Posts
Elderly neighbour Vaso was due to start her grape picking on Monday, red and white. But it rained. So she will have to wait a few days for the vines to dry out.
Most years they would be picking only the white grapes now and leave the red for a couple of weeks. But they're ready early this year. The sugar content, which son Vangelis checks on with a little gadget, is spot on
This is some of our harvest. We haven't had such a good crop for years.
The red has been very well watered but the white, at the end of the garden, got no water . The white is sweet and the skins not too tough for once. They both have seeds but are still ok for eating.
The red grapes especially have been tough and sour in years gone by.
I wonder what made this year different.
July was quite cool but August was the norm. One heatwave after another.
We had so many bunches we gave a lot of them away to neighbours.
Last year the bunches turned to dried up raisins on the vine. This year they're full of juice
Vaso doesn't pick anymore. She's the supervisor. It will be her son, daughter and son in law who do all the hard work. They're a hard working family, following the example of their tough old Mama. When it comes to harvesting their grapes, olives, lemons or oranges the family pulls together and does the work, even though the daughter and son in law live in Athens and are retired professionals, teacher and engineer.
The volume of their grape Harvest has gone right down in recent years. They juice the grapes themselves, and put it in barrels. Once upon a time they nurtured 5 hundred litres, or more, of wine
Not anymore. They'll probably manage to process just enough for the family. 100-150 litres.
The son says he will pull out most of the vines next year and keep just enough for the 'house'. It's too much trouble. Though they have their own wine press , machines, barrels and paraphernalia.
.jpg)
I was in Samos, my dads island of birth, when they brought in the grapes and crushed the first of them. Apparently I was a good omen. Relatives from Australia so they all knew it was going to be a good year.
ReplyDeleteI might have to plant a small vineyard for me to try and make my own wine I’ll add it to the list lol
So that's why we had such a good crop! Our Australian visitors have just left!!
DeleteHere we are still waiting for the rain that will come only in October.
ReplyDeleteThat last rain wasn't much. I wonder if it will rain again soon. Like you, we expected it in October
DeleteThe wine harvest was always one of my favourite times of the year. All my neighbours had vines and we would move from farm to farm over a period of two weeks or so; working hard and eating well. Now no-one has any vines. I have a few eating grapes, and plenty of non-eating grapes. The latter are about to be removed as they attract too many Hornets. Sad.
ReplyDeleteThey all used to help each other here too. Vasos helpers even came up from Crete. It was a great occasion.
DeleteWhat has happened? Fewer grapes and the old camaraderie has disappeared too
Strange how some years a harvest can be good and others aren't - I've noticed this with quite a few different fruits over the years. Seldom seems to be any real reason.
ReplyDeleteI know, I often puzzle over that. And it's not just, say, the soil in your garden. The harvests all over the area are the same. Sometimes good, sometimes bad
DeleteThe quantity might relate to weather on one day when the bulk of pollination needed doing, the quality is quite another thing but the quantity the vine has to support in stress periods might play into that. It's a shame that private production will get pushed aside for the big industrial processes to take over. It is kind of like loss of genetic diversity in a species ans makes you wonder if we are losing some of what might help us respond to climate and economic changes.
ReplyDeleteMany still make their own wine around here but it's more now for their own consumption . There's not much for sale.
DeleteTimes have changed and this generation are not so dedicated to their vines. They don't have to live from selling oil and wine and whatever they have on their small holding.
What a brilliant name for a son: Vangelis. Wish I could try some of that wine.
ReplyDeleteHis full name is Evangelos. Quite common around here.
DeleteEnjoy your harvest.
ReplyDeleteWe only have apples and pears.
We have pears this year for the first time. They seem to be taking an age to ripen even with all this sun
DeleteI always enjoy when you post about Vaso and her harvest! I have a picture in my head of what she looks like. It's also interesting to read about people harvesting things which I could never grow - oranges, lemons, olives... -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI must post a few photos of Vaso. She's one of the older women who were real matriarchs. Most of them have passed but those that are left are so used to hard work they can't give it up, even in their 80's
DeleteI used to eat lots of black grapes cultivated at Hebron, near Jerusalem. I don't see them anymore on the market. Anyway, the interesting thing about these grapes, besides their heavenly taste, was their...slimming property. Yes, slimming - that's what I 've experienced.
ReplyDeleteGrapes are said to have all sorts of medicinal properties but I've never heard they are slimming. Well, we have plenty to give them a try
DeleteNice to know everyone works as a team at harvest time. soon it'll be time for us to buy fresh summer grapes here, right now they are imported and way too expensive.
ReplyDeleteHarvesting all those grapes would be hard work, good to read the family all help out. Good to see you have a good grape crop this year too.
ReplyDelete