Small California farm turns apples into artisan products

SEBASTOPOL, Calif. -- Joanne Krueger and Dan Lehrer, a married couple who moved to Sebastopol in 1999, have converted a 22-acre orchard into a specialized food production business, creating unique products from a single ingredient: apples.

Originally a certified organic plant start operation, the farm now produces apple-based items including candies, vinegar, and dried fruit. Using rare varieties like the pink pearl apple from Humboldt County, the farmers craft products that transform traditional agricultural practices.

"Most businesses are based on a product," Lehrer said. "We're based on an ingredient."

The operation involves hand-watering greenhouses and aging vinegar in wooden barrels, creating complex flavors from what might typically be considered imperfect fruit. "I really like aging in wood. it gives a really, really nice flavor to the vinegar. a little appley, a little oaky, kind of almost like a fine wine," said Krueger.

Long hours and hard work are softened by surrounding natural beauty. "There's never a bad day here," Lehrer says, laughing. Their passion turns labor into art, apples into magic.

Follow Little Apple Treats on Instagram @littleappletreats.