organic farming

With the grape and olive harvest season now ‘officially’ behind us, it’s time to tuck everything in and get to planning the coming year. This can be tough when the weather is as nice as it has been. Colors are flashy and the wind drives the sudden movements of anything not attached to the ground. There are a few acorns around, but for the most part, the squirrels (my Grandfather called them North American Ground Monkeys) have done an exceptional job at collecting. The permanent cover crop is vivid green and our sheep are keeping it at golf course standard height…not a blade out of place. Half of our vineyardists are dropping wires for the pruning that will take place in the New Year. The other half are taking the month of December off. Well deserved I must say.

This Friday will be Caitlin’s last day here at Michel-Schlumberger. She came to us about three months ago and has become a part of our family.  She’s taking off to Santa Cruz to live and work on an organic farm. More organic farming! Yes! It sounds like a lot of hard work in a glorious location in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We’ll be seeing her in the coming months, that’s for sure. One thing that we’ll do before she leaves, is taste all of the wines that she had a hand in making this year. It’s a great exercise that will give us a good glance at the vintage as a whole and show her the fruits of all her hard work. We’ve certainly been tracking these lot by lot, but we’ll have all the wines before us in one exciting set. Can’t wait.

Thanks for everything Caitlin.

Writing about organic and sustainable farming can be awful gloom and doom-y sometimes.  But not today.  In my last post, you may recall (or maybe not), I was lamenting the likely appointment of former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack to the position of Secretary of Agriculture.  Vilsack has been an ardent supporter of Monsanto Corporation, genetically modified crops and corn-based biofuel production.  He has also been nicknamed “The Satan of Seedsavers.”

I am very proud to write that his nomination has officially been withdrawn.  WOO HOO!!! Vilsack, apparently, did not comment on why he was sacked but sources at the Obama transition headquarters reported “a flood of calls and emails” from organic consumers opposing Vilsack’s nomination.

This is great news but it can’t stop there.  Although signing petitions and writing emails is great and all, we can do more.  A lot more.  And the very cool thing is that creating real change may be easier and more enjoyable than you think.  It’s really pretty simple.  Corporations such as Monsanto and the “farming” practices they support are fueled by one thing – money.  If we, the consumer, stop giving them money then they will cease to exist.

VOTE WITH YOUR FORK.

Instead of loading up on mega-farmed meat and produce shipped in from God-knows-where to Safeway, why not shop at a local store for local meat and produce from local farms and dairies?

Or, better yet, go straight to the source.  These days nearly every city and town has at least one Farmer’s Market where you can not only get the best and freshest stuff but you can actually interact with the nice ladies and gentlemen who planted and harvested those fine artichokes and peas.

Or try Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).  In a CSA program the consumer signs up for weekly boxes of local veggies, meat and dairy to be delivered or picked up at a set location.  It’s extremely easy – check out www.localharvest.org to find CSAs in your area.

Just think – along with signing those petitions you can make a HUGE statement and help make the world a better, happier, healthier place simply by eating better, happier and healthier food.  How cool is that?!?

And when you’re roasting that fine local lamb with the potatoes from the organic guy just outside of town I would highly recommend sipping on a fine wine made from organically grown, sustainably farmed grapes.

The 2004 Michel-Schlumberger cabernet sauvignon leaps to mind…

Q:  Why did the bee sting the beekeeper?

A:  Wouldn’t you be mad, too, if somebody took your honey and nectar?

That corny (but sublime) joke was told to me many years ago by a professor in a graduate level Biology class.  It’s weird how I don’t remember actually learning much in that class but I vividly remember that bit of questionable humor.  Anyway, after I told this joke to a friend recently (it was sadly under appreciated, by the way) it occurred to me that, other than passing mentions, I haven’t blogged about our bees.  This, I think, is partly because I am still very much an amateur beekeeper with a lot to learn and partly because there is just so much immensely cool stuff to say about bees that it’s tough to find a starting point.  Since I gotta start somewhere it seems logical to start at the start with a brief history of the honeybees of Michel-Schlumberger.

It wasn’t exactly an auspicious start.

It seemed easy enough, though.  In late Summer of 2007 April Lance, a friend of Jacques, offered to give us a hive of honeybees.  All we had to do was pick it up.  Jacques, who had some bee keeping experience, was busy that day and told us simply to drive the five miles down to April’s house, load the hive into the truck, and drive it back to the winery.  Brunson and I, who had zero beekeeping experience at the time, hopped into the truck, thinking such an activity would be both fun and easy.

Now a quick word on honeybees.  Though they certainly pack a mean punch with their stings, this weapon is very rarely used.  Honeybees are generally extremely passive critters.  A foraging honeybee will almost never sting, even if provoked.  Even nesting bees in the hive are shockingly mellow.  We typically tend our hives with bare hands (many keepers work in shorts and a t-shirt) and only suffer the occasional sting in the event we work too slow and wear out our welcome.  But if one upsets a hive by, oh, say, disassembling it and moving it - then the story is a bit different.

So back to our fun and easy bee run.  When we arrived at April’s she suited up head to toe and quickly began taking apart one of her many hives and moving the frames of buzzing bees to the truck bed.  It was then I learned my very first lesson in apiculture – bees don’t like that much.  Barbara Schlumberger had stopped by earlier to share in the fun and the three of us stood in t-shirts and jeans about 100 feet from April and the hives.  I guess maybe the bees realized that April was invincible in her suit and looked around for others to vent their fury.  Those others would be me & Brunson and Barbara.  First I noticed quite a few bees swarming around our heads.  A second later Brunson cried out “OUCH!” and slapped the side of his neck.  Then it was on.  Brunson and Barbara ran to nearby cars for safety.  I took the less complicated tact of sprinting about 100 yards up the road, screaming and waving my hands frantically around my head.  By the time things calmed down the three of us had suffered a total of around 12 stings and Barbara was rushed to the hospital for a severe reaction. 

But that seems like such a long time ago now.  Barbara, thankfully, recovered and went on to found the Melissa Garden dedicated to honeybee conservation.  Brunson and I finally got the hive back to the winery, where it sits today with two additional hives we created by capturing a swarm and splitting the original hive.  And our honeybees are the mellowest, friendliest, happiest bees on earth.  Just don’t try and move them. 

With that bit of history officially recorded, stay tuned for future blogs on the beyond-incredible honeybee.

At least in my mind it is.  Yeah, it’s been cold and rainy for the past four days (it is November, after all) but I can’t help thinking about the sunny days ahead.      It’s not that I’ve got a problem with Fall (I LOVE the rainy season) – it’s simply because I can’t help but get fired up about how the Michel-Schlumberger Estate is going to be looking greener and brighter than ever come the return of the growing season.

With this cheesy introduction out of the way I am extremely pleased to announce the completion of PHASE 1 of the new garden plantings.  Last week, friend and garden designer extrordinaire Kate Frey set out the first batch of new plants.  In two days I was able to lay out the irrigation and plant every one of the roughly 300 pollinator-friendly perennials – numerous Salvia, sunflowers, various natives and more.

The front fence of the estate is now densely planted with perennial flowers and vines, which should make for a serious wall of color next year.  Also, we tore out the ugly (and prickly) juniper shrubs along the East wall of the Cellar and planted all sorts of beautiful (and soft) flowers.  We left a bit of room for a small bench, as well, so folks will have yet another special little spot to sit in the shade and commune with Nature while sipping wine.  Finally, we planted two new circular beds in our honeybee garden.  When the bees emerge from the hives to forage after a long, cold, wet winter they are going to find a virtual buffet of nectar and pollen awaiting them.  And, a bit more selfishly, it’s probably not going to hurt next year’s honey crop.

This is just the beginning of some seriously crazy plans we have for the greening of Michel-Schlumberger.  Stay tuned for still more Phases and news and musings.  And maybe a few more rants, too.

Our vineyards live a tough life.  They are cared for by a crew of vineyardists who sing around them (rain or shine) and handle each vine anywhere from nine to twelve times per season. Our vineyards are tucked in and surrounded by permanent cover crop.  They have plenty of company (besides our crew) with worms, insects, mammals, reptiles, etc. keeping them company day and night.  Our vineyards get water (not too much) when they need it.  They have natural air conditioning in the marine layer that “frizzles” on them keeping them clean and cool usually following the hottest of days.  

Sounds good, eh?  

Just when they’ve got their fruit and seeds ripe and are getting ready for a long dormant season, we come through (singing continues) and harvest the fruit that they (and us too) have worked on all year.  A bit shocking?  You bet.  That’s why we believe in giving back (read about our efforts with Healdsburg Education Foundation as well).  It’s at this time of year that we start giving the vines a little pre-dormancy treat with compost spreading.   The compost is pomace (stems, seeds and skins) and purchased compost.  We mix the two together, let compost (heat up and break down) a bit more and spread in the vine rows before the rains come.  We also seed some rows with a native wildflower mix (about every 10 rows).   In the spring when these flowers bloom they will provide habitat for even more insect company for our vines.

Let’s not forget the sheep and chickens that are again welcome in the vineyard now that the grapes have been picked.   We also address erosion control issues.  The more water that we keep on and in the vineyards, the better off the vines will be come next spring (not to mention the benefits for the native Salmon and Steelhead in Wine Creek).  It’s a busy time in the vineyard right now.   As much work as there is to do still, we would all love to see the rains come and soak things down.  That would be the best reward for the vines that have given us so much this vintage.   

What do the winemaking and cellar staff do on those days when there are no grapes coming in to crush? 

The better question is-what don’t they do since there are always tasks aplenty in the cellar of a winery.  Today I jumped in and tried to lend a hand in the Michel-Schlumerger cellar.  Really I was mostly holding things,  pressing on things, filling things and watching others do them much better than I could.   A picture is worth a thousand words — but everyone should try to volunteer at a harvest somewhere.  The hand’s on experience is irreplaceable.  And it gives one such appreciation for the artistry of this magical industry.  

Cool stuff.   Thanks guys for letting me hang out for the day!

Heirloom Tomatoes

Yesterday I picked a small sack of heirloom tomatoes from the organic garden – beautiful red , Green Zebras, and the yellow, slightly fuzzy, Wapsipinicon Peach.  My lovely wife, who always knows exactly what to do with fine produce, sliced the toms, arranged the slices on two nice plates and then crumbled a bit of local goat cheese on top.  Just before serving she splashed about one tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar over each plate, followed by a healthy drizzle of Michel-Schlumberger olive oil.  Then we dug in.  Oh my.  Not just good or really good or even REALLY, REALLY GREAT – this simple and nutritious little salad was insanely brilliant.

My point here is actually not to gloat about my dinner or my wife’s fine cooking skills (though that’s fun, too).  My point is that such a delicacy could not come from Safeway or Food Maxx.  Modern hybrid tomatoes picked green and trucked in from huge, chemical-dependant, mono-culture “farms” are not, in fact, tomatoes.  To be honest, I don’t know exactly what they are but I do know they have nothing in common with the organic heirloom gems I feasted on last night.  And don’t get me started about that flavorless, pre-crumbled packaged goat cheese shipped in from God knows where.

Certainly, organic farming produces better food (and wine).  And careful selection of plant varieties, soils and farming practices will doubtless influence the quality of the product.  But there’s something else that’s very important, too.  It’s The Love.  The Love makes everything better.  We don’t work long hours 7days week for 2 months during the grape harvest for the money or the glory (frankly, there’s not that much of either).  We do it because we love it.  And whether it’s tomatoes or olive oil or grapes or wine, the fine folks at Michel-Schlumberger take great pride in everything we grow, everything we produce.  So treat yourself.  Eat well.  Drink the good stuff.  And share The Love.

Tony 'Love' Wasowicz

Love,
Tony

Hairy Fleabane

Crush 2008 is on!  And that means plenty of work to do.  And that’s why I have maybe 10 minutes of “spare” time to do some blogging before the press is finished with the 3.2 tons of pinot blanc we picked this morning.  I’m in luck – the latest issue of California Agriculture sits on top of one of the many piles on my desk and a headline article catches my eye:  Glyphosate-resistant Hairy Fleabane Documented in the Central Valley.

For those not up on Ag Speak, Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the world’s most important herbicide, Roundup, and Hairy Fleabane is a major weed in California.  Roundup is commonly sprayed in vineyards to kill weeds between and under the vines.  It’s been used (and abused) for many, many years.  And that’s the problem.  Weeds, like pretty much any organism, can and will eventually become tolerant of the poisons used to eradicate them.

The problem here is twofold.  The first and more obvious problem is that once a weed becomes resistant to Glyphosate we will be unable to control it’s growth and development of other herbicides, probably even more environmentally unfriendly, will be necessary.  Secondly, and much more alarming, is the fact that we simply just don’t know the limit of potential resistance.  In other words, because of man’s reckless spraying the weeds are getting tougher and tougher.  And what happens when our nemesis the Hairy Fleabane becomes impervious to any nasty chemical we can throw at it?  It becomes a “Super Weed.”  And there’s nothing super about that.

So what can we do?  The problem is very complicated but here’s one thing we can start with – stop spraying Roundup.

“There is no time in modern agriculture for a farmer to write a poem or compose a song.”
Masanobu Fukuoka

Tom Kisaichi, our Japanese-born enologist and my good friend, just poked his head into my office and told me the news — Masanobu Fukuoka has passed away at the ripe age of 95.  For those of you who have not had the pleasure, Mr. Fukuoka is a farmer in Japan and the author of The One-Straw Revolution, one of my all time favorite books.  In the midst of this ever-modernizing world of conventional agriculture, he taught the concept of “do-nothing” farming – a return to the old days when farmers had a real connection to the land and to the crops they grew.  He believed the reason that man’s modern farming techniques (e.g., tilling, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides) seem to be necessary is that the natural balance has been so badly upset beforehand by those same techniques that the land has become dependent on them.

But its not too late.  Getting back to a healthy, sustainable system of farming is simply a matter of perspective.  The aim of natural farming is to trust Nature to do her work with minimal interference from us big-headed humans.  Rather than asking ourselves “How about trying this?” or “How about trying that?”  Mr. Masanobu encourages farmers to consider the questions “How about not doing this?  How about not doing that?”

The One-Straw Revolution is a beautifully written text on farming, eating, thinking and loving.  I highly recommend it to any of you who eat food.