It was cool under my granddaddy’s scuppernong arbor. We didn’t
have air-conditioning back then. But the return of school would
usually bring on the first hint of a cool snap. And with sweet
scuppernongs hanging everywhere, it was heaven under there.
If you’re a Deep South native, chances are good you have
muscadine memories yourself. Generations of Georgians have
considered these special grapes one of the best things about the
coming of fall.
The distinctive flavor of muscadines seems to hint of the years
they’ve had to mellow. People were enjoying them in the South
long before the first European settlers arrived.
Nowadays, people can take their backyard muscadines inside and
eat them in cool, modern comfort. And the grapes are more often
grown on more efficient trellises.
Many More Choices Now
We have many more choices now, too. My granddaddy had the
scuppernongs and a trellis of black muscadines. He called the
black ones bullaces. I grew up thinking the black ones were
bullaces and the bronze ones scuppanons. (We left off the “g” and
never really pronounced the “er.”)
In the 50 years since then, plant breeders have given muscadine
lovers a rainbow of choices in shades of red, bronze, purple and
black.
All have attributes better than the original, two-centuries-old
scuppernong, the first cultivated variety of the native wild
grapes. Some of the new muscadine grapes are seedless. Some have
more edible skins. Nearly all are sweeter and bigger.
“Muscadines today are bigger than a quarter and sinfully sweet,”
said Gerard Krewer, an Extension Service horticulturist with the
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences.
Sweet So Many Ways
Among the dozens of varieties, some are fresh-fruit favorites.
Others are noted for their sweet dessert wines. Many others are
wonderful in cider, jellies, preserves and syrups.
Georgia has 1,000 acres of commercial muscadine vineyards, most
for fresh-market grapes. Krewer figures at least twice that many
grow in the state’s backyards.
The grapes usually begin ripening in early August in extreme
south Georgia. The harvest then moves northward and extends into
mid-fall, Krewer said. The sweet, mellow grapes grow everywhere
in the state except in the high mountains.
Good For You, Too
My granddaddy lived to 90 years old in a time when the life
expectancy was around 65. Eating all those muscadines may have
helped him live so long.
“Research is showing that muscadines are one of nature’s most
healthful foods,” Krewer said.
Studies at Mississippi State University, he said, found that
muscadines are richer in fiber, zinc, manganese, iron and calcium
than most other fruits.
Later research found that they are one of the world’s richest
sources of ellagic acid, which is thought to help prevent cancer,
and of resveratrol, which a University of North Carolina medical
researcher found to be a potent anticancer compound.
Muscadines in Spotlight
Muscadines will be in the spotlight when the Georgia Experiment
Station in Griffin, Ga., hosts the 2001 Georgia/South Carolina
Muscadine Meeting and Field Day Sept. 28.
The event starts at 9 a.m. and includes lunch and a taste panel
of muscadine cultivars. It ends with a 2 p.m. tour of the
Experiment Station’s vineyards. Granddaddy would have loved
it.
The fee is $25 until Sept. 21 and $30 after that. Couples may
attend for $40 (if preregistered by Sept. 21). To sign up, get a
registration form at the nearest county extension office. Or call
(770) 229-3477.
