Sunday, July 20, 2008

grape arbor

grapes 3 grapes 2
grapes 1 grape vine

My grape vines have lots of fruit now. Unfortunately, I don't prune these, so we don't get edible grapes. I think, because too many clusters form, none of them fully ripen before falling off. (Does this make sense?)

I don't tend them because don't like the taste of them. The variety is Catawba.

However, the birds love them, especially the cardinals. And the vines make a nice shaded area above the grill on my patio.

From Johnson Nursery:
The Catawba grape dates back to the early 1800's being found along the Catawba River in NC. The red grapes have a crisp flesh that is very sweet, and juicy. Great for fresh eating, juice and a pretty pink wine. The vine is vigorous and productive. Zones 5-8

From Wikipedia:
Catawba grapes were introduced to wine-growers in the 1800s by Major John Adlum of Georgetown, D.C.. Grown predominantly on the East Coast of the United States, this purplish-red grape has a rather sweet flavor. It is typically in season from September to November and can be used in wines, juice, jams and jellies. Although usually classified as Vitis labrusca, Catawba is widely believed to have at least some Vitis vinifera in its background. The grape can have a pronounced musky or "foxy" flavor, which some aficionados consider inferior to the flavor of V. vinifera, though others find it distinctive and pleasant.

5 comments:

Dan said...

I remember cutting a ladies lawn when I was younger and she had grape vines. They were always full of hornets that freaked me out.

The bee in flight photo is get, you are very good with a camera. What equipment do you use?

kathy said...

My camera is a Canon EOS digital Rebel WTi with a Canon EFS 17-85 mm lens. A great camera that I take everywhere with me (except near water).

I also photoshop my photos to correct for shadows/highlights as its hard to get a good shot in the bright sunlight.

Dan said...

I use a Nikon D40 with a similar lens to yours as well as a 70-300mm but that is more for wildlife then veggies.

I have also ran into problems in full sun so I try to take photo's mainly in the evening when the sun is low. I have also had good luck with polarizer filters, if you are not familiar with them they just screw on the end of your lens, you turn them until the glare is cut and take your shot. Kind of like the sunglasses you can see into water with. I found mine on ebay in order to get the filter for a great price.

kathy said...

I have a macro lens as my extra lens. I only use it occasionally. I think the Nikon's tend to be made for bigger hands than mine.

I can't always go to my community plot in low light, though I do love to photograph in the rain or a very cloudy day.

I tend to get better lighting shots of my home garden. Its right there outside of my window.

I am working on getting better at PhotoShop, which I think should be able to do anything a filter can, plus some. Do you think a filter is better?

Dan said...

oh yeah you can defiantly get the same results with editing. I like the polarizer because you see the results right though the view finder as well as for using in direct sun light. Some times in direct light you can not edit the lighting very well if there is alot of glare.