BUHL, Idaho — Looking for a way to use the abundance of heirloom Italian plums on her property, Emily Mason — an oncology nurse for 22 years — launched a new business and a new career when she tried her hand at making hard cider.

She grew up in Hagerman, up the road from Buhl, and moved to Yakima, Wash., to attend nursing school.

After 16 years in Washington working in pediatric oncology and as a nurse manager, she returned to Idaho where she and her husband, John, bought an old farmhouse on 3 acres.

The parcel was what was left of a 200-acre orchard planted by W.H. Harvey in 1908. But the 14 plum trees that remained were plenty to produce a bounty of plums.

Now the question was what to do with all the plums. She had been wanting to do something other than nursing and had considered a farm-to-table endeavor. Surrounded by an abundance of plums, a cidery seemed a good fit.

“I love being a nurse, and I may go back to it someday. But the creativity factor isn’t there,” she said.

And, truth be told, running a cidery with a tasting room is a more fun way to meet people, she said.

10 on tap

She established Cedar Draw Cider in 2018, started selling cider in 2019, and she and John opened a tasting room in November of 2020.

She started with plum cider — although technically it’s not a cider but a “jerkum” — and created her award-winning Sour Empress. Along the way, she started experimenting with apples, crab apples, chokecherries and pears. She also makes root beer and peach creme and strawberry sodas. The Masons have planted 60 trees on their land. Some of the plum trees are at least 100 years old, and she’s planted new starts from the original trees.

“They’re all from the same genetic line,” she said.

The tasting room, which is a converted boxcar, has a rotation of 10 hard ciders on tap as well as a local beer. The ciders are also available to take home in bottles, growlers and howlers.

Good vibe

The tasting room is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, offering indoor and outdoor seating with a wall tent and fire pit. The cidery also has special events and food from a wood-fired pizza oven or food trucks. A busy Saturday can bring 80 to 100 people to the cidery, enjoying a beverage and ordering about 60 pizzas.

“People just love it here, love the experience and the vibe. It’s worth coming to Buhl for,” she said.

It’s a fun, friendly environment with people of all ages intermixing, she said.

“It’s just a unique experience you won’t find many places,” she said.

Distribution

The cidery also sells and distributes its ciders to restaurants, markets and breweries throughout southern Idaho. John, a former drug and alcohol counselor, manages sales and distribution as well as the tasting room.

“He’s kind of the front of the house guy, and I make all the cider,” she said.

That’s 4,000 gallons a year.

While the Masons enjoy the flexibility of running their own business, owning a cidery is definitely more hours than a standard job — but it’s fun, she said.

“I love it. The creative part is what I like. … I’m able to be creative and do whatever comes to me,” she said.

Cedar House Cider

Cedar House Cider

• Owners: Emily and John Mason

• Location: Buhl, Idaho

• Established: 2018

• Product: Hard cider

• Production: 4,000 gallons a year

• Family: Two sons, 16 and 12; one daughter, 9

• Website: www.cedardrawcider.com