NILES TOWNSHIP — When the cold weather inevitably descends on the Michiana area in the weeks to come, residents can at least take comfort in the abundance of apple cider. Whether enjoying the beverage mulled with spices or cold from the jug, the classic fall beverage is a customer favorite at Shelton’s Farm Market.

The local market, where customers can find an array of fresh fruits and vegetables, began stocking their apple cider earlier this week. The tangy and sweet beverage is made from three blends of apples grown at the Shelton’s farm in Berrien Center. The fruit is then taken to a cider mill where it is pressed.

“Poor apples make poor cider,” said Jim Shelton, one of the market’s business partners. “Some people think if you use all sweet apples, it makes it better, but I don’t think so.”

Mixing sweet and tangier apples together provides a flavor that has perhaps made customers inquire about the earliest batch of cider.

The Shelton family has sold apple cider for more than 60 years, experimenting and aiming to improve each batch, said Joe Shelton, a fellow business partner and Jim’s brother.

Just outside the market, a sign with yellow letters advertises “Cider.” The fall staple remains a popular drink, so much so that customers often ask for it too early in the summer.

“We have a lot of requests before we got it in,” Jim said. “We can’t start too early in the [apple picking] season. We had to wait until we were in our sixth or seventh variety [of apples] before we could make cider.”

Joe echoed this sentiment.

“We have so many people asking, ‘Is your cider ready? Is your cider ready?’” he said.

But summer apples lack the body and flavor needed to make the cider its best, Joe said. This year, Joe and Jim said their apple crop was good and they expect to have plenty of cider stocking the shelves.

Shelton’s Farm Market has been in operation for 71 years and first took the form of a fruit stand, which was run by Ethan and Rose Shelton, Joe and Jim’s parents. Through hard work and dedication, the business grew and today, customers can find more than 20 varieties of apples, grapes, sweet corn and strawberries grown on the farm. What is not grown on the farm, the family purchases from local farmers.

The market also provides wholesale services to restaurants and businesses within a 150-mile radius of Niles.

With the fall season approaching, Joe and Jim encouraged customers to give the beverage a try.

“A lot of people who think they don’t like cider have not had good cider,” Joe said.

Customers can purchase cider for $5.99 a gallon or they can bring their own container to tap cider from a round, cooled barrel for $4.99. 

Shelton’s Farm Market is located at 1832 S. 11th St. in Niles Township. Those interested in learning more about the business can visit Shelton’s Facebook page.