Watching the Weathervane

September 4th, 2017 Missive from J.K. Farm

I thought of Mary Poppins looking at the weathervane and seeing the arrow pointing to a new direction. In the movie this was her cue to pack her magical carpet bag and umbrella and move to a new place. I thought of this as I closed the shutters on the loafing barn windows this past Saturday night. I had never thought of doing this all summer as the weather had been warm and stable. Now I was feeling a change. A change of season from summer to fall. In Toronto, this feeling has for years coincided with the labour day weekend and the air show at the CNE. Here in Hillier it is more about the wind picking up and the clouds moving quickly across the night sky, obscuring and then revealing the waxing crescent moon. I admire Steve Ireland’s workmanship as I lock the shutters in place over the large screen windows that have kept the loafing barn cool all summer for our diners. The forecast calls for wind and rain over the next few days. Come Wednesday I will re-open the shutters and begin again to prepare for the dinner we will serve next Saturday. As I sit to compose the menu I am responding to this shift from torpor to crispness and dream of cooler weather braises and roasts. I pluck a black walnut from the tree near my house and scrape my nail over the surface of the lime green fruit and smell the strong fragrance of citrus and oil. The tender kernels inside with their soft crunch so delicious in a salad are there to harvest for those armed with patience and a good hammer.

I can’t help thinking ahead to the inevitable winter. This past spring began with a promise of a fruitful year. Spring generally is a season of optimism, the beginning of a new year. My grapevines had shown such great promise. Cool and damp weather from the early going and extending into the summer determined a different fate for my grapes this year. In any year, the vines are susceptible to mildew. This year the pressure proved too much for me and my vines to control. At some point in mid July, I decided to renew my optimism for a good harvest next season. In the weeks ahead I will determine my strategy for protecting the vines through the cold winter. I consider this as I walked up through the vines to the ridge to meet Bruno and Jens, co-owners of The Old Third. In spite of the mildew pressure this summer, I admire the vines’ resilience and their determination to bear fruit again. Bruno and Jens are standing behind the bar as I approach, pouring their exceptional ginger beer as an aperitif for our guests this past Saturday. I look forward to tasting their wines each year at this dinner. We gathered in the loafing barn and tasted through their amazing portfolio. The botrytis affected Pinot Noir from the 2009 vintage, served with the cheese course was particularly memorable. After dinner people were drawn to the bonfire as much for the spectacle of it as for the radiant heat it offered as well. It was then that I thought of Mary Poppins and the latching of the shutters.