Grapes!

I did it again. I harvested a crop without taking a picture of the action. But just like the potatoes, I was too excited to stop.

Our Thompson’s Seedless have seen better days. My predecessor, Ryan Casey of Blue House Farm, thinks that a gopher got to the root stalk.

The Chardonnay vine, however, looks great.

Like corn, grapes are a new crop for me. A few weeks ago I ran into Ryan and asked him how I’ll know when the grapes are ready. A man of few (yet wise) words, he replied, “When they taste sweet.” Fair enough.

That turned out to be all the advice I needed. I popped one in my mouth today while I was hand-watering some containers nearby and – WHOA – bursts of sweet grape juice in my mouth! I snipped them all off and shared them with the staff inside. We had around ten bunches – not enough for wine, but enough for a snack.

I’ve been reading up on proper grapevine training and will post again in the dormant season when it’s time to prune back and setup successful vines for next year.