Tens of thousands of people have participated in research of this plump, sweet, juicy fruit, and what were the results: one significant study showed that two teaspoons (10 mL) of pure grape juice every day for two weeks increased serum antioxidant activity and increased the resistance of bad cholesterol to oxidation. (1)
And here we go!! Special Order Plant of the Week: Grape Vine
This is a hybrid grape vine called ‘Valiant’. The descendant of two native North American grapes, this variety thrives in our salty soils, survives our harsh winters and droughts, resists diseases – and even when our local mosaic disease (like a common cold) attacked my foundation Mother Vine, she still gave me over 20 pounds of grapes that season. There were 25 pounds of grapes from this one 17 year old vine the year after she was devastated by an epic grasshopper invasion.
The best place for these vines is against a wall or fence, out of the wind, full sun, well drained soil. I planted the Mother Vine right into the clay. Over the years she has amended her own soil with the decay of her deep fall leaf blanket. I add duck bedding mulch every fall, and that composts under the snow.
To tell when the grape has reached its peak sugar, taste one off the vine. Does it taste sweet? Spit the seeds into your hand. Are they green or brown? When the grape is fully ripe, the seeds are turning or have turned brown. Finding out means you get to taste test each day.
Personally, I have never had problems with birds eating the fruit. This variety flowers deep under the leaves; the fruit is hardly visible. But I also have huge chokecherry shrubs nearby. My deal with the robins is that they get the top 3 feet, and I get the bottom nine!
Few people have any time for Canning, but we can all zip a freezer bag closed. As I am solo I wash the harvest and freeze bags with two cups each. Then once a week I slowly simmer the grapes. I very gently press the simmering grapes and filter out the seeds. I rarely have to add any sugar. I fill a glass jug in the fridge, and every day, add some of the grape juice concentrate to a glass of water. In the middle of winter I have fresh, home-grown grape juice.
Please join me in this amazing treat.
Grape ‘Valiant’; 2 gallon container; $17.50, plus tax; 5 gallon container $22.50 plus tax
To start your own vineyard in the Casper Wyoming area, please contact me by email (tarafarmandnursery@gmail.com) or text (307.262.8043), or Message.
Next Week: Elderberry
(1) Concord Grape Juice Polyphenols and Cardiovascular Risk Factors;Blueberry evaluate, 2015; National Institutes of Health
The Refuge Permaculture Center 