The Demise of the Cowhorn Choke?
Wednesday | 25 May 2011
After two years of working with the artichokes, I am so sad to say that I am considering abandoning the project. So far this season, we are pleased to see that the plants are beautiful and vibrant. No temperature or pest problems, soil is healthy and the irrigation has worked like a charm. Yet, check out the photos of the chokes themselves. These baby chokes are not similar in size. Also, notice how the smaller one is already opening, as if it is bolting to seed very quickly. These inconsistencies are not a chefs dream! Bill and I have served them up and they are tasty, but I don’t know if they will make the Cowhorn grade for selling them commercially. I am too sad about it to give up just yet. A little more pondering until I decide what to do.
– Barbara Steele
I Love This Time of Year!
Wednesday | 18 May 2011
Last night for dinner, Bill and I had an asparagus sandwich and a Syrah 74. The sandwich is open face with a layer of almond, asparagus and roasted garlic puree, layered with roasted asparagus and then topped with cheddar cheese! The Syrah 74, well … you know what that is. It was a WONDERFUL meal!
– Barbara Steele
Sweet sprigs break ground
Thursday | 05 May 2011
It's Asparagus Season here at our Applegate Valley estate, when the sweetest springs in the Rogue begin breaking ground in their 2-acre patch between the forest and the vineyard.
In addition to preserving biodiversity as part of our Master Plan, Cowhorn is a perennial polyculture, and asparagus is our first commercial crop each growing season. With over 15,000 plants, of the Purple Passion and Jersey Knight varieties, we expect to pick about 125,000 spears this year weighing in at around 8000 pounds.
Rogue locals will find Cowhorn Asparagus available at the Ashland Co-op, Shop 'n Kart, and on the menu at New Sammy's Cowboy Bistro.
Green wine gets new pitchman
Friday | 22 April 2011
This Earth Day wine lovers woke up to a new world of Earth-friendly choices with the public beta of ConsciousWine, a web portal devoted exclusively to wines that are as good for the planet as they are for the palate.Starring the larger-than-life, 5-foot 6-inch Jeff Weissler, aka “The ConsciousWine Guy,” the site features a webisodic wine show, online radio program, blog and directory covering vintners who grow grapes and make wine the Old World way, naturally.
With a fun, casual style that is anything but snobby, Weissler helps wine lovers and treehuggers alike, get to the heart of what really makes wine green, and good.
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The Coming of Spring, Part 3
Monday | 04 April 2011
What if rather than saying we live "on" Earth, we say we live "in" Earth? "On" implies that Earth stops below our feet. Earth is hard, inert, beneath us. We are above Earth; many believe they are then superior to Earth. "In" implies that Earth is going on all around us. I think that Earth starts at the center of the core of the planet and continues to the ozone. We live in a relatively small band of space that circles the planet, usually only 20 feet or so! If I scratch the soil and scoop some up I see a universe of organisms that out numbers me by multitudes. The air around me is filled with organisms as well. Perhaps we humans live in a relatively small part of Earth and are really, really outnumbered by all of those who live in Earth with us. Do unto others as they would do unto you. It is humbling when you think this one through..
– Barbara Steele
The Coming of Spring, Part 2
Monday | 04 April 2011
What if rather than saying we live “on” Earth, we say we live “in” Earth? Such a simple change, just one letter, can dramatically change how one thinks. Every day we walk through rain (especially lately!), we drink water, the wind blows through our shirts and over our bodies, we breathe it in, we walk though our forests and woodlands, sinking in the mud, we swim in the ocean, sink in sandy beaches. Every day, every action, every breath confirms that we are “in” the Earth, one of the many creatures commingling in the web of life. Was it even ever appropriate to say we are “on” Earth?
– Barbara Steele
The Coming of Spring, Part 1
Thursday | 24 March 2011
Spring makes us think good thoughts. I don’t know why, but they always come and in many forms. For today, I am reminded of an Indian proverb:
The river never drinks its own water,
The tree never tastes its own fruit,
The field never consumes its own harvest,
They selflessly strive for the wellbeing of all those around them.
I think that is enough to think about for today.
– Barbara Steele
Local Rogue online farmer's market!
Friday | 19 November 2010
The evolutionaries over at THRIVE have created a new way for more Rogue Valley residents to get easy access “real food grown by real farmers.” Aho!
Rogue Valley Local Foods is a year-round online farmers market featuring produce, meats, eggs, cheeses, wheat products, flowers, jams, honey and seafood all grown within 100 miles of the heart of the Rogue Valley.
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Pacific Wine Review visits COWHORN #3
Thursday | 18 November 2010
In this third video from Pacific Wine Review, Barbara goes deeper on what it means to be Biodynamic and farm holistically. Watch this short report to learn more about composting, plant selection, soil management, and the science behind Biodynamic preparations.
Pacific Wine Review visits COWHORN #2
Thursday | 18 November 2010
In this second video from Pacific Wine Review, Barbara explains about being both organic and biodynamic along with an introduction to closed-loop farming, perennial polyculture, inter-cropping, cover-cropping, and a year-round harvest schedule that includes truffles, asparagus, artichokes, cherries, and of course, grapes. And did you know that our winery was built entirely with lumber from our land? You’ll learn about all of this and more in this six-minute video.
Pacific Wine Review visits COWHORN #1
Thursday | 18 November 2010
Thank you to our friends at Pacific Wine Review for producing a series of three videos on our vineyard, gardens and farming the Biodynamic way. Their website at PacificWineReview.com is still under construction, but they gave us the OK to share these videos with COWHORN fans. In this first one, Bill and Barbara share a bit about plant selection for rocky soil in a cold climate and our neutral oak program.
Follow up to Vermiculture Summit
Monday | 27 September 2010
In my last posting, I explained that our objective for the castings for this year is to increase the fungi population in the worm bin. Over the last month, I’ve taken two immediate actions. One is easy: in addition to the diet of kitchen waste, I am now adding wood to the worm bin ecosystem. Easy, squeezy.
The second action is a little more troublesome: Bill and I are now chopping the kitchen waste for the bin. Yes, as Bill says, we now need a sous chef for our worms! Evidently, microbes will eat what is easiest and most convenient for them. So, when I give them “fast food” they avoid digesting a balanced diet in favor of what is easy! I wonder if they would like a big screen and remote too?
– Barbara Steele
Biodynamic farming; quasi-religious hocus-pocus or not?
Sunday | 26 September 2010
Niklas Jörgensen, a Stockholm-based blogger who focuses on Portuguese wines, posted a great interview with Boivinum winemaker Christoph Röper about biodynamic and organic wines. Niklas is “mad about Madeira” with a blog devoted exclusively to this unique region.
When Nicklas asked Christoph about the basics of biodynamic wines and what distinguishes them from organic wines, he said “I’d like to quote Cowhorn Vineyards in Oregon since it can’t be expressed better.”
» Read full interview on Mise en bouteille
When Nicklas asked Christoph about the basics of biodynamic wines and what distinguishes them from organic wines, he said “I’d like to quote Cowhorn Vineyards in Oregon since it can’t be expressed better.”
» Read full interview on Mise en bouteille
Artichokes, Year 2
Friday | 17 September 2010
These are the new choke plantings! After successfully testing varieties and planting placement last year, the new seedlings were planted in late August of this year.
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Another BioD Prep Application
Thursday | 16 September 2010
Everyone asks, “Isn’t it hard to farm according to Biodynamic principles? Usually there is something going on that allows us to illustrate that it isn’t difficult, just different. This week, we started a new compost windrow.
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2010 Vermiculture Summit
Sunday | 12 September 2010
In July, we hosted Michael Alms of Growing Solutions, Inc. at Cowhorn. Michael is a vermiculture expert. He visited Cowhorn to evaluate our vermiculture program.
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Artichokes – Season 2
Monday | 10 May 2010
Season number two of artichoke production is underway. Some of you may remember we seeded about 70 plants last year, mostly the very common Globe artichokes. Working with Charlene at New Sammy’s, we learned the desirable characteristics of baby chokes, and as importantly, we learned a lot about the space in which we planted this first crop. Specifically, we saw exactly where the cooler morning temperatures are evident in the row. Over a season, the cumulative effect of just a few degrees is important. Second, we learned how much water they like and what the harvest window is for picking. Perhaps what was best though is we confirmed our theory that inter-planting with asparagus is optimal – the late season asparagus ferns protect the chokes from the harsh dry winds of the summer afternoons.
Using our new knowledge, we selected two different varieties to test this year. Viotletta is a small, Italian, purple variety that is well-suited to our warm summer climate. Second we chose Imperial Star, a smaller, green variety. As of now, they are just seedlings that have been moved from the greenhouse (laundry room) to the nursery beds. We expect to plant in June!
– Barbara Steele
Asparagus Harvest Begins
Monday | 19 April 2010
The season officially began last week. To us at Cowhorn, it seems sweeter than ever. I guess I am biased though. Anyway, the first week we harvested 600 pounds!
Intro to Worms
Thursday | 18 February 2010
Since the beginning of dirt, worms have been breaking up, oxygenating and feeding soil. They leave a rich trail (pun intended) of nutrients and microbes that make soil great for crop growing. Many folks practice at-home vermiculture programs by dropping their kitchen waste in a worm bin and then a week or so later spreading the resulting compost in their garden.
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All Choked Up
Monday | 30 November 2009
2009 was a great year for Cowhorn produce! Formally, our Mission Statement reads as follows.
To create a profitable model of land ownership that:
- protects the environment and provides for land conservation
- provides opportunities for sustainable farmers to work and develop financial security
- increases the availability of high quality, healthful food
For us, supplying food to the local economy is not a sideline to the vineyard and winery. It is primary to our purpose. This year, we grew approximately 5,300 pounds of produce for distribution into the Rogue Valley. In 2008, we did about 2,500 pounds so it was a big increase in volume for us. We are psyched!
Here is the breakdown of where it went:
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Barb goes Espionage!
Monday | 23 November 2009
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2009 Fall Garden Harvest
Tuesday | 06 October 2009
I still have some basil tucked under some tomatoes, but the rest is turning dark from the frost. All the squash and tomatoes are being canned or frozen to enjoy during the winter, but the plants are dropping down back into the Earth to rest and replenish for next year. For me, this is the miracle time of year: as the Earth pulls its physical forces inward, plants drop leaves and sink into the ground. The physical world becomes restful, growth stops, and the eye turns inward. At the same time, the Earth lets out her etheric energy and space is created. It is often peaceful. We have times of silence and times of spiritual celebration.
In Fall, I remind myself to stop and witness the balance that the Earth models for us. As the season progresses, we listen carefully for the faint sound and feel of the stirrings of rebirth. That is when you will find farmers laying on the couch with seed catalogs dreaming of the next garden, the next crop, or the next new fancy we want to try! It really is a miracle time.
For those who come out to the winery during the next weeks, be sure to pick up a squash or pumpkin to take home with you!
– Barbara Steele
