There are times in our life when moments have so much meaning, times that are coveted, these very times that are destined to become our very own nostalgia. I am referencing the autumns of our life; each fall the harvest concludes and our food is plentiful. The cool refreshing air returns when relief from summer heat is desperately needed. Apples and peaches become abundant and provide further nourishment during a time when preparation for winter is on the mind.
A very long time ago in Concord, when our little village was still known as Rumford, a time when we were still a British province and ruled by a Royal governor, the old-world customs and traditions were quite evident and certainly relevant.
The harvest was a grand time when the school houses were closed so that the children could work in the fields and bring in the bounty before the onset of the first killing frost. The children were quite pleased to leave the one-room schoolhouses dotting our community and enjoy their freedom without the schoolmaster ruling them – certainly until they hauled the many heavy crates of apples and produce at least.
As the name of our town has changed with the centuries from Pennycook to Rumford and then to Concord too, we have enjoyed the delicious fresh apples produced by our local soil and climate.
Most of the members of our community had an apple tree or two in the side yard while the farms had orchards and an abundance of this delicious fruit. The apples were harvested each fall and enjoyed in many forms, one of the favorites being cider.
There were many popular beverages in the early colonial years in Concord, beverages such as flip, eggnog, rum, beer and more. Some referred to the adult beverages as simply medicinal and never to be consumed on the day of Sabbath, while others were quite open with their desire to enjoy the fruits of their fall harvest.
While the mugs used to drink in the very early years were limited due to cost and supply, a wooden noggin was used because it was affordable and easy to produce yourself and would last for years. The homes would be equipped with noggins that were simply large wood cups carved from a piece of resilient oak, ash or maple with a handle on the side. The noggin was in common use in the 1700s in our area and still found into the 1800s when the production of tin, pewter and earthenware mugs became common and affordable.
Here in Concord in the 1700s, then known as Rumford, it was common for each neighborhood to have a gentleman traveling from house to house to enjoy a free sample of that farm’s cider production for the season. This gentleman was called a “Cider Topper,” and he would spend his post-harvest days guzzling down a quart noggin of cider without a breath and then hold out his noggin for yet another. This position was certainly not sanctioned or official, but certainly enjoyed by the neighborhood “Cider Toppers” here in our town.
As our autumn approaches and the colorful foliage continues to enhance our hills we find morning fog in the nearby valleys, bonfires being enjoyed as a key social event and thoughts of hauntings, ghosts and goblins in everyday conversations. With thoughts of candy corn, jack-o-lanterns and cornstalk decorations we prepare for another Halloween. We winterize and look towards the coming months, those months when holiday traditions will revisit as they have each and every year. We will think about those that are no longer with us and we will smile with gentle thoughts from our past. Traditions are alive and well and certainly embraced as each season arrives. These traditions and routines provide comfort at a time when we are in need.
As we embark on yet another autumn take the time to embrace the past, cherish the memories and start new traditions for the next generation. Visit your favorite establishment, take a few moments to toast the old “Cider Topper” and his quart noggin of cider and enjoy one of the most beautiful autumn places, this place we call home.