Bee & Thistle Winery

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Harvesting - 2019

German Wine Rhubarb

The fine weather arrived on the prairies and we were excited to work the 2019 harvesting season. The first crop of the season was the beautiful German Wine Rhubarb.

Before the end of June we were able to harvest approximately 400 pounds of German Wine Rhubarb. This was done in two sessions, two weeks apart. A third picking in July produced an additional 400 pounds. All of the Rhubarb has been sliced, stored in sanitized fruit buckets and then frozen.

Haskap

The first week of July is the busiest time at the Haskap orchards. With nearly 10,000 Haskap bushes ripening, it was full steam ahead with getting the berries harvested, cleaned and frozen. We used our Polish-designed Weremczuk Joanna Premium harvester which allowed us to efficiently and safely harvest the fruit, minimizing damage to the plants and increasing the productivity of the crew. Although hand-picking is desired by many, in reality, the fruit is cleaner and harvested more efficiently by machine. In addition, reaching the freezer for cooling more rapidly gives a higher quality product for wine-making.

Once we obtain our manufacturer’s permit, we will produce our inaugural Haskap wine, Chiad Fhion.

Harvest Video

Please enjoy the video we put together from this year’s harvest.

2019 Bee & Thistle Orchard Harvest