Bloom in the Vineyard, Vine size increases dramatically, Some winter damage, Try rose wine this year, Bernard Call is in Washington State working at Chateau St. Michele, New products this fall, Understanding Grape Berry Development, July/August grape recipe.

• Bloom in the Vineyard

In June & July we are usually busy mowing the grass between the rows, applying our yearly fertilizer and monitoring bloom.

It is wonderful to be able to walk through the vineyard when it is in full bloom. The scent is strong but not overpowering. Click here to see what happens during bloom.

 

By August the vines have quickly grown to just about full size. The change from bud break in the spring to mid summer is tremendous. Many of the berries are almost full size.

By early September these Einset clusters will be a dark red and ready for you to pick.

 

• Try rose wine this year, Bernard Call is in Washington State working at Chateau St. Michele

You may have heard about vine damage in northern Michigan wineries - many vines were killed to the ground because of the long cold winter. I thought we had missed most of this damage but a few vines in our vineyard were still affected. The supply some of the white wine varieties may be a little short this season, but the red wine varieties and the concord types look real good.

This vine has winter damage, the fruiting canes on the top wire have no growth - the shoots arising from the bottom will not bear fruit until next year.	This is a normal vine (concord type), with a good crop.

This will be a good season to try our version of a "white zinfandel." Foch or Dechaunac juice will make a blush wine - I had a Foch rose given to me a while ago and it was excellent.

Regarding Foch blush wine - I heard from Bernard Call (An MSU student who has written articles for us) recently. I had questioned him regarding a case of wine that he gave me and there were some bottles of an excellent blush wine. He e-mailed back that it was Foch.    He also mentioned that he is in Washington state working for Chateau St. Michele in their research dept, doing some interesting work on riesling.

• New products this fall

  We will be experimenting with 2 and 5 gallon pails of crushed grapes with a nylon straining bag in it. Put a 2 gallon "grape bag" into your juice, let it ferment and you finally have a true red wine. After it ferments you can pull it out and squeeze it or let it drain. These may be handy for winemakers without a press.

  We will also have a grape crusher site available for you to use back by our barn. This will be self-serve - You Use It - You Clean It!

• Understanding Grape Berry Development

(An excellent article from Practical Winery & Vineyard Magazine)

BY James Kennedy, Department of
Food Science & Technology
Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

In the world of winemaking, there is a universal truth about the quality of the vintage: It is directly correlated with optimal grape maturity. Site selection and grapegrowing practices have a tremendous influence on achieving optimal maturity. To continue ....

 

• July Grape Recipe - Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes
  From American Diabetes Association's Diabetic Meals in 30 Minutes - Or Less

  
  

Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes
From American Diabetes Association's Diabetic Meals in 30 Minutes - Or Less
ADA Bookstore: 1-800-232-6733

Prep: 10 min.
3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1-1/2 cups red or green grapes, halved
1/2 cup celery, sliced
2 Tbs. scallions, sliced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
3/4 cup low fat mayonnaise
2 Tbs. orange juice
1 tsp. curry powder
fresh ground pepper

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in another bowl and whisk together until smooth. Toss the dressing with the salad and serve.

Note: Ideally diabetics should meet with a professional dietitian to plan an individualized diet plan. There is no single diet that meets all the needs of everyone with diabetes.

This recipe serves 6 people. Due to the nature of this recipe, it adjusts the number of servings in multiples of 6 only.

 

Honeyflow Farm
4939 Mill Rd.    PO Box 275
Dryden, Michigan 48428
(810) 796-2344 (Phone & Fax)

Comments or questions concerning Honeyflow Farm should be addressed to wcs@honeyflowfarmREMOVETHISBIT.com