Transplant Block: Stomping in roots, clipping off blossoms. Removing every. single. apple.

Putting out posts for the soon-to-be erected trellis.

Cleaning up brush from winter pruning.

A bit of grafting – ‘Yarlington Mill’ and ‘Michelin’ are the varieties we got done this go around. “There’s always next year” will likely end up being our motto with the rest.

Business Planning. Loan Applications. Paperwork. Construction Drawings. Building Permits. Licensing. Insurance. Does it ever end?

We have a whole new appreciation for anyone who ever builds anything…..what alot of boxes to check, measurements to take, soil tests, special plans, permits, applications, inspections, certifications, and don’t forget – fees! We are learning alot and although at many points it feels like our tires are spinning, when we look back we see that we have indeed covered alot of ground.

In the rare in-between moments we’ve started reclaiming old materials for potential tasting room finishing. Oh the potential! (And thankyou cider enthusiast Mike for your help).

These next few months will be busy, exciting ones. Thank-you for following.

If you follow our Instagram Feed  you may have gotten a bit tired of the “chick flick” as someone jokingly called it. If chickens aren’t your thing, be assured we will return to farm and cider shortly……but perhaps you would be so kind to indulge me a few more pictures first?

These two hens are co-raising these 5 chicks. It is amazing to watch them teach their chicks things like eating, drinking, scratching, dust bathing and just doing chicken things.

These hens, normally sweet and gentle, were each attacking one of eachother’s chicks (the two chicks that looked different from the others, interestingly enough) so we also have two chicks living in a box in the house.

Faye, our cat, keeps a close eye on them and we keep a close eye on her.

Our other hen that was setting eggs hatched three chicks. Unlike the other two she is not a sweet and gentle hen. When we get close to her chicks her feathers stick up like she’s attached to a static electricity ball and she calls her chicks to her, drill sergeant fashion. She’s super amusing.

Even though it’s no secret I love our chickens, the biggest fans are our girls.

Our honeybees – the very same bees that we planned for over three years, took several courses from a reputable beekeeper, purchased multiple books regarding, and last year enjoyed delving into the frames laden with bees nearly weekly – took me by surprise by totally overwhelming me this spring. I’m not sure where along the road the switch flipped from fascination to fear, but this past two months I was ready to list our two hives in the classifieds, pack away our bee equipment for ‘someday’, and forget about it all.

Dave encouraged me to persevere. Find some help.

I’m glad he did. Keith Rae, a local beekeeper, and his daughter Lisa came by today to help us in a spring inspection. We felt a little silly in full suits while they were bare-handed and veil-less, but the point right now is calm and confidence – not shows of bravado.

Our bees are in good shape. I’m reminded why I fell in love with them in the first place. My confidence is slowly returning. There is still hope. And maybe even this season, some honey.

Thankyou Keith and Lisa.

or very slowly.

or verrry. sllllllllllllllllllllllloooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwly.

The point of this near-narcoleptic exercise is to move Dave through the orchard to prune the tops of the high density trees.

Really, a pretty nice job, especially after such an intense week.

(Selfie while making sure I don’t..slowly…drive Dave into the trees. The black eye from last week is healing quickly, thanks to all who have been asking).

Being that the job is so slow relaxing – some music helps alleviate the desire to doze off. The playlist takes one hour, or the same amount of time it takes to drive 1 row of trees. I removed the video links I had in because otherwise the load time on this page matches the tractor speed the songs are meant to accompany.

I present to you my “Music for the Massey” playlist.

1. Emma Lee – Not Coming By

2. Norah Jones – Happy Pills

3. Greg Sczebel – Causing a Commotion

4. Rachel Sermanni – The Fog

5. Ron Hawkins – Prairie Girl (this one is for my Saskie girlfiends)

6. The Black Keys – Lonely Boy

7. Elizabeth Mitchell – Jubliee (If you are a parent with young kids, by the way, you can’t go wrong with any of Elizabeth Mitchell’s cds, they have been a mainstay of our past 8 years with little ones.)

8. The Civil Wars – 20 Years (this amazing duo has a FREE live album available for download at their website, here It is seriously good. )

9. Lizz Wright – Old Man (great Neil Young cover)

10. Tracy Chapman – Broken

11. Old Man Luedecke – Proof of Love (I secretly wish Dave would grow a beard and learn the banjo. It would be useful for future cider-making videos, you know).

12. The Once – You’re my best friend (spoiler alert – this Queen cover is a serious contender for our annual family slideshow).

13. Keb Mo – Life is Beautiful

14. Ray Lamontagne – You are the Best Thing

15. The Mowglis – San Fransisco

16. Serena Ryder – What I Wouldn’t Do (her entire latest album is a winner).

What other great listens could you recommend for my time spent warming that tractor seat this week?

There were so many incremental steps to making it happen. We’d hired people over the winter to remove all the clips off the trees. Dave and I then removed all the high tension wire from the rows.

Then trees had to be cut in half (as they would be losing roots in the replant) – this was not a fun job and all credit goes to Dave’s brother Phil. All the cut wood was shredded. Wood shavings were ordered. Skid steer and attachments rented. People were hired to help.

First Tree.

Last Tree.

At our farm, the new planting site was meticulously prepared to welcome the new trees. Dave’s dad did the lion’s share of this work, but here is Dave putting out dolomite lime to help condition the soil.

Then, in four days, we removed and replanted over 2000 trees. We had alot of help.

We are extremely grateful, and at many points felt overwhelmed with appreciation for all the people who made this happen. Our hired help – Barry, Ian and Rod – thankyou for working so hard, showing up on short notice, and staying till the work was done.

Many family members who were here to celebrate Easter pitched in when they could, and it made a huge difference. Fransisco, Uncle Dave, Dan & Clarissa, Mike – thankyou.

And especially – Phil, Kristy, my parents, and Dave’s dad – thankyou, thankyou – you gave so selflessly and ceaselessly all week to help us make this replant a success.

(thankyou to my mom for giving our girls such a good week while we worked extra hours)

We used a planting machine – my (relatively cushy) job was to keep the tractor straight by following a cable. No pressure!

It was a crazy intense week, made better (and possible) by the community around us. We are extremely thankful, and look forward to the future with these trees (and apples!) on our farm.

At the risk of sounding like a wannabe farmers almanac, I say the weather this past week has been plain bonkers.

(same block of trees, mere days apart)

With the temperature hemming and hawing between winter and spring, we’ve been keeping a watchful eye on our bees. This being our first season to come full circle with them, we are pretty happy they overwintered so well. We’re happy and unsure what to do next, to be honest.

The minute that sun warms the hives up even a little, these girls are out there – the entrances to the hives resembling a US Target on Black Friday.

Check out that pollen! All the yellow sacs on their legs is pollen they have collected from early plants – likely pussy willows, crocuses, or a few early trees. This bodes well, apparently, indicating that there is a busy busy queen laying lots and lots of eggs within. Baby bees that we are not to disrupt by exposing them to the elements should we dare to open the hives and check on them.

This is hard for me. I like to get in there. Take control and get it done. Meddle and make it better…or not.

Life seems to be bringing me pursuits that cannot help but teach me patience.

Farming – even though we spend nearly every daylight hour to encourage big, beautiful apples, the trees produce all on their own with really little ‘help’ from us.

This bud – it has apples within – who am I to mess with that? I just need to make sure it gets some water, some sunlight, some rich soil and everything it needs is already within.

This cider? It matures, all winter – all of it’s amazing aroma, flavour, and character slowly becoming deeper, richer, without me adding anything. Just waiting.

These girls? They grow, they change. They need me, tonnes, of course, but they also need me to little-by-little let go and trust them (terrifying for me). They may need different things from me than water and sunlight, but they are the same as that little apple bud; everything they need to live this life well is already there within them.

And these honeybees? I will just have to keep watching, observing, waiting, and trusting that (of course) they know better than I ever could, how to take care of themselves, no matter the weather.

Today we signed the incorporation papers for our cidery.

This day, this moment of making a huge dream ‘official’, feels so natural, so on-track-with-the-plan that it would be too easy for me to blink and miss it. To push its significance aside in favour of the endless piles of laundry, the not-enough-hours for pruning, and my growing up too quickly daughters. So much has been waiting for these signatures (bank account, loan application, equipment purchases, business cards…) that it is tempting to quickly file it and move along with the ever growing to-do list.

But I want to pause. To savour it, sink into it, even if just for a moment before the whirlwind picks me back up into the flurry of making it happen.

Nearly two years ago I backed our little mazda out of our driveway, leaving my precious girls, my world, for the first time – to take a cider-making course in Washington. We didn’t really know what the week would bring, but we needed to try something for our farm’s future’s sake.

I drove away with mixed feelings – my mama-heart was aching at leaving my very young children, yet another stirring was there, too strong to be ignored. I remember that moment so clearly – the perfect late-June blue-sky and sunshine out the windshield. Adele’s newly released ‘Rolling In the Deep’ cranked on that minivan’s speakers. A couple of tears rolling down my cheeks at leaving (this is the bittersweet pang of motherhood…finally some much needed time to myself – a weeklong trip even – and half my heart stays left behind). But lastly, significantly – a deep-within knowing that this was the start of something big.

In that moment of barely starting out, envisioning today – officially starting a company dedicated to making cider – seemed like some far-off, intangible dream.

But here we are.

We are making it happen.

And it feels really good.

“Throw your soul through every open door, count your blessings to find what you look for” – Adele

We ventured up to the farm to “Go see Dad” – a daily occurrence in the summer months, but a difficult trek for the little ones when the snow is up past their knees.

It feels good to let the girls run loose out on the farm again. To feel the warm sun. To embrace the start of the seasons change.

It makes my girls happy.

And these girls are glad to see the snow go too.

Most excitingly today – these thousands of ‘girls’, our honeybees, seem to be alive and well inside both hives. This picture was a peek inside the entrance – pretty little worker bees kept poking their heads out here as if to say “Hello! We are still here!” My camera couldn’t quite pick them up due to the steep contrast of the glaring sun and their dark abode, however I was elated to see they have made it this far through the winter.

Dave and I welcome this warmer weather with mixed feelings. While it is certainly easier dragging the ladder through the orchard without snow, that same white winter blanket whispers reassuring words…..there is still time.

So while we enjoy feeling the sun’s warmth on our faces and shedding a few heavy winter layers of workclothes, you won’t hear us complain if winter can just settle in for just a little more time.

(But just a little….because there is some great stuff ahead for us this year!)

Held at the swish Hotel Allegro, the conference was right in the downtown theatre district of the Windy city. I had no idea what an incredibly culturally rich city Chicago is.

The architecture & art.

(Yes, that incredibly ornate flagship store is a Target )

The food. Oh my….

Some late night blues….

And even better? The fact the conference itself was amazing. (So amazing in fact that I forgot to take my camera to the 2 days of workshops and therefore have zero pictures of the actual reason I was in Chicago. Zilch. Zip. Nada a single snap.)

Pictures or not, I am coming home feeling so inspired by veteran cidermakers who are further along this same journey (most of who can’t keep up with demand for their authentic ciders – exciting times!).

My notebook is chock-full of technical advice and marketing ideas. I was able to shake hands with equipment suppliers that previously have just been names attached to an email address. The down-to-earth and equally-as-obsessed-with-cider people at this conference were really what made it phenomenal.

One thread was woven throughout the entire conference…a palpable vibe, a pulse that everyone in the room shared. Cider is on the cusp of becoming something big. And it’s no longer limited to small apple-growing pockets in the Eastern States or the Pacific Northwest…passionate people are popping up and crafting it from all four corners of North America and all points in between. And more importantly – people are buying it, drinking it, enjoying it – falling in love with it, everywhere.

Good things are happening with cider and we can’t wait to share it with the Okanagan!

The ‘extra’ moments of the day (as though there ever were any to begin with) are crammed with building layout, HACCP planning, production planning, equipment must-haves and make-dos, marketing, financing.

And bottle decisions.

I’ve never thought so much about something that previously seemed rather insignificant. 750ml? Perhaps too big. 500ml? Maybe not big enough.  Single-serve or something intended to be served in a glass?

Real cider sits somewhere along the spectrum of craft beer….or sparkling wine….or where? It all depends on the way the cider-maker chooses to position it.

Cider bottles come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and prices.

How much does bottle size (volume) and shape play into your purchase decision for craft products?