For the love of Cava!!!

A couple of pieces coming your way.

Things are generally growing, or coming out of the winter's dormancy. It is getting safer to grow. Fear of falling snow has now passed. Thunderstorms are frequenting us more in the land of the Chicago. I almost ran over a large rat as I rode my broken down ten speed bicycle, vintage early 70's. I was coming back from saying hello to Adam Faucett and William Blackart at the Double Door. The rat came out from under a car to my right. It was wishing to cross eastbound to the other side of my street, but once I came into its purview, it decided to return to the safety of the little Japanese-made vehicular device. Just like a squirrel when life and limb are at risk. Those rats have long tails, don't they?

The moon is coming around. I have a few shots to share.

Also, as I try more and more to keep abreast on the how's, the why's and the news of other more established operations, I am discovering that many of them already have been able to tell the good news: that bud break has arrived. I have such news as well, but only to report from my cuttings in-house(apt). I have yet to see growth on the outside vines. But all of the buds that I see as I walk past the gardens tell me that there are very good buds that are found on the vines. Many seem to have survived the winter.

This is also a nerve-wracking time for me as I have pruned these Chicago vines for the first time ever. As a result, these next 3-4 weeks are going to be nail-biting. What happens in the coming month is all going into the memory bank for the moment when I get my first 3 acres, whenever that will be. It'll be grueling, but brilliant. I need a success in this area to get under my belt.

The apartment is functioning as a greenhouse, essentially. Currently I have Mars Seedless(University of Arkansas hybrid) growing in pots, from cuttings, and Syrah vines, from cuttings. I hope maybe another round of Cabernet Sauvignon will come up, it looks like such a miracle may occur. Outside, the vines have not come to present the first leaf. Chicago can be a cold place. So I take this as a lesson for choosing the best vines for whatever locale I end up in, those that are best suited for the climate.

On Sunday last, the temperatures hit 82 degrees Fahrenheit - that is incredible!! As a result, the Lillies, Clematis, Willamette Hops, Hostas, Purple Coneflower, Joe Pye Weed have all begun to sprout. As well, I transplanted some Strawberries I have had for nearly 4 years. They were just simply being overrun by the beer hops and so I decided to give them a bit more room to breathe. Already, they are taking to their new home quite nicely. The Hops grew about 3 - 4 solid inches over the weekend. Out of control!!!

And, what is a summer without the Russian Mammoth Sunflower? Well, I suggest just grabbing a few seeds (the pack I bought was $1.00 flat) and grab a little soil and just push the seed into the soil. Water daily, and when the top of the soil appears dry. The sunflowers do the rest. They lean early.

The nose on this Cava, 1 + 1 = 3, I am indulging in is absolutely lovely. The flavor took a bit for me to come to, but the nose immediately befriended me upon my first sip.

Also, why not a shot of the boys? I couldn't get a photo of the rat quick enough, I apologize. It would've also required a third hand to ride the bike then also pull out the Sony and get it on the digital filmulation. Maybe another time, no?

Feeling a bit like a circus juggler these days

(One of the most popular plants on the block: Rhubarbsky)

Many, many things rolling here in the Logan Square neighborhood. Highlight of the week comes from the returning Rhubarb that I planted last year. Actually, this is a significant moment to celebrate because it is my second attempt at trying to bring Rhubarb through a winter here in Chicago. I suspect it might have been poor planting and care on my part as being the reason for the failure of the initial attempt. Regardless, this Rhubarb started to dance about 10 to 12 - 14 days ago and it prompted a mini-fist pump like Tiger Woods usually does on the golf course after an excellent shot. Now that I have it coming up (and believe me, it was deceptively nice on Tuesday of this week - I was freezing outside as I worked painting a wrought-ironed fence), I can look forward to a repeat of summer pies from this lovely plant.

Also, today as I walked out my front door to move my car (a preventative measure so that I don't need to, once again, donate to the City of Chicago's Department of Revenue), I was greeted by a lovely, lovely sound made by a woodpecker in the tree immediately in front of my apartment. I could actually hear it inside my apartment. Having grown up in St. Louis, we really didn't get too many woodpeckers taking up shop in the area. Once I began to learn the sound of the woodpecker (not a difficult task in the least), whenever I hear a similar sound my memory brings up the file and I have to go out to the place where the sound is being crafted, that's just something I love. I couldn't believe how long this one treated me to the sound. It was amazing. I remained in my apartment for the next few hours (nursing a chest-cold/bronchial something) and later came out to learn that the woodpecker was still in the tree. I took a recording on the trusty old iPod. I'll try to post it on the blogulation when I figure how to do such a thing.

I have encountered a couple of very encouraging pieces in the media as of recent. They are listed below:

Mike Steinberger (Slate.com) recently wrote a great piece about Rhys Vineyards out of California. Part of the writing is chronology and history. It was actually those components that helped a little upstart like what this is make me feel very encouraged.

Click the hyperlink to read said article on slate.com:



Also, learning a bit more about the development of Cadeceus Vineyards out of Arizona. Very exciting and encouraging news out of there as well.

Loads of intense weather coming in tonight. Heavy Storms.

Just finished pruning lessons with a vineyard down south/downstate.  Very cool people at that place.  It was really great to get away from the urban complex known as Southeast Logan Square (Chicago, Illinois) and get into a field and feel the winds.  The winds actually started coming from the East, but by day's end the prevailing winds took over from the West.  The temperature was brilliant.  The staff members really got sunburned yesterday when pruning and there was nothing but cloud cover yesterday.  Very wild.  Now I know why I see so many vineyard personnel wearing the long-sleeves and the large-brimmed hats.  I'll have some photos in the coming entries.  Just getting a few things together since arriving back at home.

Noticed the Rhubarb are popping out of the ground yesterday.  My roommate and I are thrilled beyond belief.  I hope it is a good year for that plant because I need some pie.  My roommate is viewing it as a culinary challenge.  She'll do great, always does with the kitchen throwdowns.   Add that word to your Urban Dictionary, y'all.

- Out!

Housekeeping.....Next Year's Crop....2012

Just jotting down bulletpoints (first draft of this blog started on March 5):

Sensei comments
Snow in Chicagoland
Fritz Westover
Pruning Cabernet Sauvignon St. Louis 01-2008
Concord Grapes 01-2011, 02-2011, 03-2011
Photographs
Tim Mondavi, Carissa Mondavi, and Gary Vaynerchuk

A couple of things to mention...

Spring is coming no matter if it snowed today or not in the Chicagoland area. Dave Mustaine revealed in an interview recently that his sensei taught him, "You get knocked down 7 times, you get up 8.". The temps are warmer than they were 45 days ago. The last 36 hours have been a wild ride with respect to the weather. Torrents of rain followed temperatures peaking at 59 degrees Fahrenheit, all of which was followed by a think blanket of snow cover (not even more than an inch on the soil - couldn't stick to the concrete). The temps are now at 27 degrees.

I am hopping a train tomorrow night to meet up with a buddy of mine so we can drive to St. Louis by Monday morning where our families are. St. Louis is where my family resides and it'll be great to see them again. I know they also desperately want me to trim up the Cabernet Sauvignon vine. I hope to absorb as much Fritz Westover teaching as possible before I unfasten the safety on the pruners come Monday. 2012's crop depends on it.

One of my partners in crime planted some Concord Grape cuttings today, starting them inside the house and in pots, in Grayslake, Illinois. The pot technique has produced about a 58 % success rate for me when starting cuttings in them in a structure with four walls and heating through April of any year. (That percentage is completely arbitrary, by the by, but probably not too far off in all actuality.)

In addition, my friend also wrapped up the Vitis Riparia to get them ready for a brief period of stasis and eventual planting. That entire question has not even been explored. Again, the madness piece comes into play, but it is loads of fun to consider the possibilities of seeing how Vitis Riparia reacts and responds to care and structure as opposed to wanton living on the frontier appellation of Belvidere Road and McAree in Waukegan, Illinois, Lake County, Illinois.

I also am well aware that Gary Vaynerchuk is ramping up to produce his 1000th show in a matter of days. Today I visited his site at www.winelibrary.tv and realized he just posted a lovely two-part interview with Tim Mondavi and his daughter Carissa Mondavi, both hailing from Continuum Estates in the Napa Valley. I don't know a thing about Tim Mondavi - the name obviously triggers an association with Robert Mondavi, but I thought it was a decent interview. There was mention of the famed Judgment of Paris, something I know little about other than a Stag's Leap reference, and also Tim Mondavi spoke of the importance of the 60 Minutes televised broadcast of 'The French Paradox' from Nov 17 1991. By the way, that article on The Judgment is by Mike Steinberger, longtime wine columnist for Slate Magazine. Mr. Steinberger also visited Gary Vaynerchuk's Wine Library TV in recent years.

--------------------------------------------

..........Finishing this a million years too late. Anyway, www.winelibrary.tv has now been reconfigured and maybe could be considered as at the tail end of matriculating to www.dailygrape.com. Pretty interesting advances.

Also, just watched 'Bottleshock' with a friend the other day and that had some remarkable cinematography. Jeez Louise it was good viewing. It was a movie, but pretty damned cool overall.

Gotta publish this now because loads of cuttings are already growing and it is dy-no-mite all over the place. Major thunderstorms today, as well in the Chicagoland area and region. Super, fast, funky.

Out!!!!! Current temperature on first day of spring is 54 degrees Fahrenheit folks. (finally published on March 21 2011 Sunday morning, wee hours. Birds singing loudly, etc. 2:36AM, if you know what I mean.)

The Catch-All Blog Posting

(cuttings from the Mars Seedless vine. I decided to prune it back to experiment, in all honesty. After the rat poison incident of early summer 2010, the vine struggled and I am just hoping to give it another lease on life in the big city, The Second City actually. We'll see how it develops. Photo taken March 3 2011 Thursday)

(This photo is just for the sake of indicating the green Xylem inside the vine, even after a harsh Chicago winter. This is the first year I have begun to take notice of such physiological characteristics. I am encouraged. Again, these are the few Mars Seedless cuttings I was able to extract. Rolling dice here by trying to get cuttings off these plants in Chicago. Photo taken Thursday March 3 2011)

(Syrah grape vine cuttings. I am a little worried about how the vine wintered. I realize the vine is not matched well with the climate, but I worry a bit about the color that the vine took. My question is whether or not the Periderm actually developed properly. We'll see. Photo: March 3 2011 Thursday)

(Syrah grape vine cuttings just a little bit closer in scope. Note the green of the Xylem. Seeing the green took me by surprise. Photo: March 3 2011 Thursday.)

(Syrah grape vine cuttings. Another close-up of the vine's Xylem after wintering in Chicago, Illinois. This region has seen harsher winters. Seeing the green on this Vinifera planted is a considerable surprise. Photo: March 3 2011 Thursday.)

(Willamette Hops from Thursday March 3 2011. This was a very cold day. On March 2nd, I was in Bloomington, Indiana and the weather was very agreeable. The very next day in Chicago on the 3rd I had been smacked in the face by the winds coming off Lake Michigan as I waited for a bus (downtown Waukegan, IL) after my transmission blew on the blue 1996 Toyota Camry - I had to get to work somehow, right? The result was windburned cheeks, but the experience made me grateful. These Hops still keep growing despite the chilly temps. I am watching these to see what they are capable of. They look like fighters to me.)

(Willamette Hops from Thursday March 3 2011. Look on the right half of the photography to note the faint green in catching a glimpse of this Hops growth.)

(Willamette Hops from Thursday March 3 2011. Again, look for the green in the photo.)


Plenty of photos to catch up on. The weather today reached 59 degrees by 1PM in Chicago. Currently it is 34 degrees Fahrenheit and has been raining quite extensively for well over 8 hours. This storm is massive in its expanse.

How about a photo of the car? Whaddya say? We all need a good laugh after all, right?

(Nothing but a day in the life.......Coaching myself, "Chin Up! Chin Up!!!!!")

Concord Grapes

Got some Concord Grapes in the mail today. A friend is going to plant them today or tomorrow in pots to get them started. Here are a couple of photos. The madness continues. Enjoy! Just a short post. I have to go to work.


And.....................59 degrees Fahrenheit today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's coming, folks. Spring is on the plane to the area. Before long. Before long.

Vitis Riparia - For Better Or For Worse

(Vitis Riparia - Friday Feb 25, 2011 Lake County, Illinois.)

I must've been antsy or anything of the like last week, during the last week of February 2011 actually. The reason I posit such a commentary is that I took it upon myself to prune a wild Riverbank Grape Vine in Lake County, Illinois on Friday Feb 25, 2011.

The backstory is that I used to play the role of Taxi Driver from late July 2010 up until about middle November 2010 when I decided to resign my distinguished post because the vague rules of working with a purposefully vague owner/operator were just irritating the shit out of me. I remember reading somewhere that a cunning person in certain situations can see where rules don't cover certain areas thereby opening a gateway to operating in an underhanded way. Working within the proverbial loophole it might be described as. Take that vague story and apply it to your life or your place of employment and probably in there you'll see some familiar threads.

Returning to that taxi driving bit, yes, I used to drive a taxi primarily in the Waukegan, Gurnee, and Great Lakes areas in northern Illinois. When times are tough, which they still are, you put pride to the side and get a job anywhere, regardless of one's "...station..." as a dear neighbor of mine likes to describe. I am not so much into preserving my station in life, whatever mine might be. My thoughts about 'station' would probably be better suited in a blog that provides a platform for the critique of society and people, generally.

(Vitis Riparia Friday Feb 25, 2011 Lake County, Illinois. Took the photo because this was my first-ever daytime pruning and I was surprised to see the green in the shoot.)

In driving a taxi you get used to certain regions of a state or county, and quite well, because you have to know how to get to places in short order and one can never know when the next call is coming in. But I remember driving down this road just north of Belvidere Road in Waukegan, Illinois. The name of the street is called McAree. McAree apparently picks up right at Belvidere and juts northbound, crossing Washington St. and Grand Avenue, both in Waukegan, Illinois. At the northwest corner of Belvidere and McAree Roads lies a patch of land that is simply grass at the moment. It must be someone's plot of land, but I just don't know. As one walks north on the west side of McAree Road and looks to the west they will notice a wooden privacy fence that has been erected, I believe to prevent individuals from walking into a drainage system on the other side of the now standing wooden fence.

A few times when I was driving southbound in the green minivan taxi toward the terminus of McAree at Belvidere Road, I noticed that a wild grape vine was well-established along the wooden fence. The last time I looked at the vine it was November of 2010. At that time I decided that I would try to either grab a few cuttings from the vine, or go ahead and prune it for practice. I actually ended up doing both on Friday Feb 25, 2011. I took my clippers, parked in the parking lot of the nearby HoBo Hardware store and marched on over to the grape vine.

The vine was in remarkable shape considering that no one had pruned it as yet. Even after my pruning, I am not sure that it is in better shape than when I first reviewed it upon arrival. So I took a shot at it. I pruned the wild grape vine as I desperately need the practice and know-how. I did it because I feel pretty confident that it can benefit from a pruning. It could produce better fruit and not have to send off energy to the ends of the world where its most recent growth has taken it. And, of course, I got my cuttings from it.

One of the decisions I made with the cuttings, once I departed the site after pruning, was to soak them in water. I put them in a 5-gallon bucket filled about halfway with water. From what I have read, it is helpful to aide the cuttings in those first hours after pruning so that the moisture in the cuttings doesn't dry out. Imagine the experience of being completely stricken and rent from a nutrition source, you get the idea.

I have the cuttings still in water, which is problem #1, but I have been at my job in Waukegan away from my materials at my apartment throughout the weekend, still am actually (as I write this update from Bloomington, Indiana). I have a hunch that the cuttings will be fine, given that they can withstand winter temps of -70 degrees fahrenheit. Besides, if they don't do well after sitting in water for 6 days after being lopped, then at least I learn that lesson of why keeping them in water for too long is a bad plan. At the minimum, I know the original vine will be better prepared for the next growing season as a result of my pruning.

As is typical, I have a few photos of the clippings. I meant to take a photo of them in the water bucket, those will have to come on a future posting. For the time being, these blurry iPod photos will have to serve the greater purpose.

I wonder if the vine was the property of Lake County, Illinois. Did I break the law? I am not too concerned. It must've been strange for the clinicians that work at the STD clinic across the street to see some fool like my bad self lopping off cuttings from a wild grape vine. Trust me, a sight like that, in such an area of town, almost assuredly would've been a first for the record books. Put it in the histories!!!!

This feels a bit like a monster getting out of control.

Enjoy!