Barreca Vineyards

Barreca Vineyards

From Vine to Wine since 1986

Posts filed under Regenerative Agriculture

Bigtime Biochar

I was minding my own business reading email when a document came in from my brother-in-law, Roger, who as I do here, also makes and sells biochar on San Juan Island.  It announced that a big company, Myno Carbon, won the 2023 Giuliani Clean Energy Entrepreneur Award and was going to build a carbon removal… (read more)

To Compost and Beyond

Compost bin at 20°  Outside and 100° Inside November 20, 2022 “Egad” you are probably thinking, “He is writing about compost again.  Surely his brain is starting to rot.”  This article is not exactly about compost but close.  In Stevens County we have a “Soil Health Stewards” group hosted by the Conservation Districts.  You can… (read more)

The Grass is Greener

The Grass is Greener With this very wet Spring everything looks especially green.  The green color is from chlorophyll, the molecule critical to photosynthesis, which turns sunlight into plant energy, specifically sugars.  Looking at the chest-high grass and purple vetch which has taken over the aisles between my rows of grape vines, I had to… (read more)

Good Books

Start with For the Love of Soil by Nicole Masters. It was certainly both the most inspirational and educational book I read last year.  The main chapters of the book include story after story of farms that underwent almost miraculous transformations by the application of biological and sometimes chemical/mineral treatments as well as management practices. … (read more)

Gizmos

Farming and gardening have been key components of human life for thousands of years.    They produce food but they also create a huge market for goods and services from companies aiming to farm the farmers.  In taking on the production of food and maintaining the independence necessary to realize a profit, farmers often find themselves… (read more)

Bamboo

A while back we watched Shang-Chi, a Marvel Series blockbuster with lots of digital effects showing scenes set in Shanghai and a hidden village deep in a bamboo forest.  Truthfully there was a lot of FX involved in the forest but they must have started with images of the real thing.  The real thing showed… (read more)

Putting Your Beds to Bed

It’s September while I’m writing this. It’s raining pine needles.  After a stressful summer for most plants, you can see pine trees with lots of brown needles ready to drop.  Ironically, you can also see grasses that have suddenly become green again after some heavy rain.  Mother nature is preparing for winter. A good question… (read more)