Seminar: Growing Cider Apples in the North Coast

Do you know what the fastest growing alcoholic beverage category is? Yes, micro-brews are still rising in popularity, but actually, it's cider that is growing at the fastest rate.  "Cider's share of the market...in the U.S.—maybe 1%. But sales have soared of late, up nearly 100% in one recent 52-week period...the rising popularity of cider in the U.S...indicates that American hard cider production more than tripled from 2011 to 2013, from 9.4 million gallons to 32 million gallons." Time, April 2014

Growing Specialty Cider Apple Varieties Seminar

Here's a great opportunity to learn from the west coast's greatest expert in cider varieties along with several local experts who will discuss the potential to get started in this exciting industry. This half-day seminar includes a tasting of specialty hard apple ciders and lunch.

This seminar is for anyone interested in learning how to produce these varieties that make the best cider. 

Tuesday February 17th - 9:00 am to 1:30 pm
SRJC Shone Farm Pavilion, 7450 Steve Olson Lane, Forestville
Register online: $45 through February 10, $65 after February 10
Includes a coffee welcome, lunch, and a tasting of specialty hard apple ciders

Agenda:
8:30 Coffee and snacks
9:00-9:30 Feasibility of growing cider apples in coastal California, Paul Vossen, University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor, Sonoma & Marin Counties
9:30-10:30 Cider varieties and juice quality for hard cider. Carol A. Miles, Washington State University Extension Specialist – Dept. of Horticulture
BREAK
10:45-11:15 Organic and conventional apple growing: rootstocks, spacing, training systems, orchard floor management, irrigation, fruit thinning, and controlling pests. Paul Vossen
11:15-Noon Cider apple production economics & mechanical harvest. Carol A. Miles
Noon-12:30 Lunch
12:30-1:00: Experiences in growing apples in Sebastopol. Jolie Devoto, Devoto Orchards
1:00-1:30: Tasting of different styles of apple cider. Chris Murray, Forestville cider maker.

Speakers:
Carol Miles is a Professor in the Department of Horticulture at Washington State University, and is the Horticulture Specialist located at the WSU Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center. She has been the program leader for cider apple research since 2009 and her work focuses on cider apple juice analysis and mechanical harvest. Carol has her Ph.D. in vegetable crops from Cornell University.
Jolie Devoto is the owner of Devoto Orchards Cider, who along with her husband Hunter Wade and father Stan Devoto grow and process 20 acres of apples into cider and fresh market fruit.
Chris Murray is one of the first cider makers in Sonoma County who turned his cider making hobby into a commercial business – a few years ahead of its time. Chris has many years of cider making and tasting experience. He has helped several local cider makers get their businesses started.
Paul Vossen is the University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor for Sonoma and Marin Counties. He has extensive experience working with the local apple industry in evaluating: rootstocks, varieties, cover crops, pruning systems and pest management. He was one of the technical authors of Organic Apple Production Manual UC ANR publication #3403

Register online
Contact: Lisa Bell, lkbell@ucanr.edu