[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 27 (Friday, February 17, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E229-E230]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RINGHAUSEN FAMILY WINS 23RD ANNUAL ILLINOIS CIDER AND NATIONAL CIDER 
                                CONTEST

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. TIMOTHY V. JOHNSON

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 17, 2012

  Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
Joe Ringhausen Orchard and Apple House of Fieldon, Illinois in winning 
the 23rd Annual Illinois Cider and National Cider Contests on January 
12 13, 2012. Joe and his wife Sina, along with son Dennis and other 
family members, exemplify excellence in their business and contribute 
to the overall economic success of their community. The orchard makes 
between 500 and 700 gallons per week during peak season. The Ringhausen 
Orchard is well known for their award-winning ciders. Joe's experience 
in cider-making spans forty years.
  It should be noted that the judges conducted blind evaluations to 
eliminate bias and the Ringhausen Orchard beat out other ciders from 
apple-producing states like Michigan and Washington.
  I want to also thank the Illinois State Horticultural Society for 
sponsoring the event in conjunction with Illinois Specialty Crop, 
Agritourism and Organic Conference, Illinois Department of Agriculture, 
and the University of Illinois Extension Service. Each provides an 
invaluable service to farmers in Illinois for guidance, resources, and 
a clearinghouse of information.
  I want to congratulate the Ringhausen family and join the Illinois 
House members in wishing them continued success at their orchard.

                            The Telegraph.com

       Ringhausen, who has been making cider for approximately 40 
     years, has won awards before but never the ``triple crown'' 
     of Illinois cider.
       National awards are open to all U.S. producers, and 
     Illinois awards are open to all Illinois producers. ``I'm so 
     surprised by this,'' he said.
       Ringhausen's son, Dennis, was in Springfield to accept the 
     awards on behalf of the orchard. The Ringhausen cider beat 
     out about 25 other varieties to win the Illinois title and 
     growers from both Washington and Michigan to win the national 
     title.
       The orchard entered its signature sweet cider, which is 
     blended from equal amounts of tart apples, such as Jonathans, 
     and sweet apples, like Fujis.
       The sweet cider is a mainstay at the Apple House from 
     September until Christmas time, routinely selling out by the 
     first of the year.
       ``I think we'll put the trophies and plaques in the 
     market,'' said Ringhausen, whose family purchased the 
     extensive orchards in 1929.
       Unlike sweet cider, hard cider has an alcoholic content; 
     sugar is added to the sweet cider to initiate fermentation. 
     Joe's wife, Sina, supervises this process. They don't have a 
     license to sell the hard cider, so they gift it to family and 
     friends for their personal enjoyment.
       The annual Hard Cider Contest, in its 10th year, awards 
     points based on characteristics including clarity, color, 
     bouquet, balance of alcohol, acidity, sweetness, body and 
     flavor, among other criteria. Judges evaluated the entries 
     using a 25-point rating scale for cider quality 
     characteristics, awarding the top scores to Ringhausen's 
     entries.
       The Illinois State Horticultural Society sponsors the event 
     in conjunction with the Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism 
     and Organic Conference held in Springfield.
       The Illinois Department of Agriculture and the University 
     of Illinois Extension Service also participate. Edwardsville 
     Extension Center Specialist Elizabeth Wahle served as cider 
     contest coordinator. The Illinois State Horticultural Society 
     was formed in 1857 for the purpose of representing fruit tree 
     producers, sharing research findings and promoting the 
     industry to consumers. The Society is one of the oldest 
     continuously operating membership organizations in the state 
     of Illinois.

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