It's All About the Cranberries Over Here

and one very helpful, very cute daughter. Here she is helping me stir (punch down) the (still) (barely) fermenting cranberries.

Restart

Adding more yeast to the Cranberries again

This Morning's Sunrise

the dead of winter

Cranberries

19 bins of cranberries

The cranberries we got in Wisconsin are still fermenting, well, some of them anyway. Cranberry is one of the hardest wines I make, but it is fastly becoming one of our most popular wines. I recently brought in all the bins of cranberries to warm them up, and you can see in the middle of each bin I added more yeast, 71B, which is supposed to be more acid tolerant. I think 5 bins are actually fermenting, hoping to get the rest of them fermenting soon, and then add some yeast nutrient.

A Light Dusting

One of the first snows of the season, it barely flurried this morning, just enough to take a much anticipated picture or two (or three.) The first two pictures are indivual snowflakes on our old Concord vines, and the third picture is of the floor mat right outside the door.

Hope your holidays are going well, and you can delight in the season and the "icing" that winter can put on the familiar.

Same Building, Different View

I like this one too, also not taken by me. I like the white-ness of the porch and the sky.

Open Daily

This picture was taken this fall and emailed to me, and for whatever reason I thought it was a fresh take on a building I've seen a zillion times. I like the angle, and the shadows, and the way the flag is blowing. Come by this winter for some authentic radiator heat, and of course, oodles of great wines to taste. We're open until the end of the year from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed early at 3 p.m. New Year's Eve, closed all day New Year's Day and then start with our new hours of being open from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays from January through March.

Muffin Top

Some people think this is a muffin top, and it is.
some might consider this a different version of a muffin top

this is a winemaker's muffin top

These are pictures of my fermenting apple juice in a variable capacity tank. The first day or two it just rose high like a yeast bread and the surface bubbled just a tiny bit. Now it has large clear bubbles covering the surface and extending far and wide across the tank, and smells divine. Mmmmmmmmm.

Chicken with Rosemary Butter Sauce

This recipe was recommended by Sara and I tried it last night with our Seyval Blanc, and am having it again for lunch today and all I can say is, "wowsa!" I'm a very big fan of dishes with such full flavor and so little ingredients. It came from Taste of Home so you know it's going to be a winner.

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz. each)
4 tblsp. butter (divided)
1/2 cup Sainte Genevieve Winery Seyval Blanc wine
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary

In skillet over med. heat, cook chicken in 1 tbsp. butter (4-5 min. each side, til juices run clear). Remove from pan and keep warm.

Add wine to pan; cook over med-low heat, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Add cream and bring to boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir until slightly thickened. Stir in rosemary and remaining butter until blended. Serve sauce over chicken.

Daddy's Girl

Having a family business isn't always easy. The line between employer/employee, father/daughter is often muddled. We're doing our best over here, though, and this picture sure does warm my heart on this chilly fall morning.

Quick Paint

We hosted a quick paint this year as part of the Plein Aire event in Ste. Genevieve, and this is our favorite local artist, Chuck Drost doing what he does best. Brilliant.

From Bog to Bottle!

Me with the hip boots on in the cranberry bog

Tamarack Tree

wild swans on a flooded part of the marsh

This is how they get the cranberries out of the water, this conveyor belt carries them to a truck, and the truck is like a sieve that lets the water out and keeps the berries



two different types of cranberries in one bog

Dad and I took our annual trip to Wisconsin to buy cranberries from Mary Brazeau Brown and her Glacial Lake Cranberry Marsh. This year the weather was a balmy 64 degrees. As always, I took many pictures.

Wine and Food Pairing at Chef's Stop in Festus

Thursday October 22, 2009

Our holiday entertaining menu will be presented by Personal Chef Debbi Gordon and will feature updated appetizers for spontaneous get-togethers. Bite size bliss begins here!

Mini Caesar Salads: chopped and served in mini cups;
Cranberry-Mustard Pork Tenderloin: Pork Tenderloin baked w/whole cranberry sauce, Dijon mustard, thin sliced and served on mini buns or cocktail croissants;
Sun-dried Tomato/Basil Polenta "Pizzas": Seasoned Polenta rounds baked w/a sun-dried tomato & basil pesto, then topped w/shaved Parmesan cheese;
Cocoa Marshmallow Puffs: Chocolate Marshmallows baked in a Crescent Roll...this is truly a one-bite bliss!

Wine pairing will be provided by Sainte Genevieve Winery! Sainte Genevieve Winery Another stop along the Route du Vin!

Cost: $30.00 per person 3 easy ways to register: call 636-937-3333; register on line at Chef's Stop , or register in person at Chef’s Stop

Bolduc Braised Short Ribs

3-4 pounds bone in beef short ribs
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium onion, peeled and cubed
1 garlic bulb, peeled and sectioned
1 Tablespoon flour
1 bottle Sainte Genevieve Winery Bolduc
1 14 ounce can reduced sodium beef broth
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches in a large pot, cook ribs in oil on medium high heat until well browned. Remove from pot and set aside. Add parsnips, carrots, onion and garlic; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Stir in flour and cool one minute more. Add wine, broth and Dijon to pot, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Return short ribs to the pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer over low heat, covered but with the lid cracked, for 2 hours. Remove cover and simmer over medium high heat for 30 minutes. Season to taste with thyme, salt and pepper. Serve over soft polenta or mashed potatoes. Makes 4 servings.


Recipe courtesy of my sister in law, Amanda, one of the best cooks I know. Yum-O!

Pears

Cecilia helped Dad this morning weigh some local pears.

Art!

Julie Wiegand to Conduct Painting Workshop on October 1 in Ste Genevieve

This year, the Ste Genevieve Art Guild has invited Julie Wiegand, a gallery artist at Gateway Gallery in Clayton, to conduct it's annual autumn workshop on October 1. Past invitees have included Billyo O'Donnell, Thom Buttner and Michael Anderson.

Growing up in what was once the "small town of Chesterfield, Missouri," Wiegand writes, her "youth was spent discovering nature, art, music and sports." Today, with her art studio in a one room schoolhouse in Berger, Missouri, Wiegand states, "A large percentage of my oils are painted en plein air and I truly enjoy this challenging and rewarding work. Many of my plein air subjects then become larger studio works. There is true joy for me in capturing a mood with light and color." Julie Wiegand is also a partner in an impressive artist cooperative known as the Gateway Gallery on Forsyth Boulevard in Clayton, Missouri.

The workshop will be held on Thursday, October 1, 2009. Many of the participating artists will meet between 8:00 and 8:45 AM for coffee and juice at Studio de Michel on North Main Street before heading out to the workshop location, the Moses Austin house and grounds, located at South Main and Gabouri Streets. About fifteen artists will be seen carrying their painting supplies, portable chairs and easels in backpacks, shoulder bags or rolling carts. The workshop location, in case of rain, will be announced on that day.

At 9 AM, Wiegand will begin the workshop with a short lecture and painting demonstration in oils. Artists of varying experience, from beginner to professional, will then begin their own paintings, in their chosen medium, under the close instruction of Wiegand. After a short lunch break, the workshop will continue until 4 PM culminating in a group critique. Some artists will then break for a short supper and then head out to begin their first painting for the Art Rendevous plein air competition, before the daylight fades.

There are a few seats left for the workshop. Artists wanting to learn how to paint outdoors are invited to attend. The public is invited to stop by and observe what happens at a plein air painting workshop. Once in awhile, an eager visitor or art collector will buy a wet painting off an artist's easel.

The Art Rendevous plein air event and competition will continue through Thursday, October 8 at 2PM and will culminate with a reception, auction and awards ceremony at 188 North Main Street at 6PM. The public is invited. The weekend of October 9 to 11 is filled with other art events such as the Autumn Daze Art Festival, Art Rendevous and the Promenade des Arts held downtown in various locations including the Lion's Club Park and the "Mammy" Shaw House.

Comedy Showcase

Don't delay, get your tickets now!

Bad on So Many Levels

This is me, circa 1986. What was I thinking? I clearly wasn't. Like my side ponytail, or my huge glasses, or the sunglasses around my neck (how did I wear those?)or the photo taker's fingertip? How about those old whiskey barrels, have to blame that one on Dad. Nevermind the blatant underage drinking, the best (or worst) is the plastic cup.

New Labels

Here is what our new grape labels look like. I have been showing you the full color fruit wine labels as they come along, and now we have this label that will go on all the wines we make out of grapes. So far we have the Concord and LaRose Rose ready. Once again, Chuck did an amazing job on the picture. These new labels are just now hitting the shelf. Let me know when and where you are seeing them.

A Better Perspective

I thought the picture I posted yesterday was pretty cool, until I saw this picture on Diane Wilson's facebook page. It's evident that she's the professional photographer. Check out more of her pictures, and just all sorts of good info on her shop at Center for the Arts. Brilliant.