The grapes have been picked, stemmed and crushed. The winery is filled with the wonderful smell of fermentation! There is something very rewarding about the concept of vineyard to vat, grapes to goblet, farm to table, farm to fork, onions to oven, pesto to pizza and squash to salad. We are always coming up with a fun way to describe our motto here at Van Till Family Farm & Winery. We are farmers and love to value add to what we grow so our guests can have an enjoyable experience here at the farm & winery.
But there was another harvest this fall at the winery, though along the lines of farm to table, this one is more like weeds to wall!
Clay for the Wall
Yes, we took our own soil (where weeds come from), added a few stabilizers and built an Earthen Wall on the east side of the Patio Pavillion gardens. It is quite a piece of craftsmanship. We thoroughly enjoyed watching Floyd and Linda build it last month. The wall has been made with Compressed Earth Blocks , also called CEB, which are bricks that are made from mostly clay, and a little sand and cement. This mix is loaded, somewhat dry, into a hopper, and with hydraulics it is pressed into large bricks.
Under 1200 psi, these bricks are durable!
Bricks from Clay for the Wall Earthen Plaster is applied to the bricks giving a smooth finish to the wall. With a water repellent finish, it will be water proof and ready for the weather. The wall will be the backdrop for a
The finished wall waiting for the water feature.
The water feature will certainly add to the peaceful and relaxing atmosphere that is here at the winery. Even though the weather has cooled down, the garden path is still extending an invitation to explore the fall garden. Follow the path and come see the wall!
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