Right after The Hail Storm, we were so sad to see the destruction amongst the grapes. There were huge ragged tears in so many of the leaves. We had watered copiously and had, of course, reaped the benefits of the soaker hose gently filling the grape veins (not a typo!) with life-sustaining moisture. But then, to see the results of our efforts battered by that capricious weathergod, out for a day's mischief, nearly brought tears to our eyes. We mentally postponed any harvest until next year...
But miracle of miracles....the grape is such a resilient plant--more to the point, they are TOUGH; they shrugged off the damage and set about putting on new leaves. And did they ever! What a display this is! We have seven 50-foot rows in our vineyard, and all the supports are buckling under the weight of this unexpected bounty. It's a beautiful place to be! Tending the grapes has become one of my favorite tasks. The sunlit leaves, the fruiting clusters, and gorgeous dewdrops embroidering the edges....what a glory!
I'm so lucky to have this life!
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Very impressive! We've never had any luck with grapes, alas -- though the wild ones are certainly thriving.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous pictures -- you make me want to give it another try. What varieties are you growing?
It's official - Blogger is evil. This is my second try. I was saying that your grapes look fabulous and that they look like they will be a fabulous crop! I also asked whether you ever pickled the leaves to make dolmades (sp??) or if you used fresh ones while they are nice and tender? It would be delicious and fresh for the summer! PS it's Elora (i'm trying the anonymous approach as I can't seem to post through WP :(
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