Finding a niche

摘要

On the boulder-strewn bank of the Columbia River, Miguel Madrigal has managed a small stone fruit orchard for decades. But he and his 30-year-old apricot trees are adapting with the times. "I leave them on the tree two extra weeks, when it's too ripeyou can barely even touch it without it falling apart," he said. That's when he picks fruit for a new type of customer: distilleries that make apricot brandy. They want as much sweetness as possible and don't mind fruit so soft it would never make it down a packing line.