Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Manoff.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Amy and Gary started working this farm land right out of college. We cleared brush, put up a deer fence, added a well and drip irrigation. We worked other jobs for 15 years to sustain the farm. Farmers markets were new when we started and very few people cared about local food, but fruit was a draw because of the difference from farm grown and local to any other option, and we ended up with people finding us. Fast forward to 2017…we discovered hard cider. Wow. We were wine drinkers who needed more local options and apples were the answer. Pennsylvania grows amazing apples and many heriloom cider apples were grown here 150 years ago. We joined the Penn State Extension trip to England for producers and growers. Such an amazing opportunity to explore apples, ciders and spirits. The answer we needed was that everyone makes cider the way they like to drink it. Perfect!
Our federal and state Farm Winery License was granted in 2018 and we jumped on it. Many of our original apple graftings were gotten from people we met on our trip. Some heirloom apple trees were available commercially but most we had to find on our own. At this time we grow about 40 heirloom, hard cider specific varieties of apples. 2025 was a great year for our grafted trees so we were able to start experimenting with single varietal ciders as well as blending different varieties. Our cidery uses barrels, foeders as well as stainless steel tanks for fermenting.
It takes a year on average from start to finish which creates a dry cider. We don’t add sugar or canned flavorings so everything is gluten free and easy on your system. Right now there are 14 different ciders available in our tasting room.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’m not sure farmers ever have a smooth road but we were very lucky with the people we met and worked with.
Mother nature throws some curveball every year and it started with our first year. We have farmed through floods, hurricanes, 17 yr cicadas, drought and freezes. Our motto has always been to try to be prepared and diversify our crops. Gary studied horticulture at Delaware Valley College (now a university) for agriculture. He learned about black plastic, remay row covers, drip irrigation, high tunnels and other ways to stay ahead of the problems that crop up every year,
We have invested in all of that. We moved our peach crop to higher ground on the farm to avoid early spring frost damage. For 40 years, this worked. This year that didn’t help. We had high temperatures in April bringing the fruit trees into full bloom, followed by lows in the mid 20’s. Nothing can fix the damage to the blossoms. So, even though we look like we have it all figured out, once again, we are figuring it out.
We started making hard cider and applied for our federal license which we received late in 2018. Of course, we jumped in 101% and then covid hit. Again, luckily we had outdoor space for people to continue to meet up safely distanced and still enjoy a drink together. I wouldn’t say things have ever been easy but they certainly offer much joy.
Our opportunity to connect with neighbors and show people what food and drink can taste like directly from the farm are worth so much to us.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Manoff Market & Cidery?
Starting in 1984 as a fruit and vegetable farm we have transitioned into fruit and artisianal hard cider. Everything we do is based on the simple philosophy to give the crops the best chance for success. For example, we grow our apples using a full dwarf high density system. To make this work involves training baby trees to grow their branches sideways (for fruiting) not just straight up to create a canopy. We then winter prune, summer prune (to allow light and air onto the fruit and tree) and thin the fruit to keep the tree in a happy state.
We are known for our peach crop which goes 12 weeks, with up to 20 varieties of peaches and nectaries. Each tree is picked up to 4 times during the harvest to guarantee tree ripened fruit will be sold in our farm market.
The addition of hard cider to our line up has been very exciting as we delved into heirloom varieties that were successful over 150-200 years ago. Many varieties we now have were started with bud wood from friends with cider specific orchards that we grafted, grew and then planted into the orchard. These apples grow incredibly well on our land and the finished cider is deliciously different from what people expect.
Fermentation in barrels and tanks can take 9-12 months. The cider continues to develop and settle naturally because of this. Our cider also ages in the bottle and can be kept for up to 2 years only getting better. Unfortunately, we keep drinking it so we don’t know if it will age longer!
This year because of the frost damage to our crops we are opening up our beautiful cider area for celebrations and events involving drinking hard cider and enjoying the view of the orchard.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
One of the things we are most passionate about is those earth angels. You know, those people who show up in your life and help out. What a difference that has made in our life and business. So, when you think you might have a minute to do something for someone, that sometimes can mean the difference for where they go and how they get there.
A lot of people say we need music and entertainment at the farm to get people to visit. But we’ve noticed that many of our customers just enjoy the chance to chat with a neighbor, meet a new family, have their child roll in the grass while their parents relax for a minute. So we’ve started our own hashtag: #meetatmanoffs
You don’t know what you’re missing until you try it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://manoffmarketgardens.com/about
- Instagram: #manoffmarket
- Facebook: @manoffmarket
