If you have free-range chickens, you can probably sympathize with the embarrassment that having poop on your porch brings – ugh! Now, thanks to my chicken coop, there is no more poop on my porch. Complete with a clay tile roof it has five, easily accessible laying boxes! It is definitely one of the “little things in life” that bring pleasure to look at! No more can the chickens fly out and poop everywhere!
Four Season Gardening – here I come! The greenhouse is finished and I just feel the need to brag a bit. Yes, I may be weird, but I am excited about the work that is ahead of me. Winter veggies are planted inside and beginning to grow plus, I now have room to start my garden seeds without taking up every windowsill in our home!
You might be surprised but there is a slew of emotions when grape harvest is over. And, it is over for 2015! You would expect there to be great relief and there is! But there is also anticipation, thankfulness, disappointment, elation and even sadness!
Even though we are still early in October, grape harvest for 2015 is almost over with 166 tons of Roussanne, Montepulciano, Aglianico, and Petit Verdot being harvested already. There are only about 26 tons of grapes left in the vineyard – we better get to eating before they are all gone!
The anticipation is over – Margie had her calf. That is the good news. The birth went easily and mom and baby were healthy. Unfortunately, there is some bad news. Like a good old fashioned John Wayne movie complete with cattle rustlers there is a happy end to the story.
Spring is here! How do I know? The vines are beginning to bud! Bud-break in the Vineyard means the grape crop is on its way! So far, it is the younger plants that are budding but the others are not far behind.
Oh the excitement of it all. The anticipation of the event. I can’t contain myself. After all, we are talking about a new life – a…
Planting grapevines is always an exciting time at the vineyard. This year, we have planted five more acres – 3 acres Montepulciano and 2 acres Aglianico, both Italian red varieties. And, as usual, it is a family affair!
Early Bud-break in the Vineyard? It sure looks that way. The sap is running and we are trying to slow the plant’s pushing the buds! Of course, this is only a problem if we have another freeze!
We crushed Montepulciano grapes from the vineyard last year after harvest. Those are still in barrels but now it’s time to bottle the wine from the Montepulciano grapes from 2013. Wine making is a process that requires patience but bottling gives a chance to taste the progression of it!