Who’s Trespassing in our Orchard?

You can’t order bears or eagles from us, but we truly have amazing wildlife here on Kristof Farms.  We surely couldn’t say the secret of our terroir is elk urine, but the wild neighbors are one of the things we love about our farm. The fact that we are nestled at the end of a dead-end road on the edge of the Willamette Valley right where it melts into the coastal range means that we have more visitor traffic than most.

Check out what’s in this visiting bear’s mouth. That’s right: a Kristof’s Farm cider apple. If only the bear realized that if he just signed up for the Cider Club, he’d get delivery to his den.

For the past year, we have found ourselves doing battle with the weather: extreme cold that froze the sap in our trees, a sudden frost that nipped our buds when we want them to grow, a heat dome that sucked the water — and sometimes life — out of tree limbs. And yet, there are the potential dangers that we embrace, well, kind of, like this visitor:

This doe is licking her lips in contemplation of eating our cider apples.

In these newsletters, we’ve mostly talked about our lovely apple trees and grape vines that only try to grow and serve us cider and wine. But as you see, today we are moving from flora to fauna and all the things that interrupt, interrogate and also interestingly inhabit Kristof Farms.

Like this one below.

A cougar sneaking out of the orchard, presumably after a nice apple confit.

A black bear heading into our orchard, we think tempted by something sweet.

Elk used to visit regularly, and we were nervous about what they might do to our apples and grapes on trellises. We’ve heard stories of elk that march through trellis wires and take everything down, so we put up a 7-foot fence around the orchard and vineyard. It’s not terribly effective against other animals, but so far it has kept elk out. That said, this elk showed up on our game camera on our property just outside the orchard.

Maybe the elk will stick to eating grass.

We grouse about apples lost to wild animals, but the truth is that the wildlife add an exciting dimension to our farm, and we are happy to share this wonderland.

We are also happy to share it with you, so please join our Cider + Conversation Club, where Nicholas Kristof + Family hold a virtual Salon conversation with members while they sip Kristof Farms cider: Only 10 days to ship day, so Click here to join by Oct. 29. Or just try some cider here, and get cut-rate shipping.

Reply to this email with any questions. We hope you enjoy!! <3