By Dan Rahn
Georgia Extension Service
You’re a true Southerner if when that first cool breeze hints of
an autumn still weeks away, your mouth starts watering for
muscadine grapes.
If that’s true for you, or even if you’re just beginning to love
these uniquely Southern grapes, the season you’ve been waiting
for is here.
“The harvest has started in south Georgia,” said Gerard Krewer, a
University of Georgia Extension Service horticulturist. “Growers
are reporting a fair to good crop this year.”
Georgia has about 1,200 acres of commercial muscadine vineyards,
most for fresh-market grapes. Krewer figures at least twice that
many grow in the state’s backyards.
Long season
Muscadines usually begin ripening in early August in extreme
south Georgia. The harvest then moves northward through the upper
piedmont area, where it ends in early October.
“It’s a fairly long season,” he said. The sweet, mellow grapes
grow everywhere in the state except in the high mountains.
The distinctive flavor of muscadines seems to hint of the years
they’ve had to mellow. People were enjoying these Deep South
natives long before the first European settlers arrived.
Over the years, UGA and other scientists have improved what
nature provided. “Muscadines today are bigger than a quarter,”
Krewer said.
They’re sweeter, too, he said, and come in a range of colors from
bronze to red to purple to black. Many varieties have tender,
edible skin that makes them prized as table grapes.
Favorite varieties
Among the bronzes, Fry, Summit and Tara are fresh-fruit
favorites. Scuppernong and Carlos are noted for their sweet
dessert wines. Many others are wonderful in cider, wines,
jellies, preserves and syrups.
An important variety now, he said, is Supreme, a large, black
muscadine. “Supreme is very popular with commercial growers,”
Krewer said. “It’s become a standard in the industry.”
Krewer cites studies that show muscadines are rich in dietary
fiber and important minerals, low in fat and protein and high in
carbohydrates. They’re a better source of calcium, iron, zinc and
manganese than many other fruits.
They also have significant levels of resveratrol, which lowers
cholesterol and may greatly reduce the risk of heart disease, and
ellagic acid, which can lower the risk of colon, lung and liver
cancer.
Muscadines are among the easiest-to-grow backyard fruits, Krewer
said. They’re best planted when the vines are dormant in late
fall to early winter. Your county Extension Service agent can
tell you how to grow them.
(Dan Rahn is a news editor with the University of Georgia
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)
