Wining Time Again!

(Picture from wikipedia, here.)

It's that time of year again. I fought through the wasps to get to my Marechal Foch grapes. They matured early this year. The wet spring made some of the pears near them split, which attracted the wasps, which dined on the grapes, which were intended for the wine that Steve drinks.

I sprayed the grapes with Surround, a form of kaolin clay. It's supposed to rot the little buggers stomachs out.

It didn't seem to work for a few days. Then, about a week later, the wasps disappeared. I harvested as quick as I could. A few days after that, the yellowjackets reappeared but they were much smaller. I suspect the Surround decimated the wasps but not the larva already sealed in the nest. I finished and got about 4 gallons or so of M/F grapes. Not a great harvest.

The Concords matured later after the weather changed so I didn't have the same problem. About 8-10 gallons there.

I bundled them all up and put them in the freezer. Wendy said that's it. There's no more room in the inn for more grapes until I use what I had.

So: last night I pulled out all the grapes and weighed what I had.

150 pounds of grapes.

That's from this year, last year and some unlabeled years.

I pulled out 50 pounds of what I think are the oldest grapes and they're waiting for me to work on them tonight.

It's going to be a long night.

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Wall of Idiots
Bill Maher, again
Lies about flu vaccination
Lies about health care legislation
Looking foridiots: Call the Yes Men
George Bush Motivational Business Seminar
Newt Gingrich
The RNC
South Carolina GOP
Death threats against Obama
Lies about TSA

Links of Interest
Politifact
Caveman Science Fiction
Yet another dinosaur extinction candidate
Autonomous microhelicopters
Fast robot hands
Spooky projection video
Ethical stem cell crop
Epigenetic map
LCROSS
Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum
What we know about the Kuiper belt and here
Planetary bombardment
No atheists in foxholes. So what?
Life without light
2012: So what?
Cyberbeetles
Fossil reality
Antarctic hovercraft
Darwinopterus

DIY
Pocket sized oscilloscope
Light up bike pedals
UV Bubble Madness
Dudecraft
Popup Lego Zen Temple
Giant hammock
Tamales
Roasted pumpkin seeds
Deviled Eyes
Halloween costumes and here
Candy sushi
Flayed skin cheeseball
Jack O Lanterns: Here. Here.
Remote controlled hose valve
Ghastly grins
Router circle cutting jig
Maple roses
Sea glass necklace