Spring is planting time and this spring is no exception. This is our vineyard crew planting cuttings made from existing vines in our nursery rows.

Chives

I have been thinking about chives a lot lately, since we have that Route du Vin Jour de la Terre event coming up and we are featuring chives. I will post a picture of the cute little seedlings soon. You don't want to miss your chance to go home with one of these! One of my favorite blogs is Farmgirl Fare. If you click on the link you can read a beautiful commentary on chives. I have always liked chives, even grown a few in my kitchen herb garden, but after reading her post, I am more excited, and fascinated than ever. My favorite quote is, "once you discover the hundreds of uses for chives, you will wonder how you ever survived without them. Their mild onion flavor perks up everything from chicken salad to quesadillas. They even make food look better, too. Like a beautiful strand of pearls, a sprinkle of freshly-snipped chives will add instant sophistication to almost anything: a serving of mashed potatoes, a platter of stir-fried vegetables, even plain old scrambled eggs. Your meals will begin to look as if they came out of a fashionably chic cafe. For a truly elegant touch, toss some of the edible, peppery blossoms into your salad, or float a few atop bowls of spinach soup." Farmgirl is very eloquent, and has such passion for gardening and the ways of the rural life. Well said.

Hope to see you on April 21 and 22 where we can talk about chives all the live long day.

Jour de la Terre

The Wineries of Ste. Genevieve

Present

“Jour de la Terre” Weekend on Ste. Genevieve’s Route du Vin
April 21st & 22nd, 2007
11am - 5pm
Celebrate Earth Day this Spring on Ste. Genevieve’s wine trail!
Each winery offers seasonal cuisine prepared with fresh Spring herbs paired with their wines.
Take home a complimentary herb seedling from each winery to start your own herb garden!
Visit all 5 wineries on Ste. Genevieve’s Route du Vin, as each winery will offer complimentary wine samples
and special food pairings made with Spring herbs for each ticket holder. If your passport is stamped
at all 5 wineries your name will be entered in a drawing for a “Jour de la Terre” gift basket!
A little more than an hour’s drive from St. Louis and Cape Girardeau, journey through the rolling hills,
big skies and beautiful views of the 5 unique wineries on the Route du Vin:

Sainte Genevieve Winery Cave Winery Chaumette Winery
Crown Valley Winery Charleville Winery

Cost: $15/person until April 13th; $20/person after April 13th
(includes complimentary wine glass, and 10% off wine purchases made that day)
Please call for advance reservations Sainte Genevieve winery (800) 398-1298

Wine & Food Pairing Menu:

Sainte Genevieve Winery (Chives)
Serving Spring Green Salad with Fresh Chives, paired with their Vignoles

Charleville Winery (Cilantro)
Serving Fresh Cilantro Salsa with an Assortment of Chips, paired with their Genevieve Rivard

Chaumette Winery (Dill)
Serving Dill Havarti Cheese on Lavash with Tomato Dill Chutney, paired with their Estate Chardonel

Crown Valley Winery (Parsley)
Serving Black Pepper Seared Beef Loin on Toast with Parsley Gremolata, paired with their Zinfandel

Cave Winery (Basil)
Caprese Salad Skewers with Sweet Italian Basil & Fresh Mozzarella, paired with their Chardonel Off-Dry

Join us on the Route du Vin year round for these seasonal events!
June 2nd & 3rd, 2007: Progressive Wine Dinner
November 17th & 18th, 2007: Wine Diva Weekend
February 9th & 10th 2008: Aphrodisiac Weekend

This is our new toy. It is a seeder, so it throws seeds onto the ground for corn, or soybeans, I guess. We are using it to spread fertilizer. The fertilizer goes in the basket; the yellow part, and the tractor spins a disk, and fertilizer comes out both sides at the bottom, where the two red shoots are. Very exciting.