Thank you, kymber - you are a special friend indeed :)
Well, t'would seem that I finally got the pruning of the grape vines right last winter.
For the first time ever I have been able to harvest more than 1 or 2 bunches of grapes from our grape vines.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITxEERGczT0gIEMEzmJ4wOA1kmAU-tRYTEQDVskbPu3rV68Wi3y81dewlJg2Pm4IjgazRhaLD4SqZToZVnhPfZ58XPffuW4YSwcVYEzNA4FHB9BPZ3L_D5S4SxjTUnVg3-2sLbckYazso/s320/2016+Grape+harvest+IMG_0001+%25283%2529.jpg) |
Some of the grapes I harvested this summer |
I always thought that it was the hares that were emptying the grapes from our vines before we had had a chance to munch some, but have just discovered that the mousebirds don't need any help from that quarter and that I had erroneously attributed the loss of grapes to the hares.
When I set about protecting our fruit trees from the mousebirds with the foil trays, I didn't have enough to protect the vines.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BDOcKasztdCD9M8ux3j2FJuvoE1cyxaaG9iREPOs-LDyY1X6vfmI8VCLQLfZrSoPjETGwlGJxGHtm4wop-CjK1vx_BZ5eaYn9Ec5ug6qRPmau7DS1inzHkImh3_ytygudeeAlt0B_8o7/s320/Grape+vine+protection+IMG_0001.JPG) |
Recycled onion net bags - used to protect the grapes from the mousebirds |
I did, however, have a few empty onion net bags from waaaaaay back when I was still buying them (yes, I am a hoarder, and proud of it ;) ) so they were wrapped round the larger bunches of grapes.
Thankfully, the limited number of net bags I had worked their magic and allowed me to harvest a third of the bunches of grapes - the mousebirds got the rest.
Big bowls full of grapes to munch on after dinner...
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Dessert in the evening :) |
... and some to turn into raisins and sultana's.
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Dried fruit in the making - they will be a good reminder of summers harvest in winter when we eat them :) |
All the squishy grapes weren't wasted either...
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Soft, almost discard-able grapes weren't wasted either |
... they were quickly gobbled up by the chickens.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-gfZmBf7i_avgaiBQq3GvO7s37NKCRgSYOTPbAhyphenhyphen2OMUBvLiq3YHuDrJD6OQu0kH2df9tKICR0WChDgjA6XRFwVozBux3uZX0BU73pnxkLm4XiDkL8-YSuqI2dbnkugf40dzgAAdPT7Q/s320/2016+Grape+harvest+IMG_0001+%25288%2529.jpg) |
Did you know that chickens l-o-v-e grapes? |
I have recently seen those net bags for sale at the co-op, and I will need to get a stock in for next summer.
It has taken 3 years to come to grips with how to prevent (larger) pests from eating our fruit - be that the strawberries, youngberries, apples / pears / apricots / plums / pomegranates, or grapes. Next year, hopefully, I will be able to harvest more so that we have enough to eat, and a surplus which I can preserve through drying and canning.
That is my aim for summer 2016 / 2017 - to have enough of summer's fruit bounty left over, in one form or another, to tide us through the winter.