Angeka On The Farm

CREATING A RURAL LIFE.

Grapes on the soles of her shoes

Posted on September 6, 2008 - Filed Under bees, canning, fruit, grapes, paper bags, picking fruit, ridiculous city girl

I picked grapes for the first time…and you could definitely tell it was my first time. It was very Gza Gza Green Acres mixed with a dose of I Love Lucy. See during the morning, I was in my city-girl role dressed in sky-high heels and above the knee skirt. I thought I was just picking up a few tubs of grapes and putting them in the car. However, when I got to the grape site, they were still on the vine waiting to be picked. Oh.

At first the heels came in handy as most of the grapes were hanging overhead, but after a few moments I realized this was going to take a while and my feet weren’t going to last so my stilt shoes were replaced by an overturned bucket. If you ever decide to grow grapes, I don’t recommend vining them on an overhanging arbor. Although it looks nice, it’s not very practical when the grapes are raining down on you while you’re picking. I had grapes in my hair, down my shirt. I was sticky and purple and attractive only to bees, wasps and assorted bugs.

I managed to fill 3 paper bags full. Not the best carrying method for a smooshy, juicy fruit, but all I had since, again, I didn’t think I would be the one picking! They made it home okay, but carrying them out of the car was iffy and resulted in grape jam all over the carport. Oh, the bugs love me even more.

So tonight I started making grape juice. 1 bagful = about 2-3 quarts of juice. It’s not too labor intensive, but definitely messy. My counters are purple, my fingers are purple. The Oompa Loompa song is playing over and over in my head. Yeah, I know it was a giant blueberry girl, but close enough.

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• About

  This is my attempt to document my life on 7 acres in southwest georgia with my husband, son and numerous other animals. Our goal is to grow food that hasn’t been genetically modified, altered or chemically induced; raise lots of animals; and live a more natural,(and hopefully slightly saner) life. We have never done anything like this before. Our current motto is plant the seed, water it and see what happens. As far as the garden goes, it seems to be working, but I suppose this way of thinking applies to more than just growing food.

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  • Seann: I hope the Harvey-Kiminas clan is weathering all these freezes well. My partner and friend opened up an organic farm on his property near Quincy: Full Earth Farms. I’m a co-op member. I’m appreciating the produce and how much work it takes to make a living being a small farmer.
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