By Russell Rolffs Planting trees and tending vines has absorbed the majority of our efforts so far, but education is at the heart of our organization. Gathering Ground’s internship is entering its fourth year in 2021, and we are excited about how the program is...
By Nora Boxer, UWM graduate student in creative writing This January, I was given the opportunity to participate as a student in Write On, Door County’s The Craft of Writing Series via a scholarship made possible through Gathering Ground. The focus of the...
By Alex Krantz, Gathering Ground intern 2020 Before becoming an intern with my sister Izzy at Gathering Ground, I was an Island regular. Every summer my family would drive up from our Illinois suburb to Washington Island, anticipating the euphoric moment when we would...
by Russell Rolffs, farm manager This year, Gathering Ground grazed six White Dorper sheep, rotating them through the vineyard June to August and then the young chestnut and fruit orchards the rest of the season. Combining livestock with crops is a sustainable...
This year the grapes didn’t ripen very well — they have low sugars (10-13 brix) and won’t make good wine. The low sugars are due to the downy mildew that prematurely defoliated the vines and prevented them from ripening the grapes adequately. While...
