Beginners' class offered by Sacramento Home Winemakers
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Learn to turn raw grapes into wine in a beginners' class next month. (Photo:
Debbie Arrington)
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Got grapes? Maybe it’s time to learn how to make wine!
Sacramento Home Winemakers, a local club devoted to helping folks safely make their own vino, is hosting a beginners’ class, “Winemaking 101.” Set for Aug. 4 and 6, it’s a wonderful opportunity to learn a lot about the basics of turning raw grapes or fresh juice into something drinkable for years to come.
It’s not uncommon in our region for gardeners to grow grapes; vineyards obviously thrive in our climate. More and more grapevines are covering fences and trellises in suburban backyards.
Sometimes, those vines were planted by someone else – and came with the house.
“People are moving into new digs with small, home wine-grape vineyards, but they don’t know how to make wine,” says Gin Yang of Sacramento Home Winemakers.
Or you can get your grapes from someone else; this group has sources for grapes, too.
This class is designed for those aspiring DIY winemakers as well as a refresher course for folks who have made their own wine before. And the class comes in time for this fall’s grape harvest and the group’s New Winemakers Group Crush.
With seven hours of instruction, the workshop is divided into two parts: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, via Zoom; and in person 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, in Granite Bay. (Location supplied after registration.)
“We’ll guide you through the essential steps, throw in a little chemistry, taste wines, and have lots of fun,” say the organizers.
The workshop includes:
-- Steps for making white and red wines.
-- Resources for getting supplies and chemicals.
-- Safe use of winemaking equipment.
-- Where to source wine grapes.
-- Finding mentors and resources.
-- Learn about this harvest’s New Winemakers Group Crush.
Space is limited. Registration is open now. The workshop is free to SHW members; $30 for non-members. But join the club and workshop fee will be waived.
Questions? Contact WM101 Coordinator Joe McGillivray at 916-261-9438 or WM101@sachomewine.com.
Details and link to register: www.sachomewine.com .
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Flowers in My Back Yard Series
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Garden checklist for week of May 24
Take advantage of this “normal” week and get stuff done. Your garden needs you.
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. Time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Support with trellises, cages or stakes rapidly growing tomatoes, peppers, eggplants or other tall crops that may get knocked around in those gusty winds.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters. (You also can transplant seedlings for many of the same flowers.)
* Plant dahlia tubers.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Remember to irrigate your tender transplants. Seedlings need consistent moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants. Water early in the morning for best results.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Put your veggie garden on a regular diet. Set up a monthly feeding program, and keep track on your calendar. Make sure to water your garden before applying any fertilizer to prevent “burning” your plants.
* As spring-flowering shrubs finish blooming, give them a little pruning to shape them, removing old and dead wood. Lightly trim azaleas, fuchsias and marguerites for bushier plants.
* Don’t forget to weed! Those invaders are growing fast.
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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series
Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening
WINTER
Is edible gardening possible indoors?
Hints for choosing tomato seeds
Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees
When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
How to squeeze more food into less space
Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Win the weed war by tackling them in winter
Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables
Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
Ways to win the fight against weeds
FALL
Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden
Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it
Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come
Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying
Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?
Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden
Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden
Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers
Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air
Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets
Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty
Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?
Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest
SUMMER
Sept. 16: Time to shut it down?
Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch
Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning
Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?
Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you
Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water
Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers
July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?
July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty
July 15: Does this plant need water?
July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions
July 1: How to grow summer salad greens
June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
SPRING
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
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