The labels are here! This means we will have Pairing available for tasting and sales at the Silver Spring Freshfarm market Saturdays, 9-1!

Sawdust, sheetmetal, pipes, and this week on to electricity! The sounds of hammering and sawing and the sights of work trucks and contractors have been filling our barn. So many things go by so fast but this renovation project has been dragging on so slowly! The Frederick County site plan permit took a year and half, the building permit for the renovations took another two years. We do have the plumbing roughed in and ducts for the HVAC, doors with panic hardware. We also have the giant monument to wasted space...the framing for the escape capsule/exit stairs from the second floor. 

Welcome the newest member of Willow Oaks' ciders. "Pairing" is a pear ginger cyser. The first fermentation of our Asian pear juice and a second fermentation with honey and ginger. Pairing has been in the works for some time. We have had this lovely artwork by Linda Harrison-Parsons at the ready for a year. We had to submit a formula for the cyser since it contains not just fruit but "an agricultural product".  Then we had to change the description on the label to "pear-ginger-honey-wine". A little more magic by Tracey Tousignaut Reed to fix the layout to the exact requirements of the feds. Yes, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms gets the final say. We look forward to sharing Pairing! Zesty, tangy, gingery goodness worth the wait!

We have had many requests over the years for a list of the kinds of apples we grow. When asked a random cluster come to mind. Maybe not so random, I probably list my favorites. Eric finally sat down and compiled The List:

Traditional American cider apples
Black Twig
Albemarle Pippin
Winesap
Stayman
Northern Spy/Criterion
Jonathan
Golden Russett
Roxbury Russett
Ozark Gold
Stembridge
Harrison
Spartan
Wealthy
Spitzenburg
Hewes Crab
Hawkeye

New Apples
Empire
Gala
Goldrush
Liberty
William's Pride

​French cidre apples
Bedan
Dabinett
Médaille d'Or
Michelin

English
Browns 
Red Stoke