PREVIEW: Donuts are Back for A Packed Event Season at Indian Ladder Farms
Photos by Tom Miller
“It was like we had just run the first half mile of a marathon and fell flat on our face.”
Good news for cider donut fans: our beloved Indian Ladder Farms is back in business.
This week, we had the pleasure of stopping in for a sneak peek at their season ahead, and an early taste of those mouth-watering donuts, the production of which came to a sudden halt last September. It was a middle of the night kitchen fire that prompted this shutdown, and it has taken the farm the last six months to begin getting back on their feet.
“When we came back to work early the next morning, we found it all burned,” Farm Manager Laurie Ten Eyck told me inside their tasting room. “The kitchen was destroyed. The fire suppression system came on when the fire started in the middle of the night and put it out. It really threw us off for the season.”
The year prior, the Altamont-based farm experienced a different, unanticipated setback when a frost wiped out 70% of their crop. Apple picking was scarce as a result, and since 50% of their business for the entire year comes in just eight weeks during apple season, it made for a difficult Autumn.
“We headed into the Fall of 2024 looking to regain ground,” Laurie recalled. “The crop was really, really huge because the trees didn't produce the year before and they had all this pent up energy. So we were ready. Then September 14 we had the fire. It was like we had just run the first half mile of a marathon and fell flat on our face.”
Without getting into the nitty gritty, ILF spent the remainder of 2024 navigating the necessary insurance procedures before being able to start renovations on both the store—which reopens April 7—and the kitchen back in January. As part of this, their kitchen has relocated down beside the tasting room, allowing them to expand their donut operation with additional machines, and ramp up their production just in time for a packed season of events, which begins this weekend with their third annual Maple Fest.
From 11:00 - 4:00 this Saturday and Sunday, Maple Fest will feature local vendors, live music, educational programming and a celebration of maple. This includes Bierstacheln at the beer and cider tent, a traditional German practice which “invites beverage drinkers to heat their drink with a fire-hot metal wand, caramelizing the sugar in the beer or cider.” A special slate of maple-forward drinks will be available for this.
After Maple Fest, Laurie and the team will be preparing for their 30th (!) year of Baby Animal Days, beginning on April 11. “That really drives most of what we do through the beginning of May. It’s general admission, but we also have a tremendous number of field trips that come.”
In addition to the normal stops around the farm, Baby Animal Days allow kids—and adults, who are we kidding?—access to the Baby Animal Barn, the Goat Playground and more for the entire day. But, in the midst of all this excitement, it’s an event in June that Laurie is particularly looking forward to.
“Renaissance Festival – in the past, it’s been one weekend, but now it's two. So that's a big deal. We're still open to the public, but there's this giant festival going on. It's fun because the people are crazy and funny and creative. There’s a lot of music, a lot of costumes, and a lot of performances in Ren fair theme.”
After that, July will see the return of Farming Man Fest, which boasts a weekend full of local music in the great outdoors. With last year featuring performers like The Sugar Hold, Sydney Worthley and TV Doctors, we can’t wait to see who shows up this year.
With so much to look forward to, Indian Ladder Farms has something for everyone, and those famous donuts will be ready with their sweet, sugary comfort. I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve eaten one or two since starting this article. So it should come as no surprise that my final question for Laurie was, “Why are these things so damn good?”
“I don't exactly know,” she said, “other than maybe popularity breeds quality. They're moving so quickly that they're not sitting around all day, and freshness is really important with the cider donut. There are a lot of factors. Not to say we have it all figured out, but we do the best we can to figure it out.”
Anyone who’s ever eaten one can confidently say they’ve figured it out. Welcome back, you glorious donuts. We’ll see you at a festival soon.
To keep up with the farm and their upcoming events, visit https://www.indianladderfarms.com/
