All posts filed under: on the land

Texture Tuesday: Texture x’s 2 eDition

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Taking a walk, enjoying the outside, and looking,seeing and watching all around. original photo twistedvines + kkhappyheart + kkorganic + adjustments of hue and saturation.     This is an Australian Native Eucalypt Gum Tree: Swamp Bloodwood, E.ptychocarpa F.Muell It’s blossom are a beautiful crimson pink with lemon tipped fronds, one of natures Wintertime pleasures as walking in the crisp air. Linking to Kim Klassens, Texture Tuesday Have a great day, everyone. Yvette…x

Turning grape juice into wine

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This weekend marked the start of our harvesting of Prosecco grapes. Our grapes are harvested by hand,and it’s a family affair. Our grapes form part of a communal winery.To produce great wine, the fruit should have a high sugar content…we have a certain quantity of grapes to produce and sugar content to abide by under the DOC guidelines: Denomonizione di Origine Controllata. DOC wines are produced in specific well-define regions, according to specific rules,designed to preserve the traditional wine-making practises of the individual regions. Ours region, Piave or Vini del Piave produced in the provinces of Treviso and Venice. We check the sugar content by pressing whole grapes (using something similar to a potato presser) using only the juice and measuring  the sugar content…   Our grapes are transported to a communal winery where they continue their journey in the wine making process. Due to the privacy act I wasn’t allowed to photograph in our winery, however our friend has his own winery, a beautiful old restored building and he was happy to let me …

Harvesting of Grapes

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This week on the land is a busy time for us. It’s the start of our grape harvesting.Our vineyard is divided into two types…so not all the grapes are ready at the same time… Apart from ourselves, a few family friends come to help us out. There’s something about grape harvesting that brings everyone together.The vineyard is a buzz with activity,there’s the continual chatter among the workers, the snipping noise as the clusters of grapes are picked, the hum of bees as they flock to the sweetness of the sugar, the smell of the fermenting grapes and the laughter and smiles of a great harvest, don’t worry about the aching bones… The first part of the harvest taking about two days, is all picked by hand. The Prosecco grapes will be ready in another couple of weeks.Read on for more…

The vineyard…water

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On the land this week. With the ever increasing temperatures,it’s time to irrigate the vineyard. It was an early start…5.30am to be exact. The view from my window,a soft spray of water… Depending on the weather,and the supply of water from the canals which run along side our property, we may irrigate three more times.After a few hours, the vineyard is finished,we move all the steel tubes to another area where we irrigate corn crops. Our wheel of agriculture keeps turning!

Wheat Harvesting

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The green machine has been working hard the last couple of weeks and is finally on the  homeward stretch. The days start early and finish late, and the eyes on the weary faces tell a story on their own, as sleep is limited throughout harvest.The last days always seem to be the longest and the hottest, as we’re experiencing high temperatures at the moment. The wheat fields at the beginning of the season are covered in red poppies as they stretch their stems to reach the first golden sun rays of the new spring days. With time, sun and our spring showers, the wheat fields change a bright green colour. And then change a dry golden yellow when ready to harvest. Ready for my winter garlands, I prepare and clean a new bunch of wheat, cleaning the stems,spray with lacquer to preserve it from any pests and leave to dry.

Il Contadino

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The Farmer. This week in our wheel of agricultural life, harvesting canola started. It’s a whirlwind when harvesting crops, our courtyard is a swirl of green machine harvesters, tractors and trailers. Early starts, packed lunches,bottles of fresh water, ice bricks and an energy supply of cereal bars and chocolate. Canola is our first crop ready for the season. The fields of vibrant yellow earlier in the year when the crop’s in flower is just breathtaking. A little close up… The “farm boys” are grown men with little toys when it comes to the heavy machinery, they look after them, clean and maintain them, and take real pride in them when they’re on the road.Security is the number one factor. The harvester is so big for the small winding roads here,that anyone on the road has to stop to let them pass. Yes, this is rural Italy. The harvester has it’s own permit and escort to transfer around on the road. The end result at this stage are very fine,tiny granules,canola seeds. This harvest of canola …

Work in the vineyard

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It’s full steam ahead with the workload of the vineyard, now until harvesting time around August. There’s the general cutting of grass, keeping everything neat and tidy. Spraying of the vineyard. The pruning of overhanging vines.  The grapes and just starting to peek through and grab some sunlight and enjoy their micro – climate, of warm sunlighted days and cool evenings. The perfect balance .