Event

Hard Cider Making & Orcharding

Heading Back to the Future with Hard Cider

Learn how to grow and maintain your own cider orchard. In addition, you'll learn the steps necessary to create a quality hard cider, a rapidly growing small farm product niche. Included is an in-depth overview of the topic covering varietal selection, growing and harvest information, as well as an informal look at the production steps from raw fruit to finished bottle.

Instructor Gary Moulton started with the Fruit Horticulture department at the WSU Research Station in Mt. Vernon in 1980. In 1991 he took over management, direction, and leadership of the program. He holds a Master's from WSU in Plant Pathology specializing in fruit diseases, and a Bachelor's in Pomology/Fruit Science from Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo. He currently consults for the Western Washington fruit industry and recently co-authored the WSU bulletin "Basics of Hard Cider." Each attendee will receive a copy of the bulletin.

Just as the micro-brew revolution stirred intense interest in handcrafted beers, artisan cider makers are inspiring a newfound appreciation of a high quality, handcrafted hard cider. Washington is particularly well suited to an expanding boutique hard cider industry, with an abundance of apples and growing numbers of consumers looking for more ways to support locally based agriculture. Seattle recently hosted the 2nd Annual Cider Summit NW with over 40 ciders, mostly from the region. Several new Washington cideries opened just in the last couple years, all to rave reviews and multiple awards in prestigious competitions.

Cost for the workshop is $70 per person and includes a catered box lunch. For registration information contact Karie Christensen at 425.357.6039 or e-mail christen4@wsu.edu. Ed's Apples is located at 13420 339th Ave SE, Sultan, just off SR 2.

For more information on the workshop, contact Andrew Corbin, corbina@wsu.edu or 425.357.6012.