FoodFood InformationFruit
According to the Old Testament story, one of the first things Noah did
after the ark landed was to plant a vineyard, proof that people have been
enjoying grapes both as a fresh fruit and as wine since biblical times.
There are hundreds of varieties of grapes. Some are seedless but most have
seeds, as did the original wild grapes. Grapes come in three skin colors:
red, white (green), and blue. Some varieties have round berries, others
have elongated ones. Some grapes are quite large, others are quite small.
All grapes grow on vines and flourish in temperate climates in both the
Northern and Southern Hemispheres. There are two basic types of grapes:
the American and the European.
The American type, which is called the Labrusca, is native to North
America. Leif Ericson is said to have called this continent Vinland because
of its abundance of wild grapes. The earliest colonists found wild grapes
thriving up and down the Atlantic Coast. The American grapes cannot be identified
by shape, size, or color, but by their skin type. They have slip skins that
are easily separated from the flesh of the grape. The seeds, however, are
embedded and cling to the fleshy pulp.
The most common American variety is the blue-skinned Concord. There
is also the red Catawba, the white (amber) Niagara, and the pink Delaware.
Most of the Labrusca grapes are produced in the Northeast and Midwest, but
some are also grown in the Pacific Northwest.
These slip-skin grapes have a fine aroma, a musky, semisweet flavor, and
are pulpy in texture. Only a small portion of the slip-skin varieties is
sold as table grapes. Nearly all of the supply is sold to commercial processors
of jelly, jam, grape juice, and sacramental wine. The American grapes are
in season for only two or three months during the fall and they are quite
fragile. At one time, when putting up homemade jelly was in vogue, a fair
supply of Concord grapes was sold to consumers. Today, only a limited amount
reaches the retail marketplace. As yet, none of the American-type grapes
are imported from the Southern Hemisphere in the off-season.
The European type, which is known as the Vinifera grape, originated
in Asia Minor. Seeds of this type of grape, dating back some five thousand
years, have been unearthed in archaeological digs.
The Vinifera grapes are also identified by their skin type, rather than
by size or skin color. Instead of being slip skin, like the American grapes,
their skin clings to the flesh of the fruit, and the seeds are fairly easily
separated from the pulp. European grapes are produced in all of the grape
growing areas of the world. In the United States, California is European
grape country and produces 98 percent of America's table grape crop. In
a recent year the crop exceeded 50 million twenty three pound boxes of table
grapes and the supply barely met the demand. The ever growing popularity
of table grapes is thanks to the efforts of the California Table Grape Commission,
whose ad campaigns feature the flavor, nutritional value, and convenience
of their product. In the past ten years America's per capita consumption
has almost tripled.
Fine table grapes are available at modest prices year round because our
supplies from California are augmented by imports in great quantity from
Chile and in small quantity from South Africa. The California grape season
extends from May through February. The Chilean season runs from December
through May.
The seedless varieties are far more popular than those with seeds. Most
Americans are either too busy or too lazy to mess with grapes that have
seeds, but in Europe, where the pace isn't quite as rapid, these grapes
are highly regarded. They are served as a dessert fruit along with cheese
at the dinner table.
In North America, the grape is seldom used as a dessert fruit, but rather
as a snack. In most retail markets grapes with seeds just don't sell, even
if they are of better quality and are much lower priced than the seedless
ones. Most of us are missing out on some very flavorful grapes because of
our aversion to seeds.
Tending vineyards requires intensive, backbreaking stoop labor, which cannot
be performed by machine. The fragile table grapes must be carefully cultivated,
harvested, and packed by hand. The growers, in combination with the agricultural
schools, are constantly coming up with new varieties and improved know-how
on producing superior grapes.
California also grows millions of tons of wine grapes, most of which are
sold to wineries. A limited amount of these grapes are shipped to the larger
cities to satisfy the demand in some ethnic areas. These wine grapes are
not sold in supermarkets but by small neighborhood dealers. Making homemade
wine is no game for a novice. Unless you have some expertise in wine making,
buy your wine in a liquor store. You'll have a more flavorful, less costly
end product.
The raisin is our most important dried fruit and is produced by drying
grapes in sunlight. Ninety-nine percent of our raisins are seedless, all
of which are made from Thompson Seedless grapes. Golden-colored seedless
raisins are nothing more than regular raisins that have been bleached with
sulfur dioxide.
Cluster raisins that have seeds and are attached to the stems are
made from Muscatel grapes. They used to be fairly popular in Grandma's era,
but have all but disappeared from the marketplace.
Those tiny Zante currants that are used by bakers aren't really currants.
They are tiny raisins made from the petite seedless black Corinth grapes.
When shopping for table grapes it is imperative to remember that the
fruit doesn't ripen any further or improve in flavor after it has been severed
from the vine. What you see, or better yet what you taste, if you are permitted
to sample the grapes at the time of purchase, is what you get. The quicker
you use them the better-as they age they lose crispness and flavor.
Look for firm, plump, colorful, dry berries that are firmly attached to
pliable green stems. A professional buyer checks out the freshness of the
grapes by examining the amount of bloom on the berry. As discussed earlier,
bloom is the name given to the waxy, powder like coating applied by Mother
Nature to protect the fruit from the direct rays of the sun. This coating
is more obvious on the darker-colored grapes, but it is also present, though
not as easily detected, on the light-colored varieties. The heavier the
bloom, the fresher the grape. As the grape starts to age and break down
(after one to two weeks), the bloom disappears. Color is very important,
especially in the green varieties. The greener the grape, the lower the
sugar content. The yellower the grape, the higher the sugar content. Red
varieties are at their best when the berries are predominately of high color.
The darker the blue grapes, the better the quality.
Table grapes look fine as a centerpiece but will start to break down at
room temperature. They must be stored in your refrigerator immediately after
purchase and kept there until just prior to use. The crispness and the flavor
of the grapes are enhanced when they are fully chilled.
WHEN TO BUY: At peak (from United States): June through November
At peak (from Chile): February through May
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Firm, plump, dry fruit
HOW TO STORE: Refrigerate immediately