465: The Integrated Table: Cider, Food, and Farming at 1000 Stone Farm

465: The Integrated Table: Cider, Food, and Farming at 1000 Stone Farm

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist July 16, 2025 Duration: 1:21:15

From Farm to Glass: Cider at 1000 Stone Farm

At 1000 Stone Farm in Brookfield, Vermont, Kyle Doda and Betsy Simpson have built a dynamic model that unites organic farming, community-supported agriculture, small-batch cider. First came the farm and then over ten years, the couple expanded their offerings to include fruit trees, livestock, mushrooms, and now a seasonal restaurant and tasting room: The Farmers Hand Cider House & Kitchen. Besty is the Chef and a graduate of the Culinary Institue of Arts in New York.

besty simpston and kyle doda of 1000 Stone Farm with cider in hand
Besty Simpson and Kyle Doda

The Orchard & Philosophy

Situated between 1,400–1,700 feet in elevation, the farm grows:

  • Over 60 varieties of apples
  • Plums, peaches, cherries, and Perry Pears
  • Herbs interplanted with vegetables and orchard rows
  • Livestock including lamb, pork, beef, and poultry
  • And there is a dedicate grow space for a mushroom buisness

Fruit is fermented on-site with minimal sulfites, both neutral and spirit oak barrels, and some filtered fresh juice for back-sweetening. The cidery prioritizes clean expressions of fruit and soil.

Ciders Tasted During this Recording

  • Volume One – Off-dry, barrel-aged, lightly back-sweetened
  • Volume Two – Dry blend with Winesap, Kingston Black, Northern Spy
  • Volume Three – Porter's Perfection and Ashmead's Kernel
  • Tomcat – Gin barrel-aged cider, 10% ABV
  • Graf – A farmhouse cider-beer hybrid aged in oak
1000 Stone Farm cider maker Kyle Doda with record book

Gathering at The Farmers Hand

Open seasonally, The Farmers Hand Cider House & Kitchen features hyperlocal meals built around the farm's own produce and meats. The space invites locals and visitors to connect over cider, community, and shared tables.

There is seating at the bar and also outside on a brand new patio for the 2025 season.

Contact Info for 1000 Stone Farm and The Farmers Hand Cider House & Kitchen

  • Website: https://www.1000stonefarm.com
  • Farm Store: Open daily, 8am–8pm (self-serve)
  • The Farmers Hand: Seasonal hours; check website or Instagram for updates
    • June through December Fridays 1-8pm & Saturdays 1-8pm
  • Location: Brookfield, Vermont
What is 1000 Stone Farm?
What is The Farmers Hand Cider House & Kitchen?
Can I visit the farm or tasting room?
What kinds of cider are made at the farm?
Who makes the food and cider?

Mentions in this Cider Chat


There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
514: Doing More With Lees | Ryan Monkman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:39
Lees are more than sediment at the bottom of a tank. Recorded at CiderCon 2026 in Providence, Rhode Island, cidermaker and fermentation consultant Ryan Monkman explores how cidermakers can put lees to work throughout fer…
513: Still Cider, Single Apples and Time | Sowams, Rhode Island [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:34
What happens when a cidermaker decides to do less and give cider more time? Spencer Morris of Sowams Cider Works in Warren, Rhode Island, makes cider with more than 70 apple varieties, old mechanical rack-and-cloth press…
512: Plant the Damn Apple Tree | Special Edition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:10
Cider Chat MC Ria Windcaller reads her August eCiderNews editorial, Plant the Damn Apple Tree, reflecting on entrepreneurship, uncertainty, abundance, and what an apple tree might teach us about the time in between. FROM…
511: Hungarian Cider Comes of Age | Bright Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:15
Hungary may not have a centuries-old cider tradition like England or France, but that is exactly what makes its modern cider movement so exciting. In this episode, Cider MC Ria Windcaller travels to Budapest to meet Andr…
510: From Barrels to the Pub | The People's Cider Co., Michigan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:44
Most cider makers dream of expanding their barrel program. Jason Lummen did the opposite. In Episode 510, Ria Windcaller visits The People's Cider Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Jason explains why he shifted fr…
509: Mr. Plūme | In the Heart of Latvia's Fine Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:03
Episode 509 takes us to the heart of Latvia to meet Dace and Māris Plūme, the husband-and-wife team behind Mr. Plūme, an award-winning orchard cidery known for both still and naturally sparkling ciders. Their journey beg…
507: Expand Your Universe | Woodfolk Cider, Ontario Canada [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:19
Sometimes all it takes is one sip. It happened to the founders of Woodfolk Cider, Martha Lowry and Alistair Whitehead, and it can happen to YOU! What began as a shared love of food, drink, and hospitality eventually led…
505: Cider Senseis: Discipline, Craft, and the Cost [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:25
There is a question that keeps coming up in cider, small business, and independent media: Is this sustainable? In this episode, Ria sits down with Adrian Luna, known as the Hard Cider Guy, for a conversation that goes we…