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7 8 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t the Love of Fruit When fall breezes ruffle the leaves of Indigeny Reserve's apple trees, the Watson family knows harvest is near. It's a hectic, happy time in their orchards on the outskirts of Sonora, CA. There, the Watson family welcomes visitors to their organic farm year-round, but late fall is perfect for enjoying pies and pumpkins and scarecrows decked out for the season. The ranch produces about 300,000 pounds of apples each fall, and the family sells some fresh to visitors while turning the rest into brandy, hard cider and other beverages. Co-founders Jay and Judy Watson opened Indigeny Reserve to the public in 2012, and say the business is a lot of fun, especially during harvest. "I get to meet the public; new people come in every day, and we have returning families," Jay Watson says. "It's rewarding." Visitors are welcome to see the brandy production part of the operation, which includes a distilling room with a double-pot cop- per still, and the barrel room, where the brandy ages in 55-gallon American oak barrels. In the cider works, the Watsons are busy bottling, with plans to increase cider production. The aroma of apples is everywhere. For grown-ups, there's a tasting bar with a number of hard FARM TO GLASS For the Love of Trees, When the Watson family found themselves with an abundance of apples, they turned to distillation. Here, Joe Watson shows off the family's double-pot still, which is used to created Indigeny Reserve's apple brandies and vodkas. A CALIFORNIA APPLE FARM FLOURISHES WITH FRUIT story and photos by Kate Campbell