Did you know that America’s first commercial winery was in
Kentucky? Jean Jacques Dufour purchased land on the Kentucky River in 1798 and formed the Kentucky Vineyard Society. In 1803, Dufour’s first vintage went to Thomas Jefferson. The heirloom tomato is easily Nathan's favorite crop to grow, but there will always be a special place in our hearts for the vineyard. When Nathan and I decided to take the plunge into full-time farming, we were blessed to have a transitional opportunity as Nathan was contracted to plant the vineyard at the Western Kentucky University farm. We had also planted a small vineyard on our two acres in Bowling Green a few years before, and they were starting to fruit. Nathan would leave some of the low lying branches so the kids could pick them right off the vine. One of my favorite memories is sitting outside on a blanket with Lilah and Adaline while Elizabeth brought us grapes from the vine, one at a time. Our bodies were hydrated and nourished from each of those refreshing grapes. There's something sacred and meaningful about the pruning away of branches--the symbolic cutting away of those things that no longer serve us so we can experience something even better. ”I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. My Father examines every branch in Me and cuts away those who do not bear fruit. He leaves those bearing fruit and carefully prunes them so that they will bear more fruit.” John 15:1-2 Moving farms was that kind of pruning for us, leaving behind our beginnings in order to embrace possibility. And of course, we started over with a new vineyard--the first thing Nathan planted--and he made sure to leave low lying branches, this time for Adaline and Sterling. We focus on table grapes that will soon be in production for our farm members, schools, sales at Community Farmers Market and for HOTEL INC. Nathan's favorite table grape varieties: Reliance, Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Vanessa
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YEAR ON THE FARMStories, recipes, and lessons learned on our farm and in community here in South Central Kentucky. Archives
December 2019
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