# Good to be home



## PolishWineP (Oct 5, 2007)

I love to travel and had just the best of times at this year's WineStock, but it's good to be home! It finally cooled down here and now I can bake. Here is today's project. I wonder if Poor Bert can smell it out in the tractor?


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## NorthernWinos (Oct 5, 2007)

Glad you made that long journey safe and sound.
That wind is chilly today...That loaf of bread looks so comforting....nothing warms the house andsenses like bread baking in the oven...I made apple crisp...smells pretty good too.


They are saying 80* tomorrow and thunder storms...hard to keep up with he changes in weather these days....On my table by the door lays a sweat band and a wool hat I wore to harvest Brussels Sprouts this morning, when it was blowing and raining....The clothes are even battling for presence during the changing of the seasons....shorts and sweaters on the chair....we know who will win this battle.


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## PolishWineP (Oct 5, 2007)

I do love my family so I sliced and buttered some bread and took it out to husband and son. They were quite pleased.


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## grapeman (Oct 5, 2007)

So there is a prince there too? That bread looks wonderful and I can smell it from here!


It seems like it has been months since you said Bert was starting the sugar beet harvest. How long does harvest season last? How about a picture of Bert in his harvesting rig?


NW- weather here this AM down to 45 or so and mid 80's this afternoon without a cloud in the sky! What an Autumn! Tomorrow about 70 for a high with clouds and then rain showers for a week in the 60's.


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## PolishWineP (Oct 5, 2007)

Yes, there is also a prince. Just don't tell him that! His brain hasn't taken it quite that far yet. 
This picture of Bert and the harvest rig is about 3 years old. It was a fine autumn day when I took it.


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## grapeman (Oct 5, 2007)

Excellent. Looks like alarge potato harvester. Does he work for someone or do you guys have a sugar beet farm? Either way- ultra-cool. I'll be thinking of him the next time I throw a bag of sugar into the primary!


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## Wade E (Oct 5, 2007)

Thats quite the pc of machinery there!


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## PolishWineP (Oct 5, 2007)

appleman said:


> Excellent. Looks like alarge potato harvester. Does he work for someone or do you guys have a sugar beet farm? Either way- ultra-cool. I'll be thinking of him the next time I throw a bag of sugar into the primary!


*Yes ladies and gentlemen, Poor Bert is out there harvesting sugar beets so that all of us can make wine! Raise your glasses to Poor Bert!*
Bert is an employee. I could never marry a farmer, too much worry about weather, money, etc.



I'm too old for that kind of stress.
They also grow grains, dry beans, corn, sunflowers, edible beans... It all depends on the year.


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## grapeman (Oct 5, 2007)

Here's to you Bert for harvesting the beets for sugar so we can all make wine!


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## bovinewines (Oct 5, 2007)

PWP...I can smell that all the way to Dallas girl!


Dang!


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## PolishWineP (Oct 6, 2007)

Hop on that motorcycle and come on up here for some bread! We always (almost) have room for a guest.


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## Wade E (Oct 6, 2007)

That loaf looks like it woud make a great Dagwood sandwich if anyone remembers that from the funnies.




Bert, you Da Man!


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## patrick1 (Oct 7, 2007)

great to hear you made it home ok and glad to have met you both enjoyed it and will see you next year as well


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## Bert (Oct 7, 2007)

Just a few more beet harvest pictures...






Machine in the rear is removing the tops of the beets [tractor is kind of hidden] . Harvestor is loading a truck, digging 8 rows at a time.






And another load of raw sugar headed for the piling station.... Weather permitting this goes on 24hrs. a day7 days a week...Right now we are shut down because of rain and fields are to wet.


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## Wade E (Oct 7, 2007)

Thats quite the load there and I really had no idea sugar was from beets at all! What else besides cane is sugar made from and what is the biggest resource of sugar.


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## Bert (Oct 7, 2007)

Some packages of sugar will say on them what they are from...Corn sugar is used a lot....pop, candy...there is usually some kind of sugar in just about everything we eat natural or added.


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## Wade E (Oct 7, 2007)

Yeah that 1 I knew of but forgot at the moment as I have a 5lb bag of that for making Sparkling or beer.


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## Waldo (Oct 8, 2007)

How many acres of beets are you harvesting Bert?


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## Bert (Oct 8, 2007)

The farm has about 2400 contracted acres..[you must have a contract to raise them]... When things are going good we can dig about 200 acres in a 24 hrs....When things don't go so well it goes down from there....The window for digging is limited..not over 60 degrees and not below 27 degrees and than throw in some rain and it gets too wet to dig [ like today]. It all makes for a lot of fun.


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## rgecaprock (Oct 8, 2007)

A prettier loaf of bread I have never seen!!!


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