Apple cider, from tree to cup, in the heart of the city. PHOTOS

Last weekend, we accompanied some friends, Peter & Giordana, who have built quite a little reputation 'round town for their cider-making. What makes our friends different is that they don't pick their apples in Chelmsford or Ipswich, but right here in the heart of East Boston, the neighborhood we all call home. Our journey started at "The Rockies" on Marginal Street, a wild orchard across from gorgeous Piers Park, where we collected a large yard bag full of apples using a garden-variety fruit picker. Picking a basket-full of apples was almost as fun for the kids (ahem) as watching apples roll down the hill and into the street to get crushed by Marginal St. traffic.

From Jeffries Point, the apples went back to Peter and Giordana's house up on Eagle Hill, where they were washed, cut, ground, and then pressed into cider. How did it taste? Just as thick and sweet as the best bottled cider from Chelmsford or Ipswich, I guarantee. Completely free, with less than a mile traveled from orchard to table.