Finnriver Farm & Cidery Journal

This Fall however, with another wave of covid hitting hard, we are thinking about ‘harvest’ as more than just the collection of fruit — but how it describes the way communities of people have shown up over and again, when the season was ripe and time was of the essence, to do what was necessary for the people to carry on.

In response to inquiries about the Finnriver Cider Garden and the county’s current requirement for proof of vaccination from folks choosing to go to indoor bars and restaurants, we just wanted to share some insight into how we are implementing it and why.

At Finnriver, we are paying attention to changing climate and ecosystem impacts, and we're taking committed steps to adapt our farm and cidery business model and role-model solutions for resiliency and sustainability!

When you sit down to eat, or take a drink, how often do you ask yourself, “Who grew this?” Or “What is the quality of life of the person who picked this fruit?” “What kind of conditions do they work in? Is their workplace safe?”

The Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding is kicking off its 40th year anniversary with a little help from Finnriver Farm & Cidery.

No, it’s not a murder mystery set in a roaring 20’s nightclub, or a funky folk band. Susan Fitch is the founder of The Cocoa Forge.

We couldn't do it without the bees!

A variation on this essay was published in Cider Craft magazine by Sip Publishing, 2020.

As the world around us slowly begins to awaken from the deep slumber of the winter months, the release of Finnriver’s seasonal Honey Meadow cider reminds us that spring is on the horizon.

This is a love story! Between trees and bees, people and the land, and folks and their fermentations.

Tanya continues to hold to the tradition of Women planting and harvesting in her family. She says; “Just like we have genetic memory, so do these plants. I like to honor them as much as I can.”

What is that big purple thing behind the kitchen?  Why it’s our new (used, actually) biodigester of course. This is a project that has been in the works for over a year and after a long wait for some critical upgrades, it finally arrived on site last week...

On October 24th, the non-profit Community Wellness Project (CWP) and Finnriver partnered to produce a Harvest Dinner to benefit Farm-to-School programs at Chimacum and Port Townsend School Districts.

Keith Kisler takes us through his grain journey and how it came to be that he grows grain west of the mountains.

The apple trees that dot the Olympic Peninsula—that grow in backyards, along sidewalks, on small farms—bear an abundance of fruit ripe with the potential to nourish a community.

Sam and Katelyn feel passionate addressing the divide between people with means and people without means and the land’s capacity to provide for everyone.

In order to continue the mission of educating and inspiring wise land use, we worked with local renewable energy advocates and Power Trip Energy company to apply for the USDA Rural Energy for America program (REAP)

The Remediators, one of Finnriver's land partners, took up the task of removing toxic levels of petroleum and lead from an area of the property where farm equipment was historically repaired...

As farmers, students, and lovers of the land, we understand that ‘diversity' is one of the key ecological concepts that sustains a healthy and thriving ecosystem.  We also know diversity is essential in creating a healthy and thriving society. 

Following the Finnriver mission to reconnect people to the earth that sustains us, our farm practices are based on an ecosystem model that encourages the normal checks and balances or nature...

Last Fall’s rains and harvests may have depleted our soils of the nutrients that will determine the fate of our crops and the health of our garden this year. Early spring is a great time to add soil amendments because the rain and warmer temps will awaken soil microbes and bring those nutrients into the root zone.