>> kind of a second golden age of the apple. people are paying more attention to where their food is coming from and they are looking for interesting character in their food. >> reporter: jacobson has profiled some 123 apple heirlooms. we're seeing apples better than we've seen in decades. >> introducing new johnny appleseed hard apple cider. >> in the 1700s your best bet for getting drunk was apples. and we're kind of rediscovering that purpose of apples. >> reporter: speaking of rediscovering, we're at the farm house in new york city where we're going to learn how to make apple cider. come on. let's go. it's a little hard to walk. i don't recommend coming in heels. hi. the 200-year-old farmhouse gave a glimpse into what life is like. >> it's hard to think about manhattan and farming. those two things don't need to go together but that would have been the way of life for quite a few people. >> reporter: new york was the premier producer of cider. >> their cider press would have been over there.