Whatever else 12 foot tall fences are for, they are not to keep deer out of orchards. Here, you can see that the goal is to keep the neighbours out. With their […]
The Karma of Deer
The Best Wine Takes Finesse
Grapes have the ability to deliver nutrients, water and sugar to any point in the plant at which they are needed. It’s not just a matter of raising the vines into the […]
Settler Culture = Terroir
Here’s the grape terroir in the Similkameen Valley. That’s right. There are no grape plants. They would die here. Should one plant them (and someone has across the road behind us), one […]
Dancing in a Fur Coat
Sure, the picture is not precisely in focus, but what the heck. The bee is the star here. Look at her answer the call of the balsam root. Look at the balsam […]
New Apple Varieties Under Lights
Here they are. Hanging out with the sweet peppers. I have my eye on that little Spigold. She has such a giant mother, twice as big as anyone, yet is so tiny. […]
Of Wine, War and Peace
Wine is largely made in laboratories. What is grown in the field is grapes. The result is a decreased ability for the plant to distribute potassium where needed. The additional remove of […]
Definitely Not Terroir
I think there’s too much money in this country. Vineyards get draped to keep off birds. At the same time, a native berry, Oregon grape, goes through the winter without appreciable harm […]
Indigenous Life and Grapes
Riesling grapes are indigenous to the Rhine and the Mosel, but not to the Okanagan. Pinots are indigenous to the Rhône, but not to the Similkameen or the Shuswap. It’s just the […]
A Test to See if You are Indigenous or Not
The Okanagan is an industrialized landscape. Note the cloned apple trees, the herbicide to kill weeds (80% of the available space), the poisonous fence posts, the wire supports to hold the trees […]
Reading the Weather
If you live in a place where you can’t see the sky, you don’t need to know the weather. But if the sky can get at you, you should have a personal […]
