Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/386317
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER OCTOBER 2014 19 It takes the right fruit to produce good hard cider. by Geraldine Warner P eter Ringsrud, whose family owns Snowdrift Cider Company in East Wenatchee, Washing- ton, says he can't keep up with demand for the hard cider they produce. "We keep having calls from all over the United States for our cider and we're not serving Wash- ington well, let alone the Northwest," he said during a cider workshop in Moses Lake last spring. Ringsrud began making cider on a small scale after taking a class with U.K. cider expert Peter Mitchell in 2004. He learned that his previous experiments had failed because he'd used dessert apples from his orchard that had no flavor once the sugar had fermented. "About the best I could do was horrid," he said. Armed with this new insight, he bought traditional bit- tersharp and bittersweet cider apples from a local grower and made a few carboys of cider that were pale straw to deep amber in color with incredible flavor components. Since he had no land to plant additional trees, he grafted over one and a half acres of Red Delicious trees to 11 cider varieties. The next year, he made another 200 gallons of cider for taste tests, and then grafted more trees. The family released their first 190 cases of cider in 2006. Their production has since grown to 2,500 cases, made from their own and other growers' fruit. With the Peter Ringsrud finds his Dabinett cider apple trees even more sensitive to fire blight than his Bartlett pears. PHOTO BY GERALDINE WARNER Like you, we're seasoned experts. For over a hundred years, we've cultivated and deepened our understanding of the complexities of agriculture operations, so we can provide you with the most informed and personalized financial solutions for your business, whether you're a grower, processor, packager, or distributor. And our broad team of specialists is ready to help your business thrive. To learn more, call Mike McKay at 800-346-8828 or visit key.com/agribusiness. All credit products are subject to credit approval. Key.com is a federally registered service mark of KeyCorp. ©2014 KeyCorp. KeyBank is Member FDIC. KeyBank is an Equal Housing Lender. E80053 CIDER DEMAND outstrips supply