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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jul 8, 2013 13:56:24 GMT -5
Good grape harvest this year - 52 lbs off two plants. Here are about 31 pounds of them: These are my "mystery grapes"...I have no idea what variety they are, since they definitely aren't what I ordered. Based on the appearance, size, skin type, and flavor, I think they may be one of the muscadine-bunch grape hybrids. Or maybe they are a muscadine, but the muscadine flavor is not as strong as most muscadines I've eaten, and as you can see, the grapes form in large, tight clusters like bunch grapes. Whatever they are, they have tart skins (the pulp is sweet) and they have seeds, so we don't eat many of them fresh. However, they make delicious pale yellow jelly - with no muscadine flavor at all. They would probably make a nice wine, but I haven't attempted wine-making yet. I have the grapes in that picture already processed into juice, which is sitting in the fridge waiting for the tartrate crystals to precipitate out. The remaining 21 lbs of grapes are in the fridge, waiting for me to squash, cook, & strain them. When I get the jelly finished, I will get my fridge back. And the kids will have a year's supply of jelly for PB&Js.
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Post by txdirtdog on Jul 8, 2013 22:17:14 GMT -5
Good grape harvest this year - 52 lbs off two plants. Here are about 31 pounds of them: View AttachmentThese are my "mystery grapes"...I have no idea what variety they are, since they definitely aren't what I ordered. Based on the appearance, size, skin type, and flavor, I think they may be one of the muscadine-bunch grape hybrids. Or maybe they are a muscadine, but the muscadine flavor is not as strong as most muscadines I've eaten, and as you can see, the grapes form in large, tight clusters like bunch grapes. Whatever they are, they have tart skins (the pulp is sweet) and they have seeds, so we don't eat many of them fresh. However, they make delicious pale yellow jelly - with no muscadine flavor at all. They would probably make a nice wine, but I haven't attempted wine-making yet. I have the grapes in that picture already processed into juice, which is sitting in the fridge waiting for the tartrate crystals to precipitate out. The remaining 21 lbs of grapes are in the fridge, waiting for me to squash, cook, & strain them. When I get the jelly finished, I will get my fridge back. And the kids will have a year's supply of jelly for PB&Js. Off of just 2 vines? Very nice! My vines still struggle - bad location. Still each year is getting a little better production.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jul 9, 2013 2:22:20 GMT -5
The vines are on an overhead arbor rather than a proper post and wire trellis. Honestly, even with a very hard pruning in winter, they get way more dense than is recommended. It's a jungle up there and foliage diseases happen every year, spraying or not. (Spraying helps, but it's not enough.)
Luckily, these grapes are tough enough to tolerate it and still produce. And they still try to take over my pool fence and veggie garden every year. I didn't know how vigorous grapes are when I chose that spot. I'm just glad I didn't plant kiwis there!
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jul 11, 2013 14:54:53 GMT -5
I was just thinking, if you like the grapes your vines produce, but they are in a bad spot, you could try rooting them. Pull a cane to the ground now, put a shovel-full of dirt over a leaf node, leaving 2-3' of the end exposed, and weigh it down with a brick, landscape paver, or something similar. In your climate you probably need to water. (That's not a problem here with our rainy summers!) Since your summers are so hot, it might work better if you wait until the heat starts to break. If you have enough canes available, you can try it at both times. It's free as long as you have some bricks lying around. The end of the cane that you left exposed should continue to grow from the tip this summer - train it up a stake - this will become the main trunk of your new vine. By winter, the cane should have roots. Cut it from the mother plant, dig it up, and transplant to its new home whenever grape planting is recommended in your area - probably late winter/early spring.
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Post by stratcat on Jul 22, 2013 15:59:51 GMT -5
That looks like a great harvest! I bet that jelly's going to be super.
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Post by daylilydude on Jul 28, 2013 17:42:15 GMT -5
Mine are just beginning to ripen... yeehaw! ;D
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jul 29, 2013 11:06:54 GMT -5
Awesome. What kind of grapes are those?
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Post by daylilydude on Jul 30, 2013 4:41:32 GMT -5
Awesome. What kind of grapes are those? I'm not sure as they were on the property when we moved here.
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Post by redneckplanter on Oct 30, 2013 21:49:04 GMT -5
Looks like southern muscles to me...smiles
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Post by redneckplanter on Oct 30, 2013 21:49:19 GMT -5
Sorry muscies
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Post by daylilydude on Jun 22, 2014 13:35:46 GMT -5
Here is a pic of a few of the bunches of grapes this year... Way more than last year, and funny thing is I haven't done any fertilizer this year
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jun 23, 2014 12:12:28 GMT -5
Nice! My seeded green mystery grapevines are loaded, and their grapes are full-sized, but not ripe - they are hard as a rock still. Usually they are ready around the first week of July.
For the first time, the Himrod grapevine that my FIL rooted for me has produced a few small clusters of grapes.
You know, I had always assumed that the FIL's grapes were sour because he harvested them too soon (every year my MIL fusses at him for harvesting too soon - it's become kind of an annual rite). So I waited a couple of weeks after they softened up and tasted mine - lo and behold, mine are very tart, too. I am going to leave them on the vines and taste a grape every few days until they either sweeten up, rot, or the birds get them.
If they never get sweet, I have to decide whether to keep the vine. I have plenty of grapes for jelly off the mystery vine - I wanted sweet seedless grapes for the kids to snack on.
Himrod is supposed to be a sweet grape, so if these never sweeten then I guess the vine my FIL bought is not the real deal.
On the plus side, the vine seems healthy and doesn't yet show any sign of Pierce's Disease.
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