by Madie Murray

Special to the Sounder

Goldeneye Farm in Olga, one of the few producing 100-year-old+ apple orchards left on Orcas, was the setting for the first Farm to Cafeteria apple pressing event.

Eight mature trees laden with some of the best juicing apples on the island were relieved of their fruit by eager and energetic kids and parents who showed up Saturday to pick, chop, churn and press hundreds of apples into some of the best cider one will ever taste.

Students Nile Reed and Jameson Rose, who were there from start to finish, agreed it was “really fun and a neat way to spend a winter Saturday.”

The effort resulted in an overwhelming bounty of 92 gallons of cider. Everyone helping took home a jug as a thank you gift, and the balance was evenly split between the public school cafeteria and the food bank.

Larry and Joyce Shaw of the Food Bank, who also helped at the event, were thrilled to receive this golden gift for their members. The cider given to the school will be used to make delicious sauces and syrups, served as a beverage during selected breakfasts and lunches, as well as at the Farm to Cafeteria Sunday Supper fundraiser on Nov. 14 at Oddfellows.

A huge thank you to Pat Diviney and Steve Garrison, owners of Goldeneye Farm, for so generously sharing their Island bounty with the community.

Madie Murray is the Farm to Cafeteria committee chair.