The grapes are ripe and smell delicious when we walk by to the car. I always eat some when I'm working outside, but more for the nostalgia. They smell and taste exactly like fall on a farm. Kids would gorge themselves back then on whatever was in season. Just like the West Seattle raccoons, who will throw a messy grape-eating party soon. They wait for that one night of perfect ripeness.
This grapevine was the first thing I planted here over 35 years ago. It's never had a single pest or disease, and stood up to years of abusive pruning. Being a thrifty, housewifely sort of person, I always feel guilty for not doing "something" with them. I'm not into fussy, messy canning with jelly bags, pectin and such. Throw it all in one pot for chutney is more my thing. Hey-- maybe the Brit's have a recipe for that?
Fun facts about grapes:
Grapes are one of the world’s favorite fruits, regularly listed in the top 10 (other are mangos, bananas and tomatoes).
Around the world there are more than 8,000 varieties of grape. There are 7 different grape colors: red, green, white, black, purple, blue and golden.
Grapes have been thought to have healing properties since ancient times. In China, wine was mixed with frogs, snakes and other animals to create a cure for illness.
America’s oldest grapevine is 400 years old and is in North Carolina.
Wine has been made from grapes since 5,000BC.
About a quarter of the grapes used in the US come from Chile.
While grapes are 80% water, when they become raisins the water content is just 15%.
You can get about 15,000 glasses of wine from an acre of grapes.
With more than 200, California’s Napa Valley has the world’s highest concentration of wineries.
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