Local man’s grape experiment ends with chickens

Nori Ellefson, a longtime Whatcom County resident, published a personal account on Tuesday detailing a family experiment in winemaking.

The story centers on Ellefson’s father, a professional office worker who pursued do-it-yourself projects with mixed results. One early success involved him building a rope swing for his son Keith while balancing on a 15-foot extension ladder. A later project, however, proved more chaotic. The father purchased garbage cans, tubing, and wine yeast to create a home vintner setup. He placed the equipment in a corner of the couple’s bedroom and used grapes picked from the yard that fall.

The fermentation process produced a strong odor that permeated the house, the furniture, and the family cats. The containers also made bubbling and burping sounds that disturbed the mother’s sleep. After aging the liquid in the basement, the father decanted the wine into fresh bottles. He sampled the final product and found it undrinkable. Despite the poor taste, the family kept the bottles for several years because of the effort and money spent on the project.

Ellefson described the wine as capable of peeling paint. As a teenager, she took a bottle to a friend’s home named Kerry. They slept in an old shed near a chicken house. During the night, Ellefson poured the entire bottle into the chicken feed. The next morning, the 12 hens and one rooster ate the wine-soaked mash. The flock spent the day staggering, squawking, and laying soft eggs. The rooster attempted to crow but could not finish the sound.

Kerry’s parents watched the confused chickens from a kitchen window but never determined the cause. Ellefson and her friend did not tell their hosts what had happened. The chickens recovered from the episode without lasting harm. The mother poured the remaining wine down the drain, ending the father’s attempt at winemaking. He returned to his regular work with taxes.

The account was written by Ellefson, who noted she has written for as long as she can remember. The piece offers a glimpse into domestic life in the county during the time of the experiment.