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Two nights, two meals, 2011 wines, and too much food encapsulates our Dinner 2 Nights with Mastro Scheidt Cellars in Fresno.
With Dinner 2 Nights, winemaker David Scheidt prepared a family style meal of soup, salad, pasta and polenta from scratch.
Tom Scheidt (T.L) assisted David in the kitchen both nights in a row.
An enjoyable evening with new friends at the McGee Creek Lodge Family Style Supper at Crowley Lake. Carruth Cellars and Mastro Scheidt Family Cellars wines were being poured to a full-house of locals, friends and family. We at Mastro Scheidt were honored to be included at the inaugural dinner.
Four courses, plus a cheese course were on the menu, leading off with a roasted red pepper soup and mixed green salad; followed up by a Greek style mixed cous cous, roasted flat bread and shrimp medley and fresh berries and whipped cream for dessert. Each of the courses was scratch made and show off Elizabeth McGuire's belief that cooking fresh translates into eating well. Bright, fresh flavors without heaviness exemplify Elizabeth’s cooking.
A bold statement, to mix feta cheese with shrimp in a tomato base as a main course backed up with cous cous; the feta added mouth-feel and body when combined with the flat bread (and the spoon I used to scoop up the feta/tomato/shrimp mixture). Elizabeth’s main course of shrimp was an deft interpretation to a classic Greek Kakavia, substituting feta cheese for potatoes to create a satisfying complete meal.
And yes, even to Red Wine Purists like me, shrimp and feta in a hearty tomato sauce paired just fine with two of my 2011 Cabernet’s, Signature and Generations. Why? A conceit, yes, but my wines have lower alcohol and a better acid balance to pair with a wider variety of foods than many wines on the market today.
I really enjoyed winemaker Adam Carruth's, Carruth Cellars 2012 Sauvignon Blanc both before and during my meal; hints of tropical fruit and refreshing citrus notes accented the refreshing wine.
I look forward to my next visit to the East Side and my next Family Style Supper! Thanks again to Elizabeth, Scott and their staff for a great evening.
Part 2 of my week in Charleston, South Carolina...
The BEST LOOKING food truck I have ever seen has to be the Coastal Crust truck. (Pic from the Coastal Crust Facebook Page). I didn't get to eat any food from the truck, but I did catch both trucks driving around town. Generally, I don't judge a truck by it's paint job (I eat at taco trucks regularly), but locals tell me the food is equally as good as the facade.
I ate at both Melvin's and Home Team BBQ for ribs and collards. Collards were solid at both places, with sweet collard nectar coming through. I love collards.
Low Country Carolina BBQ is a big departure from the California style bbq I've had recently from friends. I think I'm coming to the conclusion that we Californians have our own style of BBQ. Among the Elite BBQ in Fresno I’ve had from Fresno Bites and Tops BBQ there are differences from Low Country BBQ; cook times being one.
Carolinians will BBQ their pulled pork AND ribs for 12 hours or more. These longer cooking times cause several texture and flavor differences in the meat (more "pull", less "chew") when compared to ribs cooked only for 6 hours and foiled or rested properly. The cooking temperature of Carolina BBQ from the people I spoke with was always around 180 degrees, about where I like to BBQ. But from talking with Fresno Bites, 180 degrees is a little low for his style; Bites prefers over 220, but there are always factors to consider; like the fact Bites uses a Big Green Egg.
Sauces were remarkably different in Carolina. Each sauce I tasted was vinegar based and heavily seasoned with black pepper, with an option of a mustard based sauce. No combination of sauces in Carolina matched anything I’ve tasted from friends or restaurants in California. On a side note, there is a lot of sweet tea served at BBQ places in South Carolina, but I didn’t taste any sweet BBQ sauces.
The talk of “the best BBQ” is silly. There are different types of BBQ, different styles. A vinegar based BBQ sauce should be judged against other vinegar based sauces, not sauces created by friends in California, that’s comparing apples and pineapples. Carolina BBQ is as different from California BBQ as food from Puglia is from the food in Milan, they’re both Italian, but very different.
The unexpected hit at Home Team BBQ was crispy seasoned chicken legs. I’m thinking these legs were smoked for a little while; to dry out the skin, then deep fried, like you would a Pekin duck, without any breading or flour. Each chicken leg was then finished in a bath of dry spice rub. The spice rub seasoning was a hint sweet, salty and spicy. I didn’t detect any cumin in the finishing dry spice rub. I rarely eat chicken legs, but when I do, I’d prefer these.
Slightly North of Broad (S.N.O.B.) Restaurant, part of the Maverick restaurant group in the Historic District, served up a solid Reuben sandwich complete with in-house cured corned beef. The classic sandwich was rounded out with fontina cheese, special sauce, sauerkraut all between toasted rye. There were a lot of things I wanted to try on the menu, but when offered a Reuben, with in house corned beef, I'm obligated to order and I wasn't disappointed. And having a Reuben was a welcome break from two days of BBQ.
I never expected to attend a Bulldog tailgate outside of Fresno, but it seems The Citadel has an equally famous Bulldog tailgate tradition. I don't know if they were playing football and tailgating back in 1842, the year The Citadel was founded, but the modern tradition of pickup trucks, beer, and barbeque (I didn't notice any tri-tip) is alive and well in the Palmetto state. I especially want to thank my host and Citadel graduate Bill Lehew for inviting me to this Charleston tradition.
A great way to end the week in Charleston, South Carolina.
Charleston, South Carolina…they have Bulldogs, the best looking food truck I've ever seen, gourmet chocolates and pastries, a Hipster coffee house, and rock star chefs. Fortunately for me, I had great company to dine with every afternoon and evening in Charleston. I’d like to personally thank Margaret Mays and Bill Lehew for the time they spent taking care of me in the Palmetto State.
On my first evening in Charleston, we went big; which translates as STEAK. I’ve been to steak houses all over the country and Hall's Chophouse rivals any one.
The action in the downstairs bar is fierce; upstairs in the main dining room, plenty of wood, leather, and dim lighting…heaven. Looking at the menu is a mere formality, as I naturally selected the classic steakhouse line-up...steak tartare, wedge salad, dry-aged rib-eye with truffle butter, creamed spinach, sauteed mushrooms. If a steakhouse doesn’t have these, my standard order, there’s a problem already. There wasn’t a single problem. The entire meal paired perfectly with Mastro Scheidt Family Cellars Blueprint and Signature.
The following afternoon, it was suggested we stop into a boutique chocolatier Christophe in the Historical District, for a quick treat and prepare for dinner at Anson Restaurant. A treat indeed; plenty of chocolate, in addition to a full-blown patisserie. Everything one would expect from a fine patisserie, breakfast, lunch or a snack. I logged the location of Christophe into memory for the next morning.
The following morning, I drove directly to Christophe for an almond cream-apple torte. Absolutely knocked my socks off. I didn't dine inside, instead, I brought my perfectly boxed pastry outside, placed the craft cardboard box on the hood of my rental silver Hyundai Sonata, ripped open the box and proceeded to eat my pastry like a wanton savage. I would have taken my pastry French style, simply wrapped with waxed paper and eaten out-of-hand, but I can see where the sealed craft cardboard box takes my rather pedestrian approach to breakfast to another, more refined level, as the craft cardboard box protects the pastry for the ride back home.
Black Tap Coffee exudes hipsterism, but I can't malign the coffee. The coffee is roasted by Counter Culture in Charlotte. Black Tap has a Japanese cold brew system and a proprietary cold brew methodology; which I think is:
I had their Black Tap cold brew for a late-afternoon pick-me-up. The flavor was intense, deep, dark chocolate flavors on the back palate with a solid linger.
I'll round out The Week that was Charleston in a second post.
Well, I was a little off in my prediction for harvest, by about a week. We harvested 3 parts of 3 vineyards this week; all Cabernet Sauvignon. Flavors are ripe, sugars are there, and the weather has been consistent. Great conditions all around.
We're not done yet and have a little more fruit to pick for this season. Wish us luck.
In anticipation of the 2013 harvest, I walked several vineyards and sampled plenty of fruit this week in Dry Creek Valley. Characterizing the last couple vintages and prognosticating about the current one, reads something like this:
2011 was under-ripe (for some, not us) and already being discounted by some winemakers and critics (again, not us)
2012 was near perfect in every way. Which is good for everyone.
2013 is early…maybe. Yields are lower than 2012, at least from my samples. Mother Nature is still deciding if She wants to keep the weather consistent or throw either a heat wave or rain storm our way, but Dry Creek Cabernet is probably 3+ weeks away...maybe.
I think 2013 is exposing the mettle of the full time farmer, their experience and how little credit the farmers' receive for the work we as winemakers and wine company owners take credit for.
When was the soil disked? How was the vineyard pruned? Is the vineyard dry-farmed? How is the vineyard fertilized? What type of canopy management system is employed? Leaf thinning? Fruit thinning? Water regime? How well do the vineyard managers, winemakers and owners communicate with each other?
Lencioni Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley
I think the aforementioned questions are making a bigger difference in 2013 than last year.
I’ve tasted a lot of nearly-ripe fruit in 2013. I’ve tasted a lot of green fruit in 2013. I’ve even seen raisin in 2013. I’ve never seen raisin this early in Dry Creek Valley. I can’t do anything with raisins.
We generally will pick Cabernet the first week of October in a normal growing season....but it could be the last week of September in 2013 and it's VERY site specific.
Translation: Know your farmer, because he knows his farm better than you.
What’s the point of all of this? There are a lot of things happening behind the scenes in the vineyard this year (and every year) and the tension is palpable.
SO next time you raise your glass, give a toast to the wine grape farmers and vineyard managers. They’re under a lot of pressure right now.
The Transporter, a film starring Jason Statham will always be a favorite. The film was cool; Statham was cool. The Frenchman who played the police inspector was cool.
Many people don't know it, but as the winemaker/owner at Mastro Scheidt, I'm very much like the Transporter, except without a cool BMW. I drive a Nissan XTerra.
For instance, when asked about "the Deal", the Transporter would have some simple questions about every package he transported:
1. Weight
2. Dimensions
3. Destination
My recent transportation job involved 3 packages with a combined weight of 280 lbs destined for Fresno, California. Two empty wine barrels and a case of wine to be exact...try transporting those in the trunk of a BMW!
So the job was 3 items with a combined weight of 280 lbs (127 kilos for the Europeans reading this) destined for Fresno with a pickup in Healdsburg. Driving the speed limit for 249 miles with one stop for gas and refreshment (just like the Transporter)
Driving Highway 99 or I-5 isn't quite as glamorous as the highway of coastal France, but, it's a living.
My Dad and I had a lot of fun with some special guests in Fresno this week. I prepared three different pastas ahead of time and then put three more together on-the-spot.
“Aperto” Raviolo Marinara (A singular “open” pasta in a light tomato sauce) paired with Azelia Dolcetto d'Alba
Pezzole Fagioli con Salsiccia (Literally, hand-torn pasta with beans and sausage) paired with Mastro Scheidt Harris Kratka Cabernet Sauvignon
Pappardelle Bolognese (Long, wide noodle with slow cooked meat sauce) paired with Mastro Scheidt Blueprint
Ravioli stuffed with spinach and two cheeses and topped with melted butter, olive oil and grated parmigiano reggiano.
Agnliotti stuffed with spinach and two cheese and topped with marinara.
Of all the wines I have drunk, I can recall a few wines that have altered my opinions and broadened my experience; Ridge’s Monte Bello, an eight year vertical tasting of Opus One, and everything from Vino da Tavola to the finest Barolo in Italy.
Most American’s have a perspective on what merlot tastes like; merlot is looked down upon, marginalized, blended. I certainly have my opinion. I’ve never thought of merlot as the primary grape for making an outstanding American style Bordeaux, much less a single varietal Bordeaux. I like merlot as a varietal; I also like other varietals, zinfandel and petite sirah just to name two. I doubt merlot, zin, or petite could hold up against a great Cabernet or Pinot.
The film Sideways deepened America’s marginalization of merlot. Miles rant about not wanting to drink “F’ing merlot” in favor of Pinot seemed appropriate, considering his love affair with the Burgundy varietal. Then there was the final irony, drinking a Château Cheval Blanc, heavily influenced by merlot; with a hamburger.
I have a friend, fellow wine aficionado and American Italian who knows her way around the world of great wines. It was a double blind tasting in Bakersfield and Lanette was pouring, explaining, and challenging the crowd that had gathered. Opinions were not something the crowd was unwilling to share; strong opinions to be sure.
I know that Lanette put something special in front of us for this double blind tasting. I know Lanette wouldn’t trick us with some plonker or over-rated trophy. I also happen to trust Lanette.
The wines had been set to the proper temperature, decanted and appropriate stemware was available. Each of the bottles we tasted was brown bagged for secrecy. We were standing, gathered around a large table, tasting among friends and peers; informal yet serious.
In most cases, with each taste, great wines reveal something, something more. Sure, I can figure out the sensory stuff with the best in the room. But that sensory evaluation is fleeting, it’s momentary, as the wine expands in the glass. The evaluation is also particular to the moment, as wine is constantly changing in the bottle. Taste the same wine a month later and the conditions change. Great wines are pervasive, they make an immediate sensory impact and a long-term personal impact; compelling the taster to seek out the wine again and again.
My first smells and tastes were probably a holdover from the truffle cheese and prosciutto de Parma I’d eaten moments earlier. So the first tastes were a throwaway, to refresh the palate.
Even though I discounted my first taste, one of the wines was certainly rich.
The second taste began to reveal what I was experiencing in that moment. Bold fruit; no-holds-barred fruit; with a monster of a back palate. This wine was not for the faint or those looking for softness. In all honesty, the second taste actually put me off a bit, it was too much, too bold. This certainly wasn’t a Pinot or Burgundy blind tasting. It had to be Bordeaux. But was this a blend or a single varietal? I know from past tastings, the likelihood of me figuring out if this wine was pure Cabernet or something else, was not likely. I’m much better at figuring out Old World versus American versus New World wines. This certainly tasted American to me, but knowing Lanette, I put the odds of this wine being American at 50/50.
Tasting again and again I began to shift my focus from sensory evaluation to personality and situational characteristics. When would I drink a wine like this and with whom? Who would appreciate this? What’s the setting? What food would pair with this wine? This is a showcase wine, not a warm-up. Any lesser wines, I don’t contemplate this much; I simply drink and move on. This had to be an epic wine.
But what was it? Who made it? Where was it from?
I get the fact that this is well crafted wine. This wine is not being tasted on its own, but side-by-side with another wine. And while I didn’t know it at the time, we were about to taste 8 other wines of high quality, side-by-side for the next couple hours.
For some reason, the crowd was very excited about this second wine. Is it rare? Is it expensive? Probably yes to both. Was I the only guy who wasn’t in on this? Then Lanette says, “this is the Latour of Italy…the Lafite of Italy.” So it was Bordeaux.
Take another sip…
Again from Lanette, “if I told you this was 100% Merlot, would that change anyone’s opinion?”
Take another sip…
I think to myself, “This wine is outstanding…this is merlot? No way…merlot doesn’t taste like this. The Lafite of Italy…What the hell have I been missing?! An Italian merlot maker? That narrows the list considerably.”
The suspense was building and Lanette was doing a wonderful job of building it.
I’m now captive, hostage to this wine. I know it’s of very high quality, from Italy, and 100% Merlot.
Do I have any sips left?
The brown bags are are torn apart to reveal…Masseto; 100% merlot from Italy and coming in at 15% alcohol.
I’ve only read about this wine; the book, a gift from my Mother about the best wines of Italy written by Bastianich. I’ve tended to favor the wines from La Spinetta, Gaja, and Pio Cesare over the years as benchmarks for the finest red wines in Italy. I would have never have guessed merlot could taste this good; this great. Nebbiolo, yes. Merlot, no.
Once the Masseto was revealed, it was quickly snatched up, but it was only the beginning of the evening. I wish I could have squirreled away another glass for later comparison. This is one of those rare opportunities where opinions are changed in an instant. Forget the preconceptions, your bias and learn something new. Merlot can be extraordinary.
At the end of the night, I had a glass of 2007 Ridge Monte Bello in my glass, a wine that made me change my perceptions regarding American oak and Cabernet Sauvignon outside of Napa Valley. The Monte Bello was a fitting end to a provocative and enjoyable evening dedicated to changing my opinion about merlot. Italians can make a fantastic merlot; we Americans should try harder at making one too.
Thanks Lanette.
Masseto 2009
Ridge Monte Bello 2007
Hundred Acre 2009
Guado al Tasso 2009
Ramey Pedregal 2008
Opus One 2007 (twice)
Bryant Family Bettina 2009
I spent an evening and a day with the proprietors, chef, expo, expeditor, server, host, wife, husband, father, and mother, of CJ’s Grill in Mammoth Lakes. Carrie and Jason Hoeltzel.
Why all the preceding titles? Because when you take in all of the things Carrie and Jason have to do during the day, I begin to question if I’m working hard enough?!
Being a mother or father of two children is a full time job. Having to work the floor or cook in a restaurant is ANOTHER full time job. So when I dropped by the Mammoth Farmer’s Market at 4:00pm and ran in to Carrie managing the booth for CJ’s homemade sauces and dressings, WITH an infant, only to find out that Carrie will then be running the Expo at the restaurant by 6:30pm AND considering I kept her up till closing the night before, I was beginning to wonder if she had a twin sister in town.
Meanwhile, Jason was already manning the kitchen for lunch and dinner that day. I stopped in just around the start of dinner service on the second day I was in town to watch the action and get behind the scenes of a local Mammoth favorite.
The evening before, I sampled several dishes, the smoked Alpers trout mousse, Caesar salad, and their 3 1/2 year old's favorite Mac and Cheese. Although their son recommended a hot dog with my Mac, I opted for the more grown up filet to top mine.
I was particularly interested in the Alpers trout mousse, as it was be featured in our combined Trout Seminar and Wine Pairing at the Mammoth Food and Wine Experience. Whether it's called a dip, pate', spread, or mousse, what I wanted to get to was the flavor. Pureed to a smooth consistency, the mid palate has an obvious, light sweet smoke flavor; while the back palate has a hint of heat from the cajun style seasoning Jason applies to the trout.
Naturally, my mind wanders to..."I could use this trout flavor profile to stuff in ravioli and finish with a tomato vodka cream sauce"...but I digress.
Jason and Carrie emphasize their committment to making scratch sauces, dressings, and dips. Mac and Cheese Sauce...scratch made. Caesar dressing...scratch. BBQ Sauce...scratch. These were the sauces and dressings that Carrie was selling at the Mammoth Farmer's Market earlier that day.
I can say with certainty, trusting Jason and Carrie's son was a good idea. My Mac and Cheese was cheesy and the pasta was cooked properly. It's a generous portion for me, a mountain size portion of Mac.
In addition to emphasizing scratch sauces and dressings, desserts are also made in-house, including various ice cream flavors. As I was dining toward the end of service, much of what CJ's sells is often sold out before the end of an evening, only to be prepared the next day.
I'm still awed by all the things Jason and Carrie are doing as a team, as a couple, as a Chef and Front-of-House Manager. The restaurant business isn't easy, having two young children isn't easy. Being a wife/husband/mother/father/chef/owner isn't easy.
But maybe that's the point, if it was easy, anyone could do it.
Carrie and Jason aren't just anyone...they're amazing!
CJ's Grill
343 Old Mammoth Road
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
760.934.3077
Dispatch....Mammoth Lakes, California....July 3, 2013
The 2013 Mammoth Food and Wine Experience kicks off tomorrow and everyone at Mastro Scheidt is looking forward to it.
Our winemaker, David Scheidt, is already on the ground doing exactly what you'd expect him to be doing...eating and talking with chefs.
Last night, David dined with Carrie and Jason Hoeltzel of CJ Grill. In fact, we started dinner, appropriately, with a Fritz Rose'. Jason and David are speaking together at the Mammoth Experience on Friday for the seminar: Everything You Wanted to Know About Trout But Were Afraid to Ask. I'm sure David will be snapping some photos of Chef Jason in action this weekend.
Jason will be leading the cooking demo, while David will be pairing some of his favorite wines from Dry Creek and Russian River Valley with Chef Jason's trout creations....such as:
Jim Rickards Aglianico/Syrah Rose 2012
Forth Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Roadhouse Pinot Noir Yellow Label 2011
Full Recipe for the Tehachapi Chili Cookoff has over 30 pounds of pork and beef, so my portion sizes reflect the large amount.
Can’t stress Step 1 enough: Sear and brown all the Pork and Chuck Roast Cubes! Color equals flavor and all of this meat should be browned heavily in lard before being added to the large pot. Don’t crowd your sautee/skillet with meat, take your time and brown the meat properly. I do not season any of the pork or chuck roast cubes prior to cooking. The meat will stew long enough to pick up flavors, besides, seasonings will burn in the time it takes to brown all this meat. Remove all the browned meats to a separate bowl for later incorporation.
DON’T WASH THE PAN YOU SEARED ALL THAT MEAT IN! You will need to deglaze the pan that you seared all the meat in.
ADD THE SECRET INGREDIENT…Mastro Scheidt Cabernet Sauvignon to deglaze any elements that have stuck to the bottom of the pan or pans you browned the meats. Scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pan and throw all that liquid in the same bowl you have all your meat waiting to be incorporated into your big pot of chili.
Meanwhile, take your whole sirloins and slice them in quarters. Place them on the BBQ and grill them quickly on all sides. You want to mark all sides of the sirloin with the grill and seal the meat thoroughly picking up flavors from the mesquite. When all sides have been seared well, take the sirloins off the BBQ and set aside to rest. The sirloins will NOT be fully cooked. You will cut the sirloin prior to adding it to the chili.
After all your meat is browned in a skillet or marked on the BBQ, take out your big stew pot. Turn the stew pot on high heat and dump a couple tablespoons of lard in the stew pot and allow to melt. Then take HALF of ALL the spices above and dump them in the pot with the hot lard. Make sure the spices are well coated in the lard, stirring everything together to be coated. Continue stirring so the spices don’t stick to the bottom of the large pot for about 3-5 minutes to make sure all the spices are toasted through and toasty but not burnt.
Add ¾ of your tomato sauce to the pot with the spices and continue to stir so that the tomato sauce comes to the boil. Keep the remaining tomato sauce to adjust thickness and flavor near the end of the cooking process. Tomato adds a little acid to the chili which can make the flavors pop (like squeezing lemon on steaks)
Dump in ALL of your mixtures of meat INCLUDING the uncooked ground beef. The uncooked ground beef will add texture to the chili and will slowly cook.
Bring the pot up to a boil, stirring everything to incorporate. Then lower the heat on the pan to a slow simmer. Add just enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Stir occasionally to ensure that nothing is burning or sticking to the bottom.
After the chili has cooked for an hour taste for salt and add some salt.
Roughly 2 hours into the cooking process, dump in the remaining spice mixture from above and add water if needed to ensure the mixture doesn’t get to think. Allow the chili to cook for about 30 more minutes and again, taste and adjust for salt and if desired, heat.
I add chili powder (tepin and pequin) for heat about 30 minutes before I’m ready to serve to adjust for the heat the crowd is looking for. Since everyone is different I leave you and your audience to decide. Once the heat is added, it can’t be taken away, so I don’t add much at all. You can add jalapenos, habaneros, or whatever you like at this point...that for you to decide.
Chili should take roughly 3-4 hours to cook for the 36 pounds of meat recipe because of all the browning of the meats. With a smaller portion, it could be completed in 3 hours of cooking time.
It's Father's Day Weekend, so Tom and David Scheidt are hitting the road to compete in the 2013 Tehachapi Chili Cookoff and Classic Car Show.
We've got tough competition, as our friend Jim Cyr is also competing! And from what I've been told...Jim cooks up a mean batch of chili.
Regardless of the outcome, we're looking forward to heading to Tehachapi and joining in on the fun, food, and festivities for Father's Day Weekend.
It's official, Mastro Scheidt Family Cellars will be participating in the Mammoth Lakes Food and Wine Experience 2013, July 5-7 in Mammoth Lakes, California. (Get tickets for the event)
Not only are we pouring our award winning wines at the Grand Tasting, Proprietor and Winemaker David Scheidt will be a featured presenter on food and wine pairings.
David has some other business in Mammoth to take care of while he's there...peak bagging. There might be a 14'er or two on the horizon.
First yields have come, in order, from:
Sweet 100
Lemon Boy and Druzba
The Unknown Plant. Unknown seems to be an heirloom variety because of its color and shape, red and conical.
Full View of Garden
Sun reaches my Sweet 100’s by 730am, with the patch of grass in from of it, out to the 4th row of N/S furrows also by 730am, as of June 6. If I have an opportunity to extend the garden in 2014, I would extend it to the early morning patch.
At this point, I have not added any supplement fertilizer to the tomatoes, except to the Sweet 100. As the Sweet 100 receive the most sun and first in the morning to see the sun, they are stressed because of their location, with only one furrow supplying water. I built a second, small furrow for hand watering since mid-May. It’s bone-dry in this area of the garden, but the plant is producing.
Druzba
My Peppers have also received a supplemental fertilizer treatment, same as the Sweet 100 tomatoes. They seemed undernourished to me and lacking vigor in Mid-May. They have produced two crops so far and looking healthy. The only observation here is, they could use more sun. The plant that receives sun last is the tallest and last to produce, thus, I believe, reaching to the sun for nourishment.
The Isis Candy has grown to an enormous size, both tall and wide. It impedes on every plant around it. Obviously vigorous, it is behind the other plants in terms of producing a large crop. As I recall, it produces very late in the season. Next year, Isis Candy will need to have its own stake/trellis systems and have any plant removed from its base by a minimum of 5 feet from the center in all directions. It’s growing into and on top of every other plant it’s around.
Isis Candy - taking over the area
San Diego, even though planted late, is a vigorous and healthy plant. Fruit is already present, leaves are healthy, no yellowing.
I have noticed yellowing near the base on the Italian Heirloom, Sweet 100, and Momotaro. I have resisted using any fertilizer to this point, as the plants are producing.
The Italian Heirloom has never looked vigorous, despite its size, or real green in color. Perhaps it’s the variety, it is doing its job, just doesn’t seem happy doing it. Probably misses Italy, like I do. I will honor Italian Heirloom with an exclusive all-Italian product feast as proper respect must be observed.
Italian Heirloom - Waiting to be picked
I haven’t strung up or added any stakes in the last 2 weeks. I did plenty of tying plants and stringing loose ends from overgrowth and crowding. I planted a bit wider this year, however the Druzba, Isis Candy, and Yellow Pear are all very crowded together.
Watering has been consistent at once every 7 or 8 days for 1 hour and 15 minutes per session. The hose doesn’t trickle, but doesn’t gush, let’s call it Low and Slow Watering. None of the fruit has split at the bottom, although some have large dark spots visible.
Two garden pets, birds, looking for Sweet 100 and a little worm that also happens to like my sage bush. I feed the worm to the ants. The birds, well, like Clemenza said, “you don’t have to worry about him no more”.
There are few things that I wait for with such anticipation, Italian peppers are one of those things.
Nothing speaks of Summer to me more than a plate of slow roasted peppers, fresh tomatoes, olive oil, parmigiano, and fresh bread.
Cooking Italian peppers is easy:
Set Oven to 350 degrees
Place all peppers in roasting pan
Lightly apply olive oil, salt, and a touch of water over the peppers
Place pan in oven, cook peppers until soft, turning or adding water so the peppers don't stick to the bottom.
Or
If you want to add work to your day, each pepper can be cleaned of seeds and tops prior to roasting
I spent a little time up at Rafanelli Vineyard and Gipson Ranch recently, reviewing each of the properties and the super-early prognostication on the 2013 grape harvest quality.
The early predictions look very good. If this heat keeps up, it could be an early season. Not a lot of rain and warm days have accelerated growth in 2013.
I've been looking to harvest Sauvignon Blanc and Petite Sirah in 2013 to widen my experience as a winemaker and broaden the audience of wine drinkers beyond Cabernet Sauvignon. I've always like Petite for its deep color and longevity. Naturally, I'm working my current vineyard partners and my bias for hillside fruit locations in Sonoma County.
We've got a long way to go until harvest begins, but the early opinion polls show promise.
DS
I've added some pictures to the Gallery from one of my projects this winter...curing meat at home.
The basics of the project:
Beef: Top Sirloin
Pork: Loin
Cure time: 12 days
Hang time: Beef - 22 days, Pork - 30 days
Seasoning: Fennel, Salt, Sugar, Paprika, Black Pepper, Cardamon
Average Temperature: 60
Average Humidity: 68
Room Used: Spare closet, North-West corner of home
Guide Book: Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing
Mentors: Dino Bugica, Diavola in Geyserville, Peter White, Sugo in Petaluma, Mike Shackelford, Trelio in Clovis
Bad news first, unfortunately, there have been a couple casualties. The Champion had the purple leaf disease and was becoming brittle and dying. The second Pineapple heirloom also died, which makes both Pineapple plants casualties for the season. Garden Peach was the last to go, it was also stricken with the purple leaf/wasting disease.
Now good news, the 6 pack of Sweet 100 on the left row and progressing better than expected. They get all early morning sunshine and a sprinkle of water from the sprinkler system 3 times a week. The sprinkle lasts 8 minutes. The sprinkler regime will change to 6 times a week for 4 minutes.
Flood irrigation once every 7-8 days for 1.25 hours has been the watering schedule for the main garden. I have not used any fertilizer on the garden since my initial manure.
Druzba has once again taken off early, already yielding as of 4/25. Yield is also present on Sweet 100, Ace and my Unknown.
The two new plants Momotaro and San Diego are progressing without issue.
I moved the Early Girl from underneath the orange tree to where the dead Champion was planted. The original location for the Early Girl is bone dry and lacking sun. Bone dry to the point that I would have to spot water the plant because it was weak.
I've used a combination of cages and stakes just as last year. The skinny cages from most garden stores are not my favorite. I've staked all my Sweet 100s and have already begun to tie lines for support. I have three wide cages in use and prefer them over the skinny tapered cylinder cages.
Have changed the drip irrigation on the buckets for the pepper plants as well. The last bucket was saturated with water and the pepper plant was waterlogged. I transported the plant into the position where the Garden Peach was. It seems to be doing fine. The pepper plants in the ground are healthy and growing nicely. The Pepper plant in the smaller clay pot is yielding the first pepper of the season. That is the only pot that has received water from the drip from day 1. It seems to drain better than the oak barrels and is at the end of the line in terms of the drip.
After a successful Backyard Garden 2012 and the rolling over to the Vernal Equinox, it was time to plant Backyard Garden 2013.
My garden is Certified "Backyard" as it always will be. I use a combination of Hybrid and Heirloom varieties of plants, specifically tomato. I have not purchased a tomato from a grocery store, Whole Foods or otherwise, since last season when I ripped my tomatoes out. The only tomatoes I have used for personal consumption are the ones I bottled or the Italian canned variety from the store (high quality canned ones obviously).
I also planted curly Italian pepper plants, which are not easy to find anymore. I haven't planted these in many years. I love Italian peppers and look forward to my first meal of fresh bread, olive oil, cheese, tomatoes, and peppers in a couple months.
For those that would like more detail on the configuration and the "starting line-up" of tomatoes, I've attached a picture.
The Isis Candy was one of the sweetest cherry tomatoes I had all last year, hence its return in the starting line-up. The Druzba is a bushier plant that produced early and vigorously last year. The Pineapple was super-sweet early season and grew more acidic late season with great colors. I couldn't find the San Diego variety this year, as it was my favorite tomato in 2012.
I planted the Hybrid varieties in less desireable areas of the garden from my perspective. The soils are a little drier and compact, although I do my best to help by tilling and adding manure. Ace, Champion, and Early Girl I have worked with before, generally robust and can take the heat. I also planted all of the Sweet 100s in the back row. I may allow these to grow a bit more wild, rather than cage them. My experience with cherry tomatoes, they need a lot of room, so generally my cherries are on the ends of the garden for access.
New to the line-up for 2013, the Garden Peach and Italian Heirloom.
Now we wait for abou 70 or so days for some fruit.