More Spring – Shrooms and Wine!

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Richard H. McBee Jr.

**The first glass of my Spring Heron Pond Wine** made from Old Viento State Park red Concord variety grapes.

You can tell it’s Spring when the flowers come out, but there are a lot of other indicators that show us Spring is just bustin’ out all over! The wine from the grapes that I crushed last fall and put to ferment has now gone still and it’s time to put a few Campden tablets in to stop any further fermentation and bad flavor bacteria, molds, or yeasts from spoiling the brew. Then it will be into the bottles for 10 gallons of my Heron Pond wine to be used as a home remedy for all sorts of ills over the summer and into next winter. Sorry! Home consumption only. McBee’s “Heron Pond” brew never seems to last long enough to get into the big times of Oregon Viticulture. OH! yes, don’t forget to notice the great daffodils in the background!

Then I came across another great Spring indicator, generally found just about the same time the Trillium and Erythronium flowers come out on my property. (You saw these in my last post!)

Where did you say you found that sack full of Morel Shrooms?

Ha! Top secret! I’ll never tell!

**A Gallon of Morel Mushrooms!** With a couple of Oyster shrooms near the top!

Whoa! You say just popping up everywhere around Hood River where there are stands of big old cottonwood trees? Hmm! Bet by now they are – All Gone!

Here’s what a batch looks like in the frying pan!