Another one bites the dust…

It’s official. The 2011 Harvest at The Good Earth is finally complete.  As of Friday all of the reds have been barreled down and put to sleep. Let me tell ya, 2011 has been a wild ride.  Starting off with the coldest spring on record, then a ridiculously hot summer, then more rain throughout September, and finally a gorgeous fall.  There was a lot of nail biting, rushing to get things harvested, and finally sighs of relief when it was all pulled off.  Now that the chaos is behind me, I have to say I’m pretty damn thrilled with how everything turned out.

It’s been pretty busy down the dusty lane way these days.  Wrapped Up in the Valley blew through the Twenty Valley the last three weekends and passport holders flocked to our doors to snag a sample of our 09 Chardonnay paired with a delicious Alsatian style tart.  We also had the HandMade Market here last weekend so this place was buzzing with thirsty, hungry, and craft happy people! I myself managed to not blow my entire salary at the market as I did in the spring.

In other exciting news, and shameless self promotion, our 2010 Rosé won a Bronze Medal at the Ottawa Gourmet Food & Wine show this month.  Amanda, Michael, and myself all made the trek to Ottawa to pour at the show, and visit licensees.  Can I please mention that the food and wine scene in Ottawa is stellar? We did not go hungry.  Or thirsty.

I am also proud to announce that our 2009 Riesling has been chosen as the official White Wine of the Ontario Legislature for 2012!  We are so absolutely excited and honoured to be picked! I could prove it by posting a video sneaky Chef Pasto took of Amanda and Kara dancing and cheering in the retail store when Amanda received the phone call but I would risk Amanda beating me with her tiny fists.  However, I do take bribes so… if you wanna see it.  Make an offer.

So that is what’s been going on around here!

Gotta go… the winery won’t power wash itself!

D.

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Things I’ve Noticed Since on Maternity Leave (that may or may not have anything to do with cooking)

Maternity leave, at least in the first four weeks, has been a blur of feeding Neva, changing Neva, hugging and kissing Neva, trying to clean the house, shop, and keep some sort of adult relationship going with the man.  Not as easy as I thought.  I have even let some things go by the wayside.  Toy left in the middle of the room?  I’ll pick it up later.  I now only sweep twice a day as opposed to my vigorous 3-4 times a day (I know, a bit much).  And my bleach fetish has come down a notch.  A small notch.

So I have noticed I’ve lightened up a bit,  figuratively speaking, but not really in my “figure”.  We shall touch on this later.

I’ve noticed certain things like:

• in the grocery store they sell bags of pre-mashed and buttered potatoes that just need to be  microwaved.  Tempting, but I’m not THAT far behind the eight ball yet.  And who is?  Who can’t find the time to boil, mash, and butter a potato? 

• I’ve noticed that I LIKE Major League Baseball after all, and that I may harbour a small crush on that long-haired San Fran Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum.  Perhaps a bit nerdy, but when you have tenderloin every night, sometimes you need a hanger steak to spice things up.

• I’ve noticed that gas has gone up, WAY up in price since I’ve given birth and had to fill The Subaru up for the first time in four weeks.  Is there an oil embargo that I’ve missed  while cooped up here on The Bench for the last 6 weeks?

• I’ve noticed young people drive like maniacs.  Yes I’ve said it.  I have officially reached the old and cynical age.
• I’ve noticed I weigh less then BEFORE getting pregnant, but that my pants can’t get over this new lovely curve of my hips that has taken place.  I’ve noticed this and have labeled it : UNFAIR.
• On a happy note I’ve noticed the HandMade Market has some really cool vendors, and I’m looking forward to some Christmas shopping.  Locally.  With some really cool artists.

• But best of all I’ve noticed a new little girl in my life who has finally noticed me.  She keeps her eye on me when feeding, and smiles at me in the morning.  Yes it’s a bona fide smile and not gas.  I know this because she smiles differently when she’s looking at the checkered pillow on the couch.  She smiles with her “eyes” when she looks at me 🙂

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No more whining

It has been a horrible week here in wine country with cold, wet, miserable weather.  Thankfully I woke up today to find a clear blue sky and bright sunshine.  Now that’s more like it!

The grape harvest is full on!  Our “Grape Crusader” Chris Andrewes and I were chuckling on how much whining grape growers seem to do.  You bump into them mumbling about how long the harvest has been and how much longer they have to go etc.  Well as  fruit farmers, Chris and I think there is a whole lot of whining going on.  For Chris, it’s been “ground hog” day since about June 6 when his harvest started in earnest with sweet cherries.  He’s been at this for months and manages to keep a smile on his face.

It’s been a fabulous summer so the quality of the fruit hanging in the vineyards is fantastic.  Our Pinot Noir is harvested and doing its thing bubbling away.  Yesterday our Chardonnay was picked and today we picked all our Riesling.  Next week we’ll harvest our Cabernet Franc and with that the 2010 season will be put to bed for another year.

Fresh picked for Riesling Jelly!

I rushed out this morning with my jelly pans to harvest some Riesling grapes for my own kitchen.  I’m going to make some Riesling jelly to sell along side “the good wine” Riesling at the HandMade Market in November.  I have already made some Gewürztraminer jelly (a lovely pinkish colour) and hope to make some Cabernet Franc jelly as well.  Unfortunately, I was too slow off the mark and missed my chance to get some Chardonnay grapes.  I think it will be fun for people to have a number of different jellies to sample.  It will be interesting to see if the varietal characteristics are as evident in the jellies as they are in the wine.  If nothing else the jellies will be a happy addition to our “retail therapist” Amanda’s “Just Add Cheese” gift packs.

It’s going to be a busy weekend but there will be no whining from this corner.  With a forecast for sunny skies and mild temperatures, what more could we ask for?

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