Greenhouse Disaster

I can describe this only after seeing signs of recovery on most of the victims. We had a relay fail in the greenhouse. The exhaust fan is powered through a relay, and the relay operates with a signal from the climate controller. The controller was sending a signal but the relay failed to close and the exhaust fan didn't come on for a couple of days. This happened to correspond to a day on which I didn't water because clouds and rain were expected but which turned out sunny. Basically everything in the greenhouse got put under the broiler. It took me 10 minutes to fix it but the damage was done. 

I moved everything possible out of the greenhouse and under some shade. The garcinias, now about 10 years old and grown from see from PR, died back variable degrees - one back all the way to the lowest lateral branch. I took the opportunity to repot some of them and I'm happy to say that the cherimoyas, sapodillas, sugar apples, and lychees look no worse for the wear. There is new vertical growth on the garcinias. I'll post some new pictures when everything goes back inside this fall. 

Harvest Begins

 

We've started harvesting grapes. The back row of Frontenac and Foch was a complete critter loss. I still have a little Chambourcin so there is still hope of making some red wine this year, but there won't be much.

Like last year, our approach has been "let them hang." We got the first three grapes to the point where no sugar will be needed. Itasca came out first on 8/9, on the right above. We'll get two gallons, so double last year. La Crescent came out 8/13, left above, closer to 6 gallons. And Frontenac Gris came out 8/21, around 3 gallons.  Vidal is buttoned up tight, and we probably won't pick it until we get back from the Chalet after Labor day. 

Dancing Man v2.0

 Last year we were caught off-guard. Itasca ripens very early and the critters got most of the crop last year before we got any netting up. It was picked at 1.104, pH 2.8, no adjustments, but fermented cool. My best wine yet. This year, birds have just now started to get some grapes, so on 7/17 Lisa and I started putting the netting up. We netted and closed up the La Crescent and Itasca. 

We also netted the back two rows: Foch, Frontenac, Traminette, and Frontenac Gris. These rows are a mess to be honest. I thought I had pruned them hard, but evidently they need more pruning and shoot pruning in particular. They are extremely vigorous and I'm not sure we'll be able to seal them up like we did with the Itasca and La Crescent. We had a really hard time getting the netting over the vines and it only comes about half-way down. Note to self - prune and shoot prune the Foch, Traminette, and Frontenac very hard. 

Woodland Surprise

 This fellow showed up a couple of years ago. In past years the deer ate it before we got any blooms. 

PictureThis plant identifier tells us that it is broad-leaved helleborine, Epipactis helleborine. It is a common woodland orchid whose range extends into Missouri. It is also known as Bastard helleborine and Poor man's lady slipper, both of which I prefer to the common name found in Wikipedia, "weed orchid." This year it bloomed.

Greenhouse Rebuild

 Several pieces of the raised beds in the greenhouse rotted over the last few years. The would used was treated, but 18 years of water and humidity take their toll.

So with my friend Shawn here for the Memorial Day weekend and willing to tackle a project, we finally took care of this longstanding issue. Many of the screws could not be backed out so we just broke them off. We had to move some dirt around as well. But the project probably went as well as could be expected. I still have 10 bags of topsoil with which to top up the beds. 

Haskap Season

 The haskap harvest is short and sweet. And sour. This year we tried haskap pie. The berries are juicy and so the first piece is somewhat...watery. But it's very tasty. 

• 4 cups haskaps
• 1T lemon juice
• 4t corn starch
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1 egg white
• 2 frozen pie crusts, thawed. 

Mix well. Place most of it in a pie crust (it all won’t fit). 
Wet the edge, then cover with the second pie crust and crimp the edges. 

Slice ventilation holes in the top crust. 

Apply the egg white wash. 

Bake 50 min at 375F.

The leftover filling can make a couple of single serving ramekin crumbles. 

2022 Spray Schedule

 5/8/2022 - Mancozeb

5/30/2022 - Abound

6/4/2022 - Mancozeb + Emerald (half tank)

6/15/2022 - Mancozeb + Emerald (half tank)

6/26/2022 - Mancozeb + Quintec + Sevin

7/4/2022 - Abound + Sevin (half tank)

7/7/2022 - Abound + Sevin (half tank)

7/21/2022 - Captan + Emerald + Sevin

2021 Wines - Chapter 5 - Chambourcin

 The 2020 Chambourcin was probably my best red wine to date. It has good flavor and great color retention. It may be a little bit over-oaked, but I expect it to age fairly well.

So the same approach was taken to the limited 2021 crop. The vines have crown gall and so I only have 3-4 left. Those that are left are heavy producers. Picked 9/22, at 1.080, TA 12, pH 2.86. I crushed and destemmed 9/24, then adjusted with 1T calcium carbonate to pH 3.14 and 500g sugar to 1.090. Opti Red/Booster Blanc/Avante/VP41 coinnoculation. I pressed 5 gallons on 9/29. By 10/23 the test strips read zero malic. I let it go another few weeks before SO2 to be safe. 

I've not decided whether to barrel this wine just yet. It's just aging quietly. My "hands off" winemaking approach is either wisdom or laziness. 

2021 Wines - Chapter 4 - Vidal

Last year's 2020 Vidal is not bad, but not notable. So I "spiked" it with some 2019 Vidal that was over-tweaked with citrus and I also added a hint of passion fruit. I have the feeling that none of that would be necessary if I let it hang longer, But Vidal for me is troublesome. They occupy two rows in the vineyard, but I get about 10 vines worth of grapes. I have to net the entire thing because the vines that are doing well are so spread out. I'd love it if I could let these hang to 1.100 and 3.00. Nope, not this year. 2021 Vidal was picked 9/11 at 1.080, TA 13, pH 2.62. I didn't record any acid adjustments but it's entirely possible, even likely, that I made some. Sugar was added to bump the SG to 1.090. Opti White/Booster Blanc/Allegra and room temperature ferment had us down to 1.000 by 9/22. 8 gallons, not counting the Vignoles coferment. I haven't made a really awesome Vidal wine yet, and given the pick numbers I have some doubts that 2021 will be exceptional. Maybe a blender with the Vignoles. 

2021 Wines - Chapter 3 - Vignoles

We were again invited to the Books' vineyard to pick up some late Vignoles. The grapes came in at 1.104, pH 3.08, and TA 12. I elected to cool ferment unadjusted. As with all of the wine this year, I used a Renaissance yeast, Allergro, along with Opti White and Booster Blanc and the usual nutrient protocol over 8 gallons. The yeast was pitched 9/12. By 9/29 it was 1.045, and by 10/16, after a month, it was 1.010 and came out of the fridge. A week later the two carboys were 1.000 and 1.005. It still tastes pretty sweet to me, but we'll sur lie age it and see how dry it is in a few months. If still too sweet, I've got a good blender. 

I also tried a co-ferment with 50% Vignoles, 50% Vidal, but didn't have room in the fridge for this one. It required no adjustments, usual additives and nutrition, and went fast. 

2021 Wines - Chapter 2 - Frontenac

My Frontenac wines, with the exception of the Frontenac Gris, to date have been disappointing. Maybe persistence will pay off. I double netted the back row of the vineyard and still lost practically all of the Foch. But the benefit was that Foch and Frontenac sat on the vines much longer than in years past. I picked around the first of September (failed to note the date) in order to make a Frontenac that is also 8% Foch. I pitched a Renaissance yeast, Avante, on 9/4. No adjustments were made to the must at 1.102, 3.05. Booster Rouge, Opti Red, coinnoculation with VP41, and by 9/9/it was down to 1.000 and I pressed 6 gallons. On 9/12 I racked and added Uva Tan 1.5g/gal to see if we can make this wine color-fast. It's now aging and I'm considering skipping the barrels and only lightly oaking with some cubes. The wine has the usual Frontenac cherry flavor which I'm not wild about but maybe we can make a go of it this year. 

2021 Wines - Chapter 1 - Itasca

 This grape ripens really early. By the time I got around to netting it, critters had taken half. I wound up with 1 gallon worth of juice after picking 8/10. I went with Allegro, a Renaissance yeast that doesn't make H2S. These grapes were whole cluster pressed, with initial readings of 1.104, 8.8, 2.8. No adjustments, cold settled, racked, Opti White and Booster Blanc at usual doses, then into the refrigerator for a cool ferment. This fermentation was made possible by my new Inkbird controller.

I bounced it around between 13-15C. Finally at 1.014 on 9/3 it came out of the fridge. I racked on 9/25 and hopefully it has finished up. Aromas of honey and honeysuckle. Could be a nice wine.