Being self sufficient and treading lightly on this planet means consuming only what you need and understanding the sources of those goods and the methods that created them. I've been an avid beer brewer and wine maker for years which has brought me a lot closer to understanding how good alcohol is made from raw ingredients. The transformation from barley and grapes into alcohol is a magical alchemic process. Sugar is converted into alcohol by yeast. The sugar comes from either fruits that have sugar naturally or grains that have starches that are converted to sugar through heat and enzymes. Growing these ingredients is another matter... I've never made (or more appropriately grown) those raw ingredients myself, so I was still missing out on part of the experience of how beer and wine is made into a finished product.
Last year I grew some Cascade Hops in my New York City backyard. This worked out well so I decided to grow some grape vines and make some wine. I might not get a large yield, but it sure will be a fun project!
I ordered two Cabernet Sauvignon vines and one Shiraz vine from Double A Vineyards, a winery supply farm in Upstate New York. They came in a huge envelope packed with plastic and wet newspaper.
I was sure to use some compost from my worm bin to get things off to a great start!
I planted the one foot plants and gave them a healthy drink of water. Stay tuned as I try and make some New York City grown wine!
0 comments:
Post a Comment