by Cheryl Wolhar - MyVineSpace on October 11, 2011
Beekeeping Workshop at Love Apple Farms
Did you know that farmers depend on bees for pollination and that 2/3 of the foods we eat today depend on bees? This subject always comes up when planting a garden of fresh vegetables for my family’s health and enjoyment. I’m always hearing the questions, “Do I need bees to pollinate my tomatoes” and “Why doesn’t my lemon tree have lemons”?
It turns out that tomatoes are self-fertile when conditions are ideal, however, the best pollinator for tomatoes is the original, bees! And some lemon trees, such as indoor varieties, will produce fruit without bees and insects to pollinate them, but again, you have a better chance if you have bees!
If you want to learn all about this fun and essential hobby, take the beekeeping workshop at Love Apple Farms on Sunday, October 23rd.
Be a Beekeeper!.
Tagged as:
bees,
farming,
gardening,
love apple farms,
slow food
by Laura Ness - HerVineNess on January 11, 2011
Olive Oil: Better than Butter?
Unless you are a vampire, olive oil and wine are the two most nutritious, anti-oxidant rich and sustainably produced – and potentially lifesaving fluids - you can consume, besides water.
And water, quite frankly, can be dicey. Olive oil, though, is good for you. No argument, not cholesterol, no fluorides, no BHT, no remorse. Can you say that about butter? May the cows forgive me.
Susan Hermanson, who owns and manages the Victorine Valley olive oil tasting room in Blacksmith Square in downtown Livermore, is a farmer who hails from Wisconsin. She got it honest. She grew up on a dairy farm, milking cows twice a day, rain or shine.
She and her husband decided olive trees would be ideal as landscaping: they look good all year round and you don’t have to deal with them twice daily, whether you like it or not. Their small estate olive farm is located between Livermore and Danville and is currently producing four Tuscan varieties which they blend into a classic Tuscan style oil. At the tasting room, Susan sells not only their estate oils, but a variety of extra virgin olive oils, both domestic and imported, along with a large collection [...]
Tagged as:
balsamic vineagar,
Blacksmith square,
blood orange olive oil,
grapefruit olive oil soap,
lemon olive oil,
Livermore,
olive oil,
peach balsamic vinegar,
Victorine
by Laura Ness - HerVineNess on December 2, 2010
This year’s Thanksgiving menu came together courtesy of my many wonderful friends, with whom I am so blessed to share this delicious life. Having dear friends with whom to partake of this bounteous generosity, makes it all the sweeter. The choice of game hens over turkey is thanks to Paul, the witty, sometimes punky punster curmudgeon who asked if I had given thought to something other than turkey. My first reply was “How about venison?” but then I realized my hunter friend Casey up in Ukiah probably wouldn’t be able to deliver on demand.
So game hens were stuffed with fresh sage, lemon balm, thyme and pineapple sage, and done to perfection on the grill, courtesy of my Grillmeister husband, who relishes the idea of fire and flame. Stuffing was cornbread with chile peppers, thanks to the inspiration of Tricia Ware, editor of New Mexico magazine, who has done such a superb job driving that magazine in a new direction. Then came a shipment of wonderful Royal Rose radicchio, courtesy of my dear friend Marci, who manages to have the best produce connections in Monterey county. Newly gifted Wednesday evening of a rafter of fresh persimmons from my dear friend Mari [...]
Tagged as:
chipotle catsup. Les Chenes mustards,
Hess collection. PS I Love You,
Orfila,
radicchhio,
Royal Rose,
Tablas Creek,
Thanksgiving
by Laura Ness - HerVineNess on October 29, 2010
Big Basin Vineyards announces the new “Tantalizing Tastes: Food & Wine Pairings” program. Wine lovers are invited to enjoy a selection of Big Basin’s highly acclaimed wines along with gourmet patés from one of the Bay Area’s leading purveyors of authentic French delicacies, Fabriques Delices. Big Basin is proud to offer these superb products to complement their rich selection of handcrafted mountain-grown Pinot and Syrah.
Winemaker Bradley Brown is also offering a vertical of his exceptional Fairview Syrahs. Showcasing vintages 2006 thru 2008, these stunning and powerful Syrahs hail from the Fairview Road Ranch vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Here, the relentless cooling winds from the Monterey Bay combine with the long, often dry growing season to create wines of great character and intensity.
All three vintages of Fairview Road Ranch Syrah display a signature aroma of white pepper and intense spice: these flavors carry over to the palate, where their fine tannins and robust structure contribute to an opulent, mouth-filling wine meant to be savored with the rich full-bodied fare of autumn.
The three-wine vertical tasting flight of Fairview Syrah is available for $5. Wines are available by the glass for $11.50, and retail for $39 per bottle. A three-bottle set [...]
Tagged as:
Big Basin Vineyards
by Laura Ness - HerVineNess on September 11, 2010
One of the most fun aspects of the wine biz is working with chefs on wine pairing menus. Some chefs are so confident in their ability to make a pairing, they don’t even taste the wines: they work off tasting notes and suggestions. But others, like Chef Royce Mori of The Red Crane in Cupertino, are meticulous in their pairings, obsessing over every detail. There is nothing quite like that perfect matchup: it’s like Bogey and Hepburn or Lombard and Gable, chemically exquisite and powerfully memorable. To see what I mean, check out the wine pairing dinner The Red Crane is holding with Poetic Cellars on Sept 21, 7pm, (408) 725-1990. Each dish works hand in hand with the wine, like a match made in heaven.
Read the rest here:
http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/20100910/LIFESTYLE/9100324/Laura-Ness-Perfect-pairings-make-tasty-memories
Tagged as:
"Poetic Cellars",
Chef Royce Mori,
cupertino,
Jazz Cellars,
poetry,
the Red Crane,
wine pairing
