumpkin Crème Roll that feels made for October.
Not a pie person? The cookie case covers chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, snickerdoodle, and sugar.
Breads, rolls, cakes, loaf cakes, and muffins fill out the shelves too. There’s also quiche, which makes a handy dinner when nobody wants to cook.
Here’s a planning trick worth stealing. Pick up one sweet item and one savory item, and your next meal is half solved.
Holidays get extra attention as well. Thanksgiving pies are a natural pairing with the farm’s fresh turkeys, which can be pre-ordered ahead of time.
Baking at home is lovely, sure. Letting a century-old family farm handle dessert might be lovelier.
Thirty-Two Kinds Of Apples Will Test Your Decision Skills
Grocery stores usually offer maybe six apple choices. Weber’s Cider Mill Farm, Inc. brings out more than 32 varieties in the fall.
That’s a fun challenge for anyone who thinks all red apples taste the same. They don’t, and this market is ready to prove it.
Pumpkins and gourds join the apples, turning the market into a harvest display. It’s the kind of scene that makes you suddenly want a front porch.
Homegrown produce carries a tag that says we grew it for you. Items from trusted nearby farmer friends wear a locally grown tag instead.
That labeling makes shopping easy and honest. You know exactly where each item came from.
The shelves go deeper than produce, too. Look for honey, fruit preserves, jellies, butters, relishes, pickles, salad dressings, and maple syrup.
Local cheese and ice cream from Keyes Creamery in Havre de Grace, Maryland, also land here. Homemade fudge and hand-dipped ice cream round things out.
Bring a sturdy bag. You’ll walk in for apples and walk out with a small pantry.
Goats Are Waiting, And They Have Opinions About Snacks
Goats, chickens, ducks, geese, bunnies, cows, pigs, sheep, guinea hens, and turtles. That’s quite a guest list for one barnyard.
Kids can buy goat treats in the market and hand them out. The goats will gladly accept, probably with zero manners.
Beyond the animals, the Giant Hillside Slide is a big draw. Fair warning, it may close occasionally, but the other play structures stay open.
Tire Mountain gives little climbers a place to burn energy. Duck races, a maze, and a mini maze add even more ways to stay busy.
Hayrides and mini-tractor rides round out the fun. During the fall festival, a haymaze joins the lineup too.
Here’s the money-saving part. When no festival is running, the barnyard is free to enter.
Festival days require a general admission ticket.
During the 2026 Fall Harvest Days, barnyard hours ran from 10 AM to 6 PM on weekdays and 9 AM to 6 PM on weekends in September and October, with closing times moving to 5 PM in November.
One rule to remember is that only service animals are allowed. Leave the family dog home, because the goats already claimed the spotlight.
Fall Harvest Days Turn A Farm Visit Into A Full Afternoon
Pumpkinland sounds like a made-up place from a picture book. At Fall Harvest Days, it’s real, and it’s part of the festival.
The season brings fresh apple cider, hayrides, the hillside slide, and a family-friendly spooky walk. Spooky, but the gentle kind that won’t ruin bedtime.
Extra activities often include barrel train rides, gem mining, face painting, balloon artists, and glitter tattoos. Some of these cost extra, so tuck away a little spending money.
Food trucks show up on Fridays in October. On weekday festivals, concessions are available at the Bakery Counter.
Timing matters for this one. The festival has historically run from mid-September into early November.
The 2026 Fall Harvest Days ran from September 14 through November 8 at the Parkville farm. Checking the schedule before you go saves headaches.
Want to pick your own pumpkins? That happens at Weber’s PeachBerry Farm in Glen Arm on October weekends, not at the main market.
Plan a full afternoon here. Between cider, slides, and Pumpkinland, an hour simply won’t cut it.
Five Generations Later, The Webers Still Run The Show
Horse and wagon was the original delivery plan. The Webers once hauled produce into Baltimore City markets that way.
As the city grew, the family switched to selling right from the farm. That shift shaped the market you see today.
Weber’s Cider Mill Farm, Inc. has been family-run since 1908. Four generations worked as market gardeners and fruit growers, and a fifth is now involved.
Jo-Ann and Steve Weber have managed the market and cider mill since 1971. Jake Weber Jr. represents that fifth generation in the business.
Over 100 years of one family running a farm is rare anywhere. In a busy Maryland suburb, it feels even more impressive.
You’ll find it all at 2526 Proctor Lane, Parkville, MD 21234. The market opens seven days a week from 9 AM to 6 PM.
Go for cider, stay for a donut, and leave with way too many apples. The family has had more than a century to perfect that trap.
Honestly, it’s the friendliest trap in the state. You won’t mind falling for it every fall.