Had a great time visiting with everyone who stopped by the winery this weekend! Can't believe we are into May and wearing sweaters & light jackets. We're supposed to have strong winds through the first part of the week and then we are hoping for some more spring weather by the weekend. The signs of spring are coming on strong even if the spring weather has been on and off.
Am posting pictures again of what is going on around Steppe Cellars. The picture of the eggs are from a magpie's nest in a big sagebrush right by our Riesling vineyard . The cherries have finished blooming and the ovaries that have been pollinated are growing.
The apples are in bloom. One of the things that is interesting with the way they set fruit is that in the center of the cluster is the "king bloom" which is surrounded by other smaller blooms. You want the king bloom to be the one that to be pollinated and set to make the fruit, because it will set the biggest fruit. But there are usually somewhere around 5 other smaller blooms surrounding the king bloom, so just in case that one doesn't set there are 5 other chances for the tree to produce fruit from that cluster.
The alfalfa and triticale have been growing -- quite a change from the previous pictures. We will actually be harvesting fairly soon.
AND---- the wine grapes are leafing out!!
