A Not-So-Simple Life!
I remember watching Green Acres on TV when I was very young, which makes me well on my way to being very old. The absurdity of taking a thoroughly citified woman and plunking her down on a farm to start a new life with her husband was a stretch. Though it seemed comically silly back then, I kind of get it now.
The experience of growing up in the suburbs induced a deep sense of ennui in my young soul. I knew there was more to the world than the haven of mowed lawns and swimming pools. I was ready to find out when off I went to France in my senior year of High School. Touching down in Paris for a few weeks was life-changing. My mind was blown. After that, I moved to the smaller city of Nantes, where I roamed freely with my new French friends. Midnight scooter rides, carousing in bars, and smoking the occasional hand-rolled cigarette (just to be cool) created a deep-seated thrill. I was hooked on city life. Once I returned stateside, I hightailed it as fast as I could to a city, first New York, then Boston and San Francisco. I never looked back to suburbia or, worse, the COUNTRYSIDE.
Boom. I married Rob and was suddenly shifted from the city (San Francisco) to the country (Napa). I was charmed by the openness of the land, the climate, the greenness, the vineyards, and the close ties to the rhythms of nature. Thoughts of Green Acres came flooding back to me when I realized I was out of my league in the farming department. I’d had a garden in my youth and loved it, but the scale of the gardens at the winery and the one I created on our Capa Vineyard scared the hell out of me. I adapted and ran with it with varied success. There were many unexpected triumphs but also many fruitless plants and dead shoots until I got my bearings. True success came when I began working with nature instead of against it. I realized that many plants could survive with less water if you allowed them to adapt. I learned that fertilizer wasn’t necessary if you studied leaves, fruit set, and growth patterns, and a good compost not only delivered nutrients but also built up the soil and provided texture and air to the roots of the plants. My drop into farming was a heady experience.
Then came Wilding Farm, and my brain exploded once again. I thought life would slow down a bit and become more simplified as we moved to concentrate our food farming in one place. Becoming a caretaker to hundreds of olive trees, an heirloom fruit orchard, and several garden vegetable patches was almost too much. I wasn’t doing it alone, of course. We had a small team of 3 – Patty, Juan, and Antonio, with Kari, our fearless Vineyard Farm manager, and our small but mighty vineyard crew to shoulder some of the heavy lifting.
Taking the farm from neglected sparseness to exploding with deliciousness in just a couple of seasons now has me strategizing how to distribute and process 400 pounds of plums, 800 pounds of apples, and just as many pears. Kari takes the olives to press, but mighty Patty, with Antonio’s help, handles the garden and the hundreds of pounds of beans, cucumbers, squash, beets, tomatoes, potatoes, and herbs. It’s a head-spinning time that keeps our wheels turning year-round.
Life hasn’t become simpler since we moved to the farm. There are nights when I fall into bed sore and exhausted from digging holes, pruning, weeding, planting, tying, and harvesting fruits and vegetables. Would I change things? Not one bit, but we sure could use a few more hands.
Until the next wine…
Maria
SALAD DAYS
Because I’ve been so busy, life in the kitchen has become much simpler and deliciously successful. The two salads below marry effortlessly with the brightness and elegance of our Pinot Gris and take minutes to throw together. Their simplicity is welcome when you’re worn out from a day in the garden. If you can’t find Moscatel Vinegar, a high-acid white wine vinegar with a pinch of sugar may be substituted.
EAT: Ripe Peach, Mozzarella, Pine Nut and Tarragon Salad
EAT: Pear, Chicory, Goat Cheese and Pine Nut Salad