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Eric Rice and Lori Leitzel Rice craft their farmhouse style cider from certified organic, American heirloom apples on their 35 acre farm in Middletown, Maryland. Organic pears, blueberries, black currants and other fruits make tasty additions to Willow Oaks' ciders. Fabulous fruit, unique terroir and small batch barrel fermentation let the flavors and aroma of the fruit shine through to a crisp, dry finish. Some press coverage: www.mpt.org/programs/farm_season5/farm505/ subarudrive.com/articles/for-the-birds-fa19 www.ciderculture.com/willow-oaks-craft-cider/ https://fb.watch/8pHqRQ4Rmu/ |
Our History |
Eric Rice planted the first apples on the slopes of the cornfields at Country Pleasures Farm 30 years ago. Blueberries, black currants, tart cherries, pears followed. Stretching those first spindly roots into the soil here was no easy task. There were no certified organic farms in Maryland, nor any certified orchards in the Mid-Atlantic. Eric planted the orchard, grew the farm and helped grow the Maryland organic program.
When Eric first inquired about making hard cider on the farm there was no infrastructure to support it. Cider was not wine or beer, there was no way to license us. Thanks to the hard work of the Maryland Wineries Association there is a vibrant and growing community for us. 6219 Harley Road Middletown, Maryland 21769 301.371.4814 WOcraftcider@gmail.com |