Harvest Day, September 21, 2013

Cannon River Winery informed us earlier this week that our Sabrevois and Louise Swenson grapes were ripe and ready to be picked.  We have been bringing them samples of 100 grapes taken randomly from both varieties for the past three weeks.  This week our numbers are where they want them, so we picked and delivered our crop on Saturday.

Here are a few fun videos.  We will also add more photos later.

Michael on Friday when we finished removing the bird netting:
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/6djtmbzco60oxz4/p72QGF4gES


Connie in the vineyard on Harvest Day:
https://www.dropbox.com/sc/7w9gx1yrwo7getl/jxmRIjekKp

Kathy using her cluster cutter

Greg holding the fruits of our labors

Sabrevois grapes in  picking bins

Taking a break on Harvest Day
Neighbor Mary helped in the kitchen, Tom in the vineyard

Lunch is served

Neighbors Tim, David, and Bill came to help

Pete, Tom, and Darcy

Connie's cousins Jim and Steve

Our bins delivered to Cannon River Winery!

Our first crop is ripening -- Early September, 2013

More videos from the vineyard--

Michael showing our Louise Swenson crop:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6s9lcagst2ecswu/Npyk3gC9Uw

Kate with the Sabrevois:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gib81x5gi81woc3/_zbv0b4P1j

Part-time vineyard worker Amy, tying vines

Michael and Dan installing the cross-arms on the geneva double-curtain trellises
for our two-year-old "King of the North" grapes.

By next summer we hope to have a rose bush at the top of each of the 34 rows.

Some of our Sabrevois grapes were even on display at the Walker Art Center in late August as part of Fritz Haeg's
Edible Estates exhibit.

Bird Netting Day, August 10, 2013

Our grapes are beginning to ripen, and the neighborhood birds are finding them.  Therefore, today was designated as Bird Netting Day, 2013.  Our kids, Dan's friend Jen, Kathy and Tom, and part-time vineyard helper, Amy, all came to assist.  We were able to rent a "Netter-Getter" that mounts behind the tractor and makes putting the netting over the vines much easier.  Kathy, Michael's sister, took some wonderful video   that we are going to try putting on this blog.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8two87ovq8z2bfv/uaVbQK2OpK

Our crack bird-netting crew: Kate, Greg, Connie, Tom, Dan,
Kathy, Amy, and in front, Jen.
(Michael took the photo)