Chimacum Ridge viewed from Finnriver Farm & Cidery.
Introducing Chimacum Ridge Toasted Fir Cider from Finnriver Farm & Cidery!
Chimacum Ridge Toasted Fir Cider is now ready to be enjoyed!
This delicious new cider is made with Douglas-fir sustainably harvested from Chimacum Ridge, the future site of Chimacum Ridge Community Forest.
Gazing south from Finnriver’s organic orchard, you can see forested Chimacum Ridge rising prominently above the valley. The Land Trust purchased 853-acre Chimacum Ridge in late 2023. Once it’s combined with the Land Trust’s adjacent Valley View Forest Preserve, Chimacum Ridge Community Forest will total 918 acres of working forest, wetlands, and wildlife habitat. We’re now working to transform the land into a community forest before it can open to the public in 2025.
A dollar from the sale of each bottle of Chimacum Ridge Toasted Fir Cider will benefit Chimacum Ridge Community Forest via our Look to the Land campaign for a resilient future.
This special cider represents a collaboration between Jefferson Land Trust and two of our “Save the Land” business partners — Finnriver Farm & Cidery and Wayland Constructive.
Land Trust staff members Blaise Sullivan and Carrie Clendaniel with an expert tree feller during the pilot selective harvest at Valley View Forest on Chimacum Ridge in 2021.
The cider is made with Douglas-fir fir tips foraged from the Ridge, and was aged on toasted Douglas-fir wood that was harvested at Valley View Forest during the Land Trust’s selective harvest in 2021. Wayland Constructive provided the wood, which they’d been storing locally at their workshop, and Finnriver toasted it to a medium char.
Blending flavors from the field and the forest, Chimacum Ridge Toasted Fir Cider embodies the essence of our region. At the heart of this semi-dry cider is the infusion of toasted Douglas-fir, along with organic perry pears from Finnriver’s organic orchard and locally sourced farmstead apples. The cider was aged on the toasted fir for three months, along with a blend of black elderberries from the orchard, organic blueberries from local Stellar J Farm, and wild plums harvested from the valleys of Chimacum.
The beautiful label of new Chimacum Ridge Toasted Fir Cider features a photo by Kerry Tremain of Chimacum Ridge, the site of Chimacum Ridge Community Forest.
Aromas of fir sap and fresh-cut timber lead the nose to a fruity finish, with notes of berry preserves and vanilla.
The cider’s beautiful label features a photo of a sunset behind the Olympics taken from Chimacum Ridge by Kerry Tremain. Kerry is a member of the League of Extraordinary Observers (LEO), a group of accomplished local photographers whose stunning images of Jefferson County’s natural history support the Land Trust and other nonprofits in conserving and restoring land and habitat.
After being released to Finnriver Cider Club members in late June, this special cider premiered at our LandFest gala in early July and is now available for the public to enjoy! We encourage you to look for Chimacum Ridge Toasted Fir Cider in bottles and on tap at the Finnriver Chimacum Cider Garden and the Finnriver Tumwater Taproom.
To learn more about Chimacum Ridge Community Forest, click here.
