The rains came and don’t show any sign of going away. If you are anything like me, you noticed mushrooms popping up all over in this weather. Since I have imported a lot of mulch into my vineyard over the last couple of years, I am seeing more and different mushrooms than ever before. To… (read more)
Most of us are very glad that this year’s fire season has been relatively mild. But if you are a member of a fire-fighting crew like Alan McKee and his Northern Columbia Reforestation team, it’s been a tough year financially. Fire Fighting pays well, is recognized as necessary, is regulated to provide sustainable working conditions… (read more)
I was driving north on Williams Lake Road. The woodland on either side had been managed in a variety of ways. Some was left alone to fill in with underbrush. Some had been grazed into uselessness. Some of the most interesting had been selectively logged and the ground was covered in chips. That technique minimizes… (read more)
I haven’t written a blog since the violets and buttercups were blooming. Now the tulips, fruit trees, dandelions, Quince, Locust, Frittilaria, Iris and Lupine have all bloomed. Is Spring officially over when a bear tears down your bird feeder (5/27/19)? There is a lot to catch up on and nobody needs a really long article… (read more)
To follow up on the last post about composing compost, mostly commercial from Barr-Tech near Sprague, I want to show the ingredients I am adding to the soil mix I am currently potting, planting and adding as mulch. This tub is composted leaf mulch from the yard waste dump of the City of Colville. It… (read more)
I could pick it out on the aerial photo, a little brown square next to the freeway by the Fishtrap exit. It looked small compared to the miles and miles of wheat fields and scab lands around Sprague, Washington. But when I got there, it seemed anything but small. I was researching and sometimes just… (read more)
by Joseph Barreca Most days lately I look out my window and don’t think twice, it’s all white. But actually if you can get out in this snow comfortably, it is a great time to make biochar. And biochar is black! Besides that, it is good for your soil. So good in fact that all… (read more)
After touring the Colville Wastewater Treatment Plant I met some old friends while shopping. They asked how it was going and when I told them I had just toured the sewage plant, they gave me that “Oh, oh, Joe’s gone off the deep end” look and quickly slipped away. Generally we are not comfortable talking… (read more)
It’s nice to have some confirmation that your wines are good from a wine expert. Recently I was pleased to learn that Ronald Irvine has tasted Barreca Vineyards varieties Léon Millot and Baco Noir. Before I elaborate on what he had to say let’s introduce Ron. Prior to purchasing the Vashon Winery nearly 20 years… (read more)
This will be the hottest day of the year, 104 degrees. I’m glad to be in our straw bale winery at 74 degrees F. It is also the height of fruit season. There are cherries in the dryer; apricots in the refrigerator; huckleberries, blueberries and peaches in the freezer. Breakfast was fresh corn fritters with… (read more)
