From Dave Takush,  Head Cidermaker – 2 Towns Ciderhouse

Dear Cider Community,

This is the time of year I would normally write about the upcoming harvest and the promises of Fall. The trees, the fruit, the mist. The morning air. The rain. 

Unfortunately, what we are experiencing is not harvest as usual. It was with great sadness and a heavy heart that we watched communities burn, and our cherished forests become avenues of destruction: Mill City, Detroit, Vida, Blue River, Breitenbush… our gateways into the great outdoors and the places that many families call home swallowed by smoke and fire. Folks asked how I think this will impact the agricultural harvests underway in the Pacific Northwest, which represent the livelihood of many people throughout this place we call home. The honest truth is that the effects are still to be determined and that most of us are simply reeling from smoke, wondering when we will be able to breathe again. 

This emergency is ongoing, and the ramifications will be wide-ranging, but what I do know is that this has brought out the best in people and the best in our communities. Each day I see people performing extraordinary acts of kindness and doing what they can to help others, and that gives me hope. Thank you to all the emergency responders, the smokejumpers, the firefighters, and the healthcare workers. Thank you to every single volunteer who has stepped up to the plate. Thank you to the citizens hauling livestock and pets. Thank you to all the people who donated time, money, food, and places for displaced families to stay. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  

While we do not know what will happen next, much less how this harvest will turn out, we can be certain that we will get through it together and that this disaster will give us the opportunity to begin again. Once the fires have passed, we can rebuild and resow with the unquestionable knowledge that Spring will return. Spring will come, and with it, things will grow again: The trees, the farms, our communities. Our hearts.

Stay safe. Be kind. Love one another. Come together.

Spring is just around the corner.

Dave Takush.