Okra- Gardening Tips from the Culinary View as recommended by Michael Vidrine August is a pretty stressful month for gardening and gardeners in our area. This month is often pretty dry and really hot but the garden and orchard can still be bountiful. This is the month for the plants that really love the heat […]
Wine Pairings for Dishes with Jujube as recommended by Karen Bonarrigo & Merrill Bonarrigo Wine & Jujube (Chinese Red Date): Dates do not grow in our area but Jujube’s do and dried jujube’s taste just like dates! Pit them just like dates before using in a recipe. Use them in any recipe calling for dates. […]
Executive Chef Chris Shepley of The Vintage House Restaurant features vineyard cuisine and locally grown fresh from the garden produce in his recipes. He conducts Cooking Parties with the Chef on the third Sunday of each month at Messina Hof Winery.
JUJUBE – GARDENING TIPS FROM THE CULINARY VIEW as recommended by Michael Vidrine It is certain that August will be a warm month and possibly quite dry as well. Despite tough growing conditions, we will be harvesting one of our most hardy and somewhat unusual fruit trees – the jujube. The jujube (Ziziphus jujuba ) […]
Joy Pottery Across the street from Messina Hof Winery is Joy Pottery. It is the home of artist Rachel Norris and her featured potters. Not only can you buy beautiful clay creations, but you can take lessons or join us for a weekly Tuesday noon bible study which is open to all. “Joy Pottery is […]
Tips for your Garden in August as recommended by Charla Anthony Timing is always important for gardening, but never more so than in late summer when starting warm season crops for a fall garden. The best planting dates are short intervals of time for vegetables like tomatoes that must be planted in August. And it […]
Eggplants are heavily used in Italian dishes. At the markets in Sicily, eggplant and cucuzza are at every farm stand. Paul and I grow both in our garden. Cucuzzza is a prolific Italian squash. It produces consistently through August until first frost and the squash can grow to 3’ long. Cucuzza can be used in […]
First ever harvest at Messina Hof Estates in the Vineyard District! It is so exciting to harvest and see how well the plants at Messina Hof Estates have done. Harvest from around the state is rolling in. The sugars are going up. The color in the Lenoir Papa Paulo Port skins is getting darker. As […]
We travel to expand our experiences as a couple, building one memory at a time. A favorite part of our travels is experiencing food and wine of the specific region on our journey. Whether it is casual or fine dining, we always want to know the local recommendations and not simply tourist places. This will […]
WINE PAIRINGS FOR BABA GANOUSH as recommended by Karen Bonarrigo • Roasting eggplant results in caramelization of the vegetables that bring out sweet, baking spice flavors • Eggplant is great for soaking up other flavors in the dish, whether those flavors are citrus juice, balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, baked cheeses, creating versatile wine paring dishes • […]