Journal | September 2, 2025
Nuts
Harvest is slow to start this year. One more week before the Sauvignon Blanc is ready to pick. This gives us some bonus time to work on equipment and tweak the vineyard. Waiting also gives us time to do nothing. This beautiful weather has allowed for some quality porch time allowing me to observe and to think about nothing.
Nuts caught my attention.
Judging from the oak tree shading my back porch, I can see a good acorn crop. This is a relief. We learned in 2013 that acorns help ensure a good grape harvest. Acorns are an important fall food source for bears, raccoons, skunks, and opossums. But there were no acorns in 2013 on account of the 17-year cicadas. Females cicadas insert their eggs in small twigs. They have a preference for oak trees. This weakens and snaps the acorn bearing tips and results in a lot of hungry mammals who also enjoy grapes. We lost a significant amount of grapes.
Squirrels have now started sampling the hickory nuts, but they must not be ripe enough yet. When that time comes, hickory shells rain on the woodshed roof. Squirrels have good palates and know intuitively when their harvest should begin. One can learn about patience from squirrels.
The walnut trees by the pond are about ready to drop their tennis-ball-sized fruit. Alarming splashes can interrupt an otherwise tranquil evening. But it is also a comforting reminder that the rhythms of the seasons continue.
Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Hardscrabble Journal: September 2, 2025