 As you can see from the picture, the vines are very vigorous in their growth. Not only is the canopy (the green along the vertical cordon wire) growing well but the vine is sending out plenty of growth along the trunk. While this extra growth is a good sign of the health and output of the ...  Learning about the fats which are good for you has revolutionized my cooking! Did you know that one hundred years ago, vegetable oil was not around? People cooked with lard, tallow and butter. The difference between the three is the source. Lard is rendered pig fat, tallow is rendered beef or sheep fat and butter ...  If you have been reading Dimes2Vines for awhile, you know that we began construction on our home overlooking the vineyard in August 2010. We decided to use the Rewards Insulated Concrete Forms mainly because of their insulation value. We completed what will eventually be our basement and moved in the weekend after Thanksgiving, 2011. We have ...  What a beautiful day to plant 2 acres of Petit Verdot and 1/3 acre Moscato Giallo. The wind was low and the temperature never reached the 90°F forecasted. The 3,225 vines arrived via FedEx in a large box. Marking where the vines are to be planted was done the day before. You can see in the picture below the wheels ...  After moving from LA (lower Alabama) to West Texas, our time has been spent with starting the vineyard for the commercial production of grapes for the Texas wine industry. We now have 20 acres of grapes in the 3rd and 4th leaf. We will be planting 2 1/3 acres more this week. Most of the acreage ...  This year, we are trying something new, maybe I should say "something else" new - grapevine propagation. The vines we purchase are grafted vines. This means that one type of vine is used for the roots (rootstock) and another for the fruit variety to be produced (scion). Normally, a hardy vine whose roots grow fast ...  How many fermenting things can one kitchen hold? Since we have been on the GAPS diet and I have learned the probiotic benefits of lacto-fermentation, my kitchen is full of ferments! Does this show an addiction? I am saving money making them myself! But, after all, how many jars can one kitchen hold? Under my dishes ...  In the last 2 weeks there has been an amazing change in the vineyard. From the dormant brown we have moved to the vibrant green of new growth. New shoots from 8-12 inches are already grabbing onto the wires for support. Needless to say, we all get excited about the blooms which are soon to be grape ...  One of the things I really enjoyed during our years in Switzerland was asparagus. Now, you may be thinking that of all the things to enjoy, why asparagus? In Switzerland, Spargel Zeit (literally "asparagus time" in German) was a festive season. It signaled the beginning of Spring, the time when flowers were beginning to grow and bloom ...  When we started the tomato, bell pepper and jalepeno pepper seedlings in egg cartons several weeks ago, I knew transplanting them would be necessary. The young seedlings would not stand a chance if planted directly in the garden with the West Texas wind. Transplanting them into small pots was not an option - I have no ... |
     
 
God has amazingly blessed me, Dina-Marie, with a wonderful husband and 10 beautiful children. Moving from our "secure" life in Alabama to the "exciting" life of starting a vineyard in west Texas has definitely been challenging. Besides frugality, farm life and simple living, I have learned the importance of diet, quality of food and traditional cooking. Through the GAPS diet, I am successfully reversing my rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and food allergies. I hope to encourage you to make the most of where you are and what you have as I share my life with you. 
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