As I said, the garden is bountiful.  Grapes growing over the arbor perfume the air, sweet and sticky.  We've got the "American" variety, which basically means "food grapes" as opposed to the oh-so-elite "wine grapes".  Those with the knowledge, however, will use these grapes, not as innocent snacks to slip into an elementary school lunch box, but as the key ingredient in a delicious, highly potent home-made wine called fragolino.

Now, fragolino does not translate to "grape", but to "little strawberry", as the perfume and tastes of these grapes gives nods to the sweet summertime fruit.  Due to legal restrictions- I believe resulting from dangerous, sub-standard wine production in the past as well as the suspicion that the uva Americana grape was responsible for the phylloxera plague which destroyed practically all of the native grapes in Europe in the 19th century- fragolino is illegal to sell (but not to make) in Italy.  If you ever do see it in stores, it's probably just an alcohol made from fermented fruit, often times not even strawberries, just doctored up with "strawberry flavoring" and is, therefore, not a wine, just a big ol' mess.  How lame to drink a faux-flavored liquor pretending to be a wine pretending to be a fruit (a tonic that just SCREAMS hangover, in my opinion), instead of just drinking the real thing: a wine made from grapes that have a flavor so incredibly reminiscent of strawberries that they had no choice but to name it as such.

FL's youngest brother makes fragolino every year, and a glass at it's peak is a celebration in and of itself. I'll stuff as many of the sweet grapes in my mouth as I can and give the rest to him to do as he will.

The grape harvest is going to be uncharacteristically early this year in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, probably taking place either at the end of August or the very tip of September.  The grapes are just about ready, due to a wet, hot summer.  Alessio at the Azienda Agricola Kurtin says he tested his and found the acidity to be right on course...just a few more days for the sugars to bulk up, and viola'.  The citizens of Cormons will be running about like sun-soaked ants, clipping the grapes that they have so carefully tended all season.  La Vendemmia is the best time of year here in Cormons, a time for celebration, hard-work, and sighs of relief that their precious grapes have come so far, filled out so perfectly.  Am thinking that I will write my dear friend Simone to see if I can come give them a hand clipping the grapes at the experimental farm.

We have more tomatoes, figs, prunes, apples, pears, hot peppers and zucchini then we know what to do with.  I've been making incredible salads, home-made tomato sauces, and snack plates of fresh fruits and prosciutto-wrapped figs.

Ah, I promised yall a recipe.

Mezzi Paccheri con Pomodorini Ciliegia alla Marinara

-fine sea salt

-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

-teaspoon red pepper flakes

-1 shallot, finely sliced

-2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

-1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley

-1lb mezzi paccheri or rigatoni

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil

In a large skillet, combine the oil, shallots and red pepper flakes.  Heat until the shallots become translucent.  Add tomatoes, parsley and a little salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to wilt.  Take pan from the heat and cover.

Cook the pasta until al dente, and, when draining, SAVE 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Toss the cooked pasta and the reserved water in with the tomatoes.  Return to a high heat, and let come to a soft boil till water reduces just a bit and the sauce thickens.

Serve with a pinch of chopped parsley and some grated assiago, season with salt and pepper...

This is recipe is tweaked a bit from that you'll find in La Cucina Italiana.  I like mine spicier, and I almost always prefer the taste of shallots over garlic...

I wish I had a picture, but we keep eating it before I remember I'm supposed to be documenting everything.  If you see this season's La Cucina Italiana: it looks just like that.