AficioNada

It's that time of year again. The sweet and sour odor of fermenting grapes drifts along on the air and large trucks stacked with grape-laden half ton and one ton bins keep getting in my way on the drive to work. I love harvest time, the scents, the energy, the intention with which everyone approaches their days. At Martin Estate, our winemaker Frederic Delivert has the harvest fever, and he's itching to pick...but patiently waiting for our valley floor grapes to finish what they they're doing. The grapes are as stubborn as men, doing things on their own time.

But did you know there's another harvest going on right now? A pumpkin harvest. The gourds are fat and ready just in time to decorate Autumn tables and winery doorsteps. Where are you getting your pumpkins? I hope it's from the Phelps Farm Pumpkin Patch, manned by the St. Helena High School's Future Farmers of America. A team of about 15 high school students planted and tended this patch all summer and into fall. They experimented with new biodegradable mulch products and learned about the art of profit sharing. In fact, much of the funds accrued from this patch will go directly into the students' pockets, with another portion going to FFA programs for the local high school.

Students celebrated the pumpkin harvest - and opened the patch to the public-  this weekend. Local winemakers make a concerted effort to support these kids. Martin Estate buys all of its winery pumpkins from the students, as does David Abreu. If you're in the Napa Valley and surrounding areas, I hope you, too, will stop by and pick up a pumpkin. Or ten. 

The best part is, these kids really know what they're doing. Led by teacher Laura Mendes, they've raised over 15 different heirloom varieties. Striped, golden, orange, Cinderella, and everything in between, they range in size from one to 70lbs. This is as fresh and local as you get. 

Phelps Farm is located in St. Helena, just off the Silverado Trail (between Zinfandel Rd. and Pope Ln). The patch is open every Saturday and Sunday until Halloween, between 11 am and 5 pm. What better way to celebrate the harvest, the holiday and the future farmers of the Napa Valley than by swinging by and stocking up?

Maybe I'll see you there.