Red Onion

How is it?

December and the garden is starting to fire up.

Moira planted 7 rows of Red Onions and this is the first one she picked. Good in a salad.

Weighs in at a grand weight of 800 grams.

Ants in your pants

How is it?

Ever had ants? Well they discovered the preserving jars that had jam in it... Nice long row if happy ants going outside. Moira was not impressed and had to clear the deck. I washed down the shelves and Moira the jars. The ones that contained the ants had to go... Then a general restack... Went inot Whangarei today and found more preserving jars in the Hospice shop. Small Agee. Good for peaches and lemons and other preserves. Saw a Bramley apple, but couldn't be sure of the rootstock, so I left it in the garden center...Have come to the conclusion that all apples up north on out property need to be on Northern Spy. Takes a few years to get underway but after that all is good.

Was going to spray copper on the vines but showers of rain keep sweeping through. Wind is up as well. Rained through the night. Dam is now full and spilling. Grapes up to the top wire and going for it. still not flowering but soon I hope.

Need to take Jaz for his morning walk. I've noticed that he has a dark ring developing around his muzzle , I think it might be from yoghurt, as he tends to lick the pots clean. He needs a bath... I'll do that for him when he gets back from his walk...

See you

fruit set in vineyard

How is it?

21 degrees C. inside

Fruit bunches still have not flowered yet. Hoping for fine weather with good sun shine and little rain.

Two year old Chambourcin, restricting the fruiting arms to four each side. Then two bunches.

A healthy bunch of fruiting buds on the Merlot , still not flowering, but soon I hope.

Have mowed along the lower row and trimmed back the grass.

This is a good looking Merlot ready for tipping post flowering.

New Vines for the Vineyard

How is it?

After pruning the vines last month and taking a few cuttings to grow on, we have another tub full of Chambourcin vines starting to burst into life. Have sold a few of these at the Northern Tree Croppers days.

Must always remember to keep the root end down when trying to start them off in life.

I think the cat likes rubbing up against the cuttings as she walks past, as some are facing a different way. Still they need to learn how to tuffen up if they are to become vines in Northland.

September 2011 in the Vineyard

How is it?

The weather is on the make. Sprayed with copper two weeks ago at bud swell. Went for an early morning stroll with Jaz and Midnight, the buds on most Merlot vines have burst open and the green of fresh new leaves is showing.

I'm typing this sitting at the kitchen table and looking out over the vines to the sea. The tide is in and there is a slight breeze showing on the waters surface.

The grass growth is starting to shoot ahead. Mowed the lawns out front last Sunday and they need a recut now.

Saw five pheasant in the vineyard last night at sunset. Looking forward to many more soon.

Talking of birds, I heard my first Shining Cuckoo yesterday, Pipiwharauroa, long way to fly from the Solomons.

Bananas 2011

How is it?

Wet day but the Bananas are ready.

Frost has split the skins but still taste like Bananas

Spraying on Copper

How is it?

Well spring is finally here, decided that today would be a good day to spray with Copper.

Tried out the new back pack, all's good. Jaz was running around a bit, so I had to shorten up on his lead.

The buds have gone past swelling on many of the vines and are at first leaf on many. The Merlot seem to be ahead of the rest.

Nice spring day with little or no wind to speak of. The tide is coming in and the surface is glassy.

End of season beginning of winter up north

How is it?

Temp reading at 12:30 on Sat 28th May = 20.8 C.

Nice winters day SW 10 knots . Finished prunning block 2 before lunch. Block 1 to go and as this is the oldest we have decided to leave it until last.

Moira wants me to use the saw on the large branches. We will attempt to lift the bottom branch level up. As at the moment when the lower branches are in full fruit bearing mode, they can touch the ground.

Only on thing to do here and that is to lift up the level. So any of the branches are in the wrong plane, ie level or growing downwards, they will be off. Will need to collect the large ones as the Walker mower will not mulch down the biggies. So Moira can load these into the wheel barrow and deliver them to a mulch site. Say around the Banana trees.

Having lunch and then back into it. Moira is preping up a pork belly for Sundays dinner. Yummy I'm thinking.

Jaz hurt his right rear foot pad through the week so is taking things a little slower than normal. He needs to learn to tuffen up a bit ... but I feel for him and have given out lots of cuddles. He likes these....

Back to it for another round...

3:30 back and ready for a cuppa. Have completed the bottom row on block 1. Had to be brutal to several of the trees and completely reshape. We now have dappled light through the trees. A Fantail visited us and inspected the new flight paths it now has available. A few nice tweets, a fitting reward for a good days work.

Jaz has crashed on his bed as he found the prunning hard work as well.

I'm chewing on a freshly dug carrot. Nice one Moira. We will have to grow a few more of them!

Merlot Grape Jelly

How is it?

Another rainy day in the winterless up north.

Picked 2 buckets of grapes when taking the nets off the Merlot.

Have decided to try my hand at making Merlot Grape Jelly!

Ended up with five and a half jars of jelly.

Made a few videos of the process.

The proof of a good Merlot Grape Jelly is in the tasting on toast. Can't wait.

Nets are off

How is it?

Took the nets off the vines. 24th April. Long grass.

Did a final rack of the merlot, Got two 1 gal demijohns.

A not to good year in the quanity but hopefully we will make up

for this in the quality.

Picked another two buckets of merlot grapes from the second fruit

set that occured this year. Brix 18.2. Alot of the bunches, most in fact, are suffering from wasp attack. Will make some grape jelly out of these.

Moira is in the garden taking out the last of the tomatoes. Picked a good lot of beetroot. Will

have these with dinner tonight. Lamb chops, 3 off, also some beans from our garden, out of the freezer.

Jaz jumped out the window to run after the kids.... They caught him and bought him back.

Last Feijoa Summer Wine

How is it?

Picked the last few Feijoa fruit off the trees. 23rd April 2011. Got a bee sting while wearing Crocs, right foot under 3rd toe. Managed to get 5 buckets of touch picked fruit.

Jaz enjoyed the run in the Fejoa blocks. Got his long lead in a tangle a few times.

Regulations covering Winemaking

How is it?

Having a look at having a go at winemaking using excess Feijoas.

At the moment we make a few litres for our own consumption.

What steps do we need to take to go commerical? Is it worth the extra cost?

See

http://www.foodsafety.govt.nz/industry/sectors/wine/making-wine.htm

Very small winemakers

Winemakers are exempt from the requirement to register a wine standards management plan if they meet two criteria:

1. they make less than 10,000 litres of wine each year, and
2. all their wine is sold in New Zealand.

If you would like to use this exemption provision, you must notify the NZFSA that you meet the exemption criteria by using form WA3. There is no charge for this notification. All winemakers who have submitted form WA3 to the NZFSA are listed on the exempt small winemakers list.

Cheers

Feijoas at Matakohe

How is it?

It's that time of year again.

In full picking mode.

Fruit goes in from one end, along the worm thread, and drops out sorted.

The first bay under the yellow tray is for the too small fruit.

Second small

Third medium

Forth Large

Small 45 - 65 gms

Medium 65 - 90

Large 90- +

We have a heap of small and the ratio seems to be 2 small trays for every medium tray.

Need to prune and thin trees for medium size.

Watch this space next year.

New grader is working well.

Video

Possums

How is it?

Had a little trouble with possums. So out came the Timms traps.

Branches aren't designed to carry the extra weight.

A little apple placed in the trap and no problems any more.

Dead possum.

Winemaking primary fermentation

How is it?

Been a week now since picking the grapes.

All the four barrels are progressing well.

It's the fermentation process that makes the grape skins rise to the top. So stiring is necessary, or should I say pushing the Marc back down into the juice below. The red colour is leached out from the skins. Will need to check the Specific Gravity of the must within the next few days. The vigirous primary fermentation will start to subside soon. I will then rack off and press the skins. Then place the juice under airlock. All is good.

Need to get some oak chips to add. Next time we are in Whangarei at the brew shop I'll buy some.

Merlot grapes have a brix reading of 22. Last week they had a reading or 18.5. So will need to pick them this week end. Life is great up north.

Harvesting Chambourcin grapes

How is it?

Took a Brix reading with our new Refractometer. Guess what? The first reading was 18, this was on the Merlot. Took 5 or six more and all similar.

Onto the Chambourcin and the first reading was 25. Yes . next few ranged from 24.2 down to the lowest being 21.2. Rain predicted for late on Saturday and most of Sunday. So decided to pick today. Stripped the berries off the storks and put into barrels. Crushed the berries then added the R 56 wine yeast. Stirred this into the must and covered the barrels to keep out the fruit flys.

Wine of the Show

How is it?

This is the year....

9 wines in total, with Moira four this year. You can see them stored in the light green cardboard bottle holder.

These are mine, Blackberry, Apple, Elderflower, Hawthornberry and another beautful example of Fejioa (dry). The numbers are the class competion numbers.

Moira has a Red Clover, Feijoa, Apple and Blackberry (both dry and sweet).

OK so it has taken me two years, but the wait has been really worth it. I finally have wine the Wine of the Show award. Se blokes can make really excellent wine.

The judge or judges don't seem to remove the labels prior to judging. Still it's the quality of what's in the bottle that counts.

Apples and Deer

How is it?

Apples and Deer in the orchard. Look out!

Collected a few wind fall apples, Gravenstein. Tools needed to process the apples before drying are placed onto the chopping board.

The apple corer is plunged down and up, twisting as you go, and up comes the core.

The peeler is next into action, I try and do this in a continuous strip.

Then the accurate slice, with the sharp knife. I then soak the slices in a mixture of lemon juice and water for a few minutes. Drain and dry on paper towels.

Then arrange into the drying trays.

The finished trays are stacked on top of each other. Try and get as many slices as you can per tray, the odd overlap seems to be OK. The slices shrink about 50% during the drying procedure.

On with the lid and plug in and switch on. Six hours later.....

Rain

How is it? WET

I emptied this rain gauge yesterday, yet today it's reading at 135 mm. The dam was down about 1 meter, with 4 weeks of constaint watering, yet it also is nearly full!

MET VUW showed rain on the way, with a bit of a dumping over night. They are correct again.

This rain must make the grapes swell, hopefully not too much!

All's good up north today, with a little strong Southwesterly to blow the rain away out east.

Think I might put my feet up and continue reading my book.

See you later.

Netting on

How is it?

Bird netting on at last.

The Thrushes and the Blackbirds (Merlot), tell you when to cover up the vines.

Have tried to use the leaders to help in lifting the fruit above the bottom wire, when the nets are on any below are fair game for the birds, who jump up and make the berries fall off.

Have leaf plucked just above the bottom wire.

The cat!