Spring Release weekend, part II

After working hard at the house Saturday and cleaning up, we headed south along a road we had not taken yet.  The gently rolling pastures complete with horses and stables that reminded me of Kentucky gave way to familiar territory as we emerged within the southern Walla Walla wine region.   We discovered our new house is less than five miles from Sleight of Hand Cellars  and Saviah Cellars (for some reason I can’t access their site tonight), which means we are closer to several others along the way.

Despite the three obvious tour limos/vans and countless cars in the two parking lots we made our way inside each of them in turn.  I am happy to say that ‘The Magician’, 2012 dry Riesling, at Sleight of Hand, was worth the wait!  We were also very appreciative of ‘The Magician’s Assistant’, 2012 Cabernet Franc Rose’.

Saviah provides a fantastic variety of wines, red, white, rose’, blended, and single variety.  We are never disappointed here!  Which is why we chose these two wineries on Saturday afternoon after yard work and heavy lifting of boxes through the day despite the crowds.

Once we wrapped up working on Sunday we decided to drive out the old Hwy 12 for our wine tasting.  It was so late in the day we didn’t know if anyone would still be open.  Skylite Cellars appeared on our left with an open sign; no second invitation needed.  Upon entering I recognized the tasting room server as a student in the WWCC Enology and Viticulture Program that we met last October at College Cellars.  He began last fall and will be off campus for his internship when I begin in September this year.

We shared a tasting of the Spring Release flight and then the Copper Top Reserve Flight.  I had to be brought up to speed on the history of the red neck-wrapped and labeled ‘Hiney Wine’ since I had never heard the radio quips or jingles about ‘Hiney Wine’ in the late 70′s and early 80′s.  The 2007 Red Hiney is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Syrah, & 14% Merlot.  This is a gem of a wine!  This alone was worth the stop, but the rest of the wines were excellent as well; the 2008 Skylite Cellars Reserve, which is a new release: 57% Malbec, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 12% Carmenere was probably my absolute favorite.  It is here that we were encouraged to go to Reininger with the assurance that they were still open.  Such good advice, so very glad we followed it.  Someday we will begin earlier in the day and explore the rest of the wineries along this road that used to carry all travelers to and from Walla Walla on Hwy 12.

Getting to know people in Walla Walla has centered around the wine industry, which is really very concentrated since each person is either related to or has worked with several other people in the industry.  Everyone has been gracious and kind, enthusiastic about their part in the process and very welcoming.  In just a few weeks I will be attending the 2013 Wine Bloggers Conference in Penticton.  There have been tweets, Facebook posts and emails with equally exciting people who I haven’t even met yet.  Apparently following your dreams isn’t impossible.

Spring release weekend

I am going to write about this weekend in reverse of experiencing it, sorry no photos, but it was not what I was thinking about.  It was Spring release weekend in Walla Walla.  We had work to do at the house, but too much work and no play makes us cranky, so we determined we would visit a couple wineries each afternoon.

Sunday afternoon, on our way out-of-town, we stopped at Reininger Winery.  Chuck Reininger, wine maker, graciously gave us an in-depth history of the Tucker family’s (that of his wife) three generations of farming in the Walla Walla Valley and his journey to creating these delectable wines.  We had a great conversation about the local geology, the chemistry of the soil and how that directly correlated to the needs of grape vines.  We were treated to a tour of the facilities, and a taste of the in-barrel Viognier (to be bottled on the 20th) before leaving, well after closing time.

Located west of town, on the old highway, but visible from the current Hwy 12, you will see the converted potato storages and the entrance designed to mimic the top of a grain elevator in reference to the Tucker Family wheat farm.  For some time we have enjoyed Helix Syrah and Helix Pomace, available locally at Brix & Stone, which is the Columbia Valley label for Reininger, including gifting the Syrah many times.

Thank you, Chuck, for your gifts of Cataclysms on the Columbia and the copy of the Geoscience Canada article about Geology and Wine, Walla Walla, Washington.  It was very pleasant to discuss geology and wine; two of my favorite subjects.  Thank you Izzy and Sally for your patience with our late arrival and extensive conversation.  I look forward to seeing you all again!

Edible Flowers part of this year’s garden

Herbs have always been the first plants into my garden – primarily culinary herbs.  When I built my first house the yard was a new canvas upon which to experiment with more diverse herbs, vegetables and, of course, landscaping plants.  When the kids were at story time at the library I was investigating and researching plants to put into my gardens.  The culinary herbs were quickly followed by a tea garden and physic garden.  When the summer arrived and we planted lots of vegetable seeds and a couple of tomato plants, I was feeling a little deprived of color.  The landscape plants were either too small to have a major impact or they were not flowering plants at all; edible flowers became my next focus.

Naturally, we already eat some flowers, those of broccoli and cauliflower should be most obvious.  The herbs flower prolifically all summer; these flowers are completely edible, but small.  Squash blossoms, a fun way to reduce the number of squash produced by your plants, and garlic scapes (the immature curly flower stalks of the garlic plant) were surprises to me at the time.

Outside of the vegetable category, I wanted more variety.  For my birthday I received a lovely container of tuberous begonias – which I had just learned had edible flowers.  Naturally, as these were from a nursery, we didn’t eat them.  But I did get tubers to plant myself the following year.  Sweet Williams, part of the genus Dianthus (related to carnations), violets and pansies, nasturtiums, daylilies and roses, especially a clove scented ‘wild rose’, became blankets of color in the landscape beds and festive decorations for meals and desserts.  Simple pleasures, fond memories.

Although I have enjoyed hibiscus as a tea for many years, this winter I was introduced to preserved hibiscus flowers preserved in syrup for use in drinks and desserts.  My February 5, 2013 blog is all about this, check it out.

Now, with more allergies each year, I limit my flower eating – no composite flowers (i.e. calandula, sunflower) – so I don’t have to give them all up entirely.  There are several university extension websites with great information related to this topic.  If you are interested, google edible flowers to be sure you are eating the right flower parts from the right flowers and how to preserve them if they can be.

Later this week I will be at the Ephrata Community Garden for the First Friday (4-5 PM) Master Gardener Q&A.  As it is my first official appearance as a Master Gardener; I am pretty excited.

Lodmell Cellars

We were downtown Walla Walla with an hour to spare between appointments, enough time to do a bit of wine tasting.  We had visited the 2nd Ave tasting rooms at the base of the Marcus Whitman Hotel, so we took in Lodmell Cellars on Rose St.

Red and white tasting room, accessible from the street or the hotel, with a couple of colorful, fun paintings (done by Matthew McKern) and Tom, presiding over the tasting room.  No photos, sorry, we got to chatting and they slipped my mind.

Superbly nice weather encouraged us to start with the white and rose’ offerings: 2010 Sauvignon Blanc & 2010 Saignee, respectively.  I am looking forward to grabbing a bottle of the Sauv Blanc one weekend and savoring it after a day in the garden.  We compared the 2009 rose to the 2010, both using estate Merlots & Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, but different ratios.  I was pleasantly surprised that the ’09 with more Merlot was bolder with much deeper, earthy flavors.  The ’10, with a greater presence of the Cab Sauv was enjoyably light in flavor with high, bright notes.

The Lodmell Vineyard is by the Snake River in the southern Palouse hills, taking their cue from said river, their primary label is a curled snake.  Thirty acres of grapes, the original 15 acres planted in 1995 with Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon, the latter 15 acres, sometime around 2000, planted with Semillon, Syrah, & Cabernet Franc.

Onto the reds, 2008 red blend Sublime, bearing a label from one of the paintings hung in the tasting room, which is a 50% Merlot, 30% Carmenere, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, spicy, deep red that begs to be paired with a curry dinner.

From twelve-year-old vines, the 2007 Estate Merlot has 25% Cab Sauv grapes and still feels like a warm blanket on a cold winter day.  Notes of floral and honey reminding one of the promise of spring.

We tasted the January-released 2009 100% Estate Cabernet Sauvignon with its spicy nose and smooth finish and I wanted to say ‘Syrah’.  This is Lodmell Cellars first single variety Cab Sauv – nice work, look forward to more.

To cap our visit, Tom poured a bit of the 2008 Bend Sinister Port.  At 18.2% ABV this late harvest Merlot (picked at 33* Brix) with Pinot Grigio brandy from the Ellensburg Distillery.  The Pinot Grigio grapes were also Columbia Valley grapes.  Clover honey nose, raisin front and sweet, but not syrupy.  By the way, the story behind the name is on the bottle label.

Tom has his own enterprise for his hours away from Lodmell’s tasting room: Winecountry2go.  In your vehicle, Tom will chauffeur you and your group to wineries.  He knows the area and wineries well.  At the end of the day, he drives you back to where you originally met, be it your hotel, B&B, or your house.  Everyone can enjoy the tastings and participate while the designated driver gets you from tasting room to tasting room.

 

Spring madness

Having spent many years living with family members with mental illness and knowing other families with MI members, there are many that react to the return of bright sun and awakening of life with a sever depressive response.  The joy I feel as I pull weeds and turn soil to plant my seeds, the warmth of the sun and the chilly embrace of the wind taking turns to get my attention, seems lost this evening as I brace myself anew to jump into the trenches beside a friend embattled with a family member’s misery.

This spring madness has been present for years in my family, I was beginning to relax and consider we might have managed a year with no hospital or jail time for the first time in many years – but alas, as the fickle weather, which brought us hail and snow over the weekend after such gloriously warm and sunny days, has prolonged the effect of the seasonal change.  The strength of the afflicted has been tested too long.  The holes in our mental health system are so large he has lost his grip and fallen through to a dangerously low place; a place he loathes and would never wish to be in lucid moments.

There is no telling how long the episode will last, what horrors he will have to endure, how he will face this experience and react when it comes to a close and if the meager amount of support he had before crashing will return or leave him further stranded in a life he would rather terminate than pursue at the moment.

How do we, the family and friends that do our best to love them whole and healed, prepare ourselves to fight for our stricken brothers & sisters?  How do we amass arms and protect ourselves when it is the society and social structure we live within that seems to be the adversary? Good question, I’ll think more about it when the crisis has passed.

Older Viscosity

Port Brewery Older Viscosity

After a very busy week, squeaking by deadlines with hardly a breath to spare, we sat down last night and opened the bottle of Port Brewing Older Viscosity; excellent way to celebrate our recent achievements.

Bourbon-barrel aged for six-months, 12.5% ABV, black cherry nose, smooth and creamy texture, molasses, vanilla, and bitter dark chocolate were perfect.  I was intrigued to see it rated 100 at ratebeer.com and 96 at Beeradvocate.com, obviously I am not the only one to really enjoy it.

Port Brewing Old Viscosity Ale

Port Brewing Old Viscosity Ale: Imperial Stout 10% ABV

Our sunny spring weather gave way to chilly rain in the last couple of days.  We still enjoyed time in the garden and the old Honda motorcycle was brought to life after its winter dormancy so its proud owner, can practice and get her endorsement.  Certainly still spring, but the kind of day you light a fire and relax in the evening all cozied up.

In keeping with that feeling, we opened a bottle of Port Brewing Old Viscosity Ale. Molasses, bitter chocolate and a citrusy hop finish – but don’t let it hang around too long to warm up or the bitterness gets very prominent, hiding the delicious dessert.

It’s a Cow’s life

My first experience with milking an animal came in my mid-teens when the Fourth-of-July festival where we moved still had goat milking contests.  Did I even know that goats gave us milk?  That poor nanny-goat!  I was the first contestant to milk and I didn’t want to touch her, didn’t know how to touch her; the mortification at being in front of all of those people who probably knew just what to do to help her out was secondary to my pity for her having to put up with my clumsy attempt.  Not a drop of milk went into the milk bottle provided – only managed to produce a few drops, wasted on the ground.

A few hours old, she has had her mother’s colostrum and is resting contentedly.

Fast forward to my visit last week to the Nelson Faria Dairy in Royal City; cows,this time.  Twelve thousand head of bovine in all stages of growth but ‘only’ about 4500 milking cows.  Can you picture that?  Feeding, cleaning, and milking twice-a-day that many cows?  If you enjoy your Greek yogurt, lattes or mocha, ice cream and cheese cake (lucky you – I am allergic to milk!) this is where it starts.

Greeting us as we went through the stalls.

I must say, these are definitely some happy cows.  They were as curious about us as I was about them – wonder what their blog about that visit would sound like.  Most striking to me was the size of their tongue and how much they lick; they are always licking something (salt licks, concrete barricade, metal rails, etc.).  Knowing they had coarse hair and weren’t soft to touch I wasn’t eager to reach out to pat any of the heads and risk becoming a target for a tongue.  Brain power isn’t a strong point of cattle and my arm would probably have been just fine to lick in their opinion; no thank you.

Cleaning tank two in preparation for the milk that will be coming in momentarily.

Four to five semi-trucks of milk leave this dairy daily, primarily headed to Dairy Gold plants in Sunnyside, Chehalis or Lynden here in Washington State.  Naturally, everything that can be mechanized is mechanized.  People sanitize the cows utters and connect the milking apparatus, but computers milk, release the apparatus, test, filter and store the milk at just the right temperature.  People clean and sanitize and make repairs when necessary to the tanks and tubes between fillings and they work the machinery that cleans the bedding in the pens (much like a kitty litter box on a grand scale) and adds the fresh dry bedding.

One side of the milking parlor in action.

People determine the diet of each cow according to her immediate needs (based upon where she is in her calving and milking cycle); people transport the base materials of that food from storage piles, but it is a computer that ID’s the cow and mixes her food properly.  The computer also knows when to clean the milking parlor and various paths between the stalls, pens and milking parlor by flooding each area with water.

These girls put off some heat when they come in to be milked.

Grant County is a mecca of agriculture, providing local sources of vegetable waste, stuff I would throw in the compost heap here at home, which helps provide nutritious food sources.  Even grape pumice from the wine industry and mint slugs from extraction processes are put to use here.  In our hot-dry summers manure is dried to be used as bedding – a common and very accepted practice – throughout the year.  (When I was a kid I did a report & learned that dry manure was/is used in brick making which in turn was/is built into houses or burned for fuel inside those houses; so this makes sense to me.)  If it is produced it is either sold or used as it is expensive to transport it away to dispose of it (and we don’t want it in our landfills, thank you).  Efficiency is the name of the game or your Greek yogurt and ice cream would cost way more.

Got milk? She looks like the poster cow!

It seems everything about this place is monitored and measured; even the ground to be sure there is no wastewater runoff which might contain bacteria leaving via a subterranean route.  Crazy place a dairy, no down time when you have to milk that many cows and nothing left un-inventoried.  A community unto itself way out in the hills, surrounded by potato fields (potato waste is part of the food cycle of these cows) where the cows are coddled and the humans bust-it 24/7/365 to keep them happy.

Field Day

Had the opportunity to spend a good part of Saturday on the Royal slope, local for the Royal City area of the Columbia Basin, but this outing was about potatoes rather than grapes.

Icicles in the apple orchard didn’t disappear until late afternoon.

When we left the house the temperatures were in the mid-thirties, but the forecast was for mid-fifties.  Our 45-minute drive was scenic with the various shades of green peaking through the fields and the icicles hanging in the orchards.  Irrigating the trees through the freezing night temperatures helps preserve the buds that will eventually become the fruit we purchase.

We arrived, an hour after the start-up of the new planter was scheduled, to see it still beside the field.  Not a good sign.  Thankfully we were able to spend our time fruitfully while waiting; I will expand upon my first ever experience in a dairy soon.

Machine planted. Look closely, see the potatoes evenly spaced in the ditch?

Checking the spacing of the newly planted potatoes.

It was after lunch, which we grabbed from a grocery store in Royal City, when the planter progressed into the field. We were no longer wearing jackets, but the spring wind was chiding us for trusting with gusts that brought on attacks of goose bumps. Attached to a tractor with GPS this behemoth should plant straight, parallel rows of potatoes at regular intervals in ridges that make the field look like fine whaled corduroy allowing full use of the acres planted and crop minimal loss during harvest.

During my first airplane ride during the day (many years ago) I had observed the consistent planting of fields north to south as I flew over Idaho, Montana and the Dakotas.  To find the answer to my ‘why is this’ I took a Geography class and discovered that farmers are so savvy!  They plant the rows to provide their own erosion control.  Wind and water are powerful and that wonderful, nutrition-rich soil needed to produce good crops, is highly susceptible to both.  With that tidbit of knowledge, I didn’t question why the planter was making such short passes at the near end of the field, rather than making long rows with less turns.  But, oh, what a fiasco we beheld as the rows emerged behind the green machines.  Not exactly what was expected:

Not straight enough!

Being the only non-farm-bred person in that field some of the lingo was foreign; as with a truck, car or other more common machine, there are adjustments and changes that can be made to rectify the issue.   There are so many things to consider when there is a problem, but watching these people dive right in and tweak this or that was impressive.

Planting straighter, see the four ridges?

The underside of the Lockwood Aircup Planter being pulled by a John Deere tractor.

Another attempt was better and the row was completed, the turn made and another row in.  There are larger machines, six and eight row planters, but this one is a four-row: four rows of potatoes are planted with each pass through the field.  There are wider tracks between those four rows for the tires of the tractor and the harvester that will remove the crop from the ground in the Autumn.  Pretty ingenious, no?

Still not quite right, more changes were made.  Discussion about the weight of the machine full of seed potatoes vs empty, tire pressure and soil structure ensued.  Apparently the machine itself wasn’t causing the problems now.  Being mid-afternoon and having an evening commitment, we left the field.  Follow-up gave the word that with more air in the tires the field is planted; no more wavy rows to embarrass a self-respecting farmer.

Happy Easter!

Hope you enjoyed your Washington Wine Month as much as I enjoyed sharing my experiences with you.  Have a lovely weekend, will get back to blogging next week.