Wookiee Hut Cuisine presents: Franklin Cider Mill Franklin, Michigan Review by SuSu & Rosie This cider mill had been pressing and crushing apples into unfiltered juice since 1836, and still uses the same press. You can smell the ripe apples as you enter the building. Outside, yellowjackets and bees hover, intoxicated by the fumes and sugar. The mill is a collection of buildings housing a big donut fryer (press your face up against the screen window to watch them float along the slick pond of oil and dump onto a conveyor belt on the other side), Hickory Farms cheeses and cured meats, apples and nuts covered in caramel or cinammon stuff, and honey in bear-shaped containers and as combs. There is a pretty river on which the mill is set, and people bring the gallons of cider they'd just bought and sit on the concreted banks. The bees do follow you around, so keep moving. The most wonderful thing about the place is the cider. Earlier in the season, the profound sweetness is mitigated by the tartness of the crop. Later, the sugar content in the apples can become dizzying. Leave that bottle of cider for a few days, and you get frothy apple jack. Mmmm ... The donuts are awesome -- fresh, hot, greasy, redolent of cider. Leftovers are great at trifle. Watch for the recipe on Hut Cuisine soon! Try to get there earlier in the morning. Later on, there is a crush of people, with lines out the door for a little bowl of sliced apples dripped over with caramel sauce. Early, you can play Pooh-sticks on the footbridge which serves as the entry to the mill (pick a stick, drop it -- on a given signal -- then run to the other side of the bridge ... the stick that comes out first wins), and the bees and insects are too drowsy to dive bomb your sweets. Something to consider when embarking into the beautiful little town of Franklin. Worth the trip, and if you worry about the calories, get a workout running from the bees! Disclaimer: The opinions and observations noted are the property of the author. Neither Wookieehut nor any associates makes any claims or lucre from the posting of this report or review. This webpage is presented by Wookieehut.com. Enjoy!