Any fun animals visitors might encounter on the property?
At Ethic Cider's new cider barn, visitors can watch the production process while sampling the flavors.
QLAWTON >> We do everything in the barn. It's only 1,000 square feet, but we have tanks in there, so you can see the full production. We have a flexible bar where people on the weekends can come in and taste with us. We've also built a little area above the barn where you can sit, view the orchard and be outside.
QTell us about this cider barn you've opened.
And now visitors can roam through your farm and orchard?
LAWTON >> That's the unique experience we offer that a lot of other cideries don't at the moment. (Visitors) can see how the cider is made — and having a farm experience on top of that makes it a cool experience for people.
HARRINGTON >> I love that we're finally able to offer this to people. Right now, I'm standing outside in the orchard, and it's beautiful, especially now that we have our cover crop. It's just a special place to be, and I'm excited for people to join us.
QLAWTON >> We have two dogs, so there's that. We have chickens. We obviously have a lot of wildlife in general going through the property, because we encourage that for various reasons. If you're in the orchard, sometimes you can see foxes, possums, all kinds of different animals coming through, and there's tons of bird life up here. We've put in a number of “positive predatory” boxes on the property, so we have owl boxes, bluebird boxes and bat boxes. We're encouraging that animal life to come and help us keep the bad bugs down, the ones that get on apples.
QWhat else are you doing related to regenerative agriculture?
LAWTON >> We took a grant from the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service), which is a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, that helped us put in a number of things. One
DIRECTIONS
In a cocktail shaker, combine lemon juice, vodka, honey simple syrup and St.-Germain. Add ice and shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled and cloudy. Strain the mixture over ice into a collins glass. Top off the cocktail with Zest Ethic Cider and give a gentle stir.
— Recipes courtesy of Ethic Cider