A hobby gone wild
Photo courtesy of Miya Endo
At its core, Tilted Shed Ciderworks is a hobby gone wild for the husband-and-wife team of Scott Heath and Ellen Cavalli.
The trouble started in 2007, while we were living on a small farm in a Northern New Mexico village. Being a bit of a mad scientist with a fermentation habit, Scott decided that our bumper crop of Jonathan, Golden Delicious, and Red Delicious would make some good drink.
So, with our infant Benjamin in one arm, Ellen lobbed apples into the hopper of our barrel press, while Scott cranked and pressed. Scott then fermented the juice in our barn. A few months later, we were amazed with the results. Inspired, we began tasting regional ciders made from European and American cider apples. What a revelation! It was like trading up from a Concord grape–based wine to a premium Cabernet. An obsession began.
Fast forward to the spring of 2011. After moving back to Northern California, where we'd grown up, we launched Tilted Shed Ciderworks in the historic apple-growing region of west Sonoma County. We take our DIY ethos to extreme, doing everything by hand and in season. We are committed to supporting local organic agriculture, and have also begun planting our own 2-acre cider orchard.
And yes, there really is a tilted shed on our farm. It’s probably a hundred years old and so decrepit it’s a wonder it’s still standing. But we consider that a good sign. If it can beat the odds, then so can a cidery smack-dab in the middle of wine country!
The trouble started in 2007, while we were living on a small farm in a Northern New Mexico village. Being a bit of a mad scientist with a fermentation habit, Scott decided that our bumper crop of Jonathan, Golden Delicious, and Red Delicious would make some good drink.
So, with our infant Benjamin in one arm, Ellen lobbed apples into the hopper of our barrel press, while Scott cranked and pressed. Scott then fermented the juice in our barn. A few months later, we were amazed with the results. Inspired, we began tasting regional ciders made from European and American cider apples. What a revelation! It was like trading up from a Concord grape–based wine to a premium Cabernet. An obsession began.
Fast forward to the spring of 2011. After moving back to Northern California, where we'd grown up, we launched Tilted Shed Ciderworks in the historic apple-growing region of west Sonoma County. We take our DIY ethos to extreme, doing everything by hand and in season. We are committed to supporting local organic agriculture, and have also begun planting our own 2-acre cider orchard.
And yes, there really is a tilted shed on our farm. It’s probably a hundred years old and so decrepit it’s a wonder it’s still standing. But we consider that a good sign. If it can beat the odds, then so can a cidery smack-dab in the middle of wine country!
Our orchard
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Our farming practices
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Our apples
Click to learn more about our apples.
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All materials copyright Fireball Farm & Ciders 2013
