An apple (cider) a day

I had an awful feeling in the middle of the night - and it wasn't inspired by those freaky "Paranormal Activity" movie commercials.

All of a sudden the thought occurred to me: Does Halloween mean the end of apple cider season?

If so, I was going to lose it.

Over the past month, I've developed a dependency on apple cider. Mostly warm or hot apple cider, but in a pinch, I'll gulp down some cold apple cider. Along the way, I've discovered McHenry County has some great sources for apple cider.

It in started in Spring Grove, as a way to warm up after a rainy night sloughing through mud while exploring the Richardson Farm's corn maze earlier this month.

Then, I shared a half-gallon of Michigan apple cider purchased from Tom's Market in Huntley, which will be featured in a November article of the magazine.

Two weeks ago, my cousins and I had some hot cider and apple cider doughnuts while at Stade's Shades of Autumn Festival in McHenry.

This weekend, I personally finished off two-quarts of Spiced Cider from Trader Joe's.

And, the crown jewel cider in the county, according to me, is the hot apple cider from Country Donuts in Crystal Lake. I've stopped there almost weekly, since I was introduced to it this month. We frequently made trips from the office, using the drink as a pick-me-up for sleepy afternoons as well as late evenings.

Two weeks ago, my grandmother and I were on our way to the Woodstock Opera House to see "Breaking Legs" and I recommended we make a Country Donuts stop. We both opted for hot cider complemented by some deliciously fresh Cider & Spice doughnuts.

Finishing off our indulgences in the Woodstock Square, on a picturesque fall day, my grandmother said, "You know, you could get addicted to this."

My reply simply was, "Grandma, I thought I told you that I was."