On the windswept plains just south of Saskatoon, the McKercher family bet their cattle farm on apples, and built one of Canada’s most distinctive cideries. Crossmount Cider, set near the South Saskatchewan River, is a full-scale, prairie-rooted cidery with seven fermentation tanks, a tasting room overlooking rows of dwarf apple trees and a fiercely loyal following.  But the long road to now started with a question: could cider apples take root on Saskatchewan’s unforgiving prairie? For...