Allow me to catch you up on events here at Four Cedars; it's been awhile since my last post. The weather is confusing my vines. The days are sunny and dry, barely breaking 80 degrees. The nights are cool and dry and dewpoints, for the most part, hover in the 50s. My vines think they are growing in the Williamette Valley, not in the American Midwest. They'll get their wake-up call in about two months.
The Marquettes are amazing me with their vigor. I've had to hedge them at the top because they are flopping into the center of the rows. The Edelweiss, meanwhile, have recovered from their springtime frost burn and are looking very much like you might expect a second-year vine to look. Their growth is adequate, which to say manageable. And the weeds, well, they are doing what weeds do best. Annoying me.
Today, I found evidence of an enemy. Yes, there is an enemy afoot...or, perhaps, afeather.
The picture above was taken two weeks ago. One week ago, those clusters went from green to glorious gold. Hubby and I each took a nibble of the not-quite-ripe fruit. It was tart with a hint of green apple flavor. Yummy.
As the gold color got richer, I knew ripeness was on the horizon. I pulled another one. Yummy. This time it was not quite as tart but still there was a hint of green apple. The clusters were wearing gold like an Egyptian queen.
These three clusters were destined to be my bellweather grapes. I was counting on them to tell me much about how sugar levels change daily as grapes ripen. I started browsing for a refractometer. And then...
...tonight on my stroll through the rows, I checked my golden lovelies. They were gone. Every single ball of citrine, gone. This is heartbreak.
There is an enemy out there. It must be stopped.
