If our harvest is like a hurricane, then October marks the “calm” after the storm. At this point, our crews of hundreds have dwindled down to our normal dozens of workers. The field trucks with their “custom” canopies are all lined up and ready to hibernate till next season. The tractor-trailers, which showed up throughout the day and all hours of the night, have slowed down to just one every now and then. While the mechanical harvesters may still be picking the last of the juice muscadines, the varieties that are sold for fresh market are all gone. By the end of the month, the leaves have turned, finally signaling that fall really is on its way, whether or not the weather feels like it.

However, just because things seem calm, that doesn’t mean the work is finished! Now, our focus shifts from fresh muscadines to processing those that were harvested for juices, supplements, and wines. Although there are different procedures for each, the muscadines are crushed, pressed, and/or deseeded so that all the components can be stored appropriately. Throughout the year, whatever is needed is taken out so that the processing can be completed.

This year, we’ve had even more going on with the construction of our new tasting room and store! Soon we will open the doors on our inviting front porch to welcome our customers to sample our wines and shop all of our products created here on the farm, as well as some new gift and wine-related items. It will be worth the trip out here to see all that we have to offer! Stay updated on our construction progress by following us on Facebook or Instagram.

Welcome to our front porch!

The entrance to our wine-tasting room and store

Of course, this year, we’ve also had to deal with the aftermath of a literal hurricane, Michael. Fortunately, we had very little damage here on the farm and only lost power for less than 24 hours. We have many friends here in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, who were not as lucky. Then there are those in North Carolina who felt the impact of Hurricane Florence. Our prayers are with all who are working to rebuild their families’ farms and businesses. We encourage everyone to visit those places which depend on tourism for their livelihood, like wineries, corn mazes, farmers markets, and other agri-tourism destinations. Your purchases help them to continue their work and their families’ legacies.