America's first grape is still a favorite
Contributed by
Clemson Univ.

These muscadines are also called bronze scuppernongs. Photo by Natasha Derrick

When it comes to grapes, we have Thompson seedless, Concord, and wine varieties like Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet.

When it comes to a Southerner's taste buds, however, there is a fondness for America's first grape - Vitis rotundifolia. You know it better as the muscadine, that bronze or purple-black fruit that is native to the Southeast.

In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh described them as being "on the sand and on the green soil, on the hills as on the plains, as well as on every little shrub. . .also climbing towards the tops of tall cedars."

The original bronze muscadine variety found growing in the wild is called Scuppernong. Though improved bronze varieties are now available for commercial planting, most Southerners still refer to any bronze muscadines as Scuppernongs. Black or bronze, they are all muscadines.

Debate may brew over whether to eat the skins, which can be tougher than the skins of table grapes like the Thompson variety. Some people like to eat the whole thing, and some just like to squeeze out the juicy pulp and throw the skins away.

Give the skins a try before you decide which side of the issue you come down on. Some people think they are tasty. Besides, they add fiber to your diet.

What's more, researchers have discovered that muscadines - skin, pulp and seeds - contain significant amounts of resveratrol. That's the compound in red and white wines that the French tout as an agent for lowering cholesterol levels and the risk

of coronary heart disease.

Well, anything that French wines can do, the muscadine can do better. Studies at Mississippi State University indicate that two fluid ounces of unfiltered muscadine juice, one serving of muscadine jam, one medium muscadine muffin, or one-tenth of a serving of muscadine sauce contains about the same amount of resveratrol as four fluid ounces of red wine.

Muscadines are popular in backyard gardens, adding a bit of an ornamental flare to fruit production. Muscadines are hardly ever affected by disease or insects and adapt to a wide range of soil types. They do best, however, in the Piedmont to the Coastal Plain range.

If you decide to plant native grapes, be sure you know the difference between the types that produce flowers with both male and female parts and those which produce flowers with only female parts.

The former are called perfect-flowered muscadines, and they include varieties such as Carlos, Cowart, Doreen, Nesbitt, Tara, and Southern Home.

Varieties which need a perfect-flowered cultivar for pollination include Fry, Darlene, Sugargate, Black Beauty, Supreme, Summit, and Scarlet.

Your local Clemson Extension office will give information on how and when to plant muscadines.

Muscadine grapes will keep in a covered shallow container in the refrigerator for about a week. Don't wash them until you're ready to use them. Inspect the grapes often and remove any showing signs of decay.

Muscadines can also be

frozen for use later in pies, cakes, or to make juice.

To freeze whole grapes, make sure they are fully ripe and firm. Sort, stem, wash, and dry them before freezing.

You can also separate the pulp from the hulls, saving both. Heat the pulp to soften it, and then remove the seeds by pressing the pulp through a fine sieve or food mill. Mix the juice and skins and boil until the skins are tender. Mix the softened hulls with the deseeded pulp, add one part sugar to six parts grapes, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cool and pack for the freezer, leaving about an inch in the container to allow for expansion.

For more information on fresh fruits and vegetables, contact the local Clemson University Extension Office, or check out the Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center on the web at http://hgic.clemson.edu.