Other Customers from the Farmer's Market

I just read a delightful blog today from a unique blogger who write for Central PA Parenting Magazine. Plain Jane did a very nice write-up on her experience at the Farmer's Market of Hershey last week. I wanted to share it with readers because it really sums up why we participate in the market and what we hope to accomplish. Hope you enjoy it.
http://www.centralpennparent.com/category/Community/Blogs/PlainJane(Blogginitmomstyle).aspx
I wanted to post some pictures and explanations about how much our grapes and grape vines are changing with the seasonal changes but there will be time for that next week.

Don't forget about the wine pairing dinner at Dafnos on August 8 from 6- 8:00. More information is available on Dafno's website.
http://dafnos.com/

Hot Times at the Hershey Farmer's Market

The official temperature today at the Hershey Farmer's Market was 100 degrees. Our white sangria and crisp white wines were a big hit as shoppers looked for a refreshing way to cool down and relax to escape the heat. With our stand next to the Lindendale Goat Cheese stand we are perfectly situated to provide a hot weather drink and next door you can find a wonderful cheese to pair with our crisp white wines. The market is doing well and next week we will again have a butcher providing fresh meats to our customers.
Also, starting next week we will be begin taking reservations for our Cassel Vineyards/Hershey Farmer's Market wine pairing dinner at Dafnos on August 8th. If you are interested stop by our table and sign up for tickets because they will go fast. Meanwhile, stay cool and relax.

Taking Care of our Help

Thanks for all the help!! It has truly been amazing that we have had so much help the past 8 weeks. Here are some pictures of the kids, their friends and the work that they have accomplished in the vineyard the last couple of months. If anyone says that young kids today don't want to work anymore, they have not met the young kids who are helping us every morning to prune, leaf pull, shoot thin and cluster thin our 5 acres of vines. With all the rain it was a lot of work to keep all the growth in check. Thanks to the last two weeks of dry, hot weather the vines have begun to slow their growth and we have actually gotten them under control. Here are our helpers and their jobs. Quentin is pulling excess leaves from the Cabernet Franc vines to improve air flow.

Cole is clipping off the excess clusters because the 4th year vines have produced 3 times more grapes than they can possibly ripen into quality fruit.

Blake aka "muck man" thins shoots in the fruiting zone to improve air flow and decrease the shading in the fruit zone.

Elliot looks through the canopy on the low wire where he is thinning the clusters.

Lee works to tuck the shoots under the upper catch wires, hedges the rogue shoots and shortens any of the long terminal shoots.

Avery pulls leaves in the fruit zone on the south side to improve light penetration.
Josh also pulls the leaves on the north side to improve light penetration and air flow.

Thank goodness we have such hard workers or our vineyard would be out of control. Thanks for all the hard work!!!

Taste of Hummelstown 1 Year Anniversary

It has been one year since we opened our doors to the community at the Taste of Hummelstown. We enjoyed our first year and hope that everyone who has tried our wine continues to stop by and offer their stories and encouragement. We heard from many people last night and I wanted to make sure that I included the recipe from our Red Sangria that we served last year because several people asked us for it.

Red Sangria

1 Bottle "Cassel Vineyards of Hershey" Strawberry Wine

1 Bottle " Cassel Vineyards of Hershey" Concord Wine

1/4 can of frozen lemonade concentrate

2 Tbs. of frozen orange juice concentrate

1/2 bag of frozen mixed fruit (optional)

ice cubes

Last night we offered samples of our White Sangria so if you are looking for that recipe as well, it is in the preceding blog post.

Once again, thank you for a wonderful first year of business. It is so much fun to live and work in a community like Hummelstown where everyone is so supportive.

Keeping our Little Feathered Friends Safe

Avery was pruning the Cabernet Franc vines yesterday when she came across this perfect little nest with it's eggs. She was very concerned for the family show she left the plant untouched and just took a picture for me to post. There are quite a few birds that make their home in the vineyard. We are serenaded by a mocking bird every day that sings from the top of the ash tree between the Concord and the Cabernet Franc vines. The family of kingbirds return every year and flit from post to post as we walk between the rows of the vines. Bluebirds search throughout the vineyard for insect pests while robins hop down the rows looking for grubs, caterpillars and worms. All-in-all there is a lot of entertainment in the vineyard just listening and watching the birds that make their home there.

White Sangria is a big Hit on a Hot Day

Cassel Vineyards has come up with a new Summer Sangria for this year's taste of Hummelstown. Hope you can come out and give it a try it tastes fantastic. If you can't make it on Monday, July 18 at 6:00, perhaps you can make it to the Warwick to sample our wines on Tuesday, July 19 from 6 - 8:00. If not we want to share the recipe so that you can try it yourself, all you need is several bottles of our wine and some friends.

White Sangria
1 Bottle Cassel Vineyards Niagara
1 Bottle Cassel Vineyards Vidal Blanc
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cups lemon lime soda (7up)
1 lemon, 1 lime and 1 orange sliced or 1 bag frozen fruit
ice to chill
In a large bowl or pitcher mix the 2 wines orange juice and sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add fruit and gently pour in the soda. Serve with ice to chill. Enjoy!

New Technology Looks Good and Works Fine

There is something to be said for new technology. Here Becky uses the tractor to trim the vineyard. With the air conditioned cab and trim mower, the job takes much less time than it used to. The tractor has power steering, power breaks and protects the driver from sun and noise. With Becky and Jody driving the tractor now, its easy to understand why Chris and I are happy to invest in new technology. However, we still enjoy using the old machinery too.