Apples to apples: Making cider from fallen fruit

When Hurricane Dorian hit Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley in September 2019, an average of 35 per cent of apple crops were lost.

“We have close to 300 acres of apple orchards, which were damaged by the hurricane,” says Andrew Bishop, owner of Noggins Farm in Greenwich, N.S.

Bishop says he wasn't as hard-hit as some farms in the area, who lost up to 90 per cent of their trees.

“On my farm I didn't get a lot of damage but my neighbours got trees blown over, trees whipped around and the roots being severed,” he says. 

But by mid-September, Noggins still had plenty of fruit on the ground that didn't belong there.

“You needed to clean orchards up before you can start picking. It was just three weeks before some of our major varieties were to be harvested,” he tells NEWS 95.7's The Todd Veinotte Show.

Thinking hard, Bishop wanted to find a way to use the apples to their full potential.

“'[It] led us to wonder, what can we do with them? We traditionally make cider and apple juice and different products as well as sell fresh apples,” he says.

In partnership with Halifax-based Chain Yard Cider, Bishop began working on a cider made from the fallen fruit, dubbing it “Hurrican.”

“We talked about it, we came up with the idea together. Chain Yard was doing cans so it was an easy fit,” explains Bishop.

The Hurrican is a collaborative effort between the two businesses, and took a few tries to get just right for the 500ml can that will soon be available in NSLCs.

“It was making sure that we had the quality on those apples even though they were on the ground we were able to salvage them and make something very worthwhile,” Bishop says.

The Hurrican cider is 6% ABV, and is made with a variety of apples. It's already been sent to NSLC stores, who should be putting it on the shelves soon.

“The process of getting it out to stores takes a little bit of time, so exactly when it will be on all the shelves or if they are on all the shelves, that will depend on the liquor commission and their set-up there,” says Bishop.

The lasting impacts of Hurricane Dorian are still unknown for many farms in the area according to Bishop.

“I don't think any of us know the full extent of the damage that the hurricane has done until we see the next season and see how the trees perform,” he adds.

For the apple farmer, making the best of a bad situation is exactly what he's used to.

“We are here for the thick and the thin of it. Every year brings us a new challenge and certainly this year with the hail and with this hurricane it was kind of a double-whammy to us here in our orchards,” says Bishop. “Sometimes it's a little discouraging, but we tend to be optimistic.”