Hi there! It’s Washington Cider Week NOW through the 20th of September. I really dig this cider and food pairing guide that the folks at the Northwest Cider Association put together.
To recap:
Dry with pulled pork, oily fish, or sausage
Semi-sweet with spicy Asian cuisine, pasta with white sauce, or blue cheese
Perry with clams, quiche, or green salad
Old World with charcuterie, hard cheese, or lamb burger
Ginger with curies, chicken, or mussels
Barrel-aged with grilled steak, brisket, or ribs (General BBQ)
Fruit with chicken, duck, or salmon
Spiced with pork chop, herb roasted chicken, or tacos
Hopped with fish n’ chips, vegetable soup, or pasta with red sauce
Dessert with cheesecake, triple cream, or vanilla ice cream
(I’d also add that hopped ciders are great with anything fried as well as all your salty, crunchy snacks. The folks at Finnriver pair their dry-hopped cider alongside popcorn sprinkled with nutritional yeast. Aka “nooch“. Also, try pouring your dessert cider not just in your glass but onto your dessert as well. Or maybe on your pancakes at Sunday brunch. The latter is a hypothetical suggestion. I speak not from experience….)
So what will I be doing to celebrate Washington Cider Week? I’m glad you asked. I’ll be going on an Urban to Island NW Cider media tour. Oh yeah!
Starting with a late morning tour and tasting at Seattle Cider Company (our city’s first cidery since Prohibition…whaaa?) I’ll next board a ferry (sweet!) to Vashon Island.
Upon arrival I’ll be having lunch (and more) at Nashi Orchards, where the pear has the spotlight. Especially when it becomes perry cider. (Don’t worry, they love apples, too.) My itinerary also intriguingly states what I can expect on a post-meal exploration of the grounds:
The orchards and surrounding farm and forest are home to the owners’ St. Croix sheep, Bouvier de Flanders dogs, barn cats as well as an abundance of birds and other wildlife.
Cool!
Next I’ll stroll about Dragon’s Head Cider, from the tasting room to the orchards. This will all be in preparation for a four-course meal paired with perry (say that ten times fast) and cider from both Vashon Island properties.
Finally, I’m sad to say there’s something on my schedule about heading home after dinner. I was hoping to camp out underneath an apple tree, but my own bed will have to make due.
Also, in the world of Northwest Cider news, I would like to share an announcement from Finnriver Farm and Cidery. This is the magical spot on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula (Chimacum, to be exact) I called home for a month. (STORY) They’ve moved their cidery up the road to new, a historic location just south of the main intersection of town. (The “Chimacum Corners”.)
I am really excited to visit and I encourage you to as well because you’ll meet some lovely people as well as enjoy some truly wonderful, unique cider.
More cider info:
Washington Cider Week Events Calendar (Multi-Day and Daily)
Do you want to explore those old-world ciders? I was able to sample a couple from France:
Finally, here’s a picture of me with some apples at Finnriver back in 2011. It makes me very happy to see this photo but also a bit sad as I really miss that warmup jacket that says “SENSE The Difference” on it. It was an expertly thrifted (probably from Burlington, Iowa), special gift. I left it at The Neighbor Lady (along with a hat I bought in New Zealand made from possum yarn) a few years back and it never turned up. (I called the bar twice and even stopped in.) Full disclosure: The Neighbor Lady is a bar. Fuller disclosure: I was sober and absent-minded.
