Some things are worth waiting for. Gerard Krewer, a University
of Georgia scientist,
figures that’s true of muscadines.

“The muscadine harvest is a few days late getting started due to
the cool weather we’ve
had,” said Krewer, an extension horticulturist with the UGA
College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences.

“The season is just getting under way in south Georgia,” he
said. “So far the crop
ranges from fair to very good.”

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.

Muscadines usually begin ripening in early August in extreme
south Georgia. The
harvest then moves northward and extends into mid-fall. 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 and sinfully sweet,”
Krewer said. “They
come in a range of colors, from bronze to red to purple to
black.”

Many of the newer varieties have tender, edible skin that make
them prized as table
grapes.

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.

Among the new varieties being planted this year is Scarlett, a
red-skinned grape bred at
the UGA Georgia Experiment Station in Griffin. Scarlett is a
regular favorite in taste
tests.

Krewer is quick to point out that muscadines aren’t just good.
They’re good for you,
too. Krewer cites Mississippi State researcher Betty Ector’s
studies of the grapes’ health
benefits.

“Muscadines are rich in dietary fiber and several important
minerals, low in fat and
protein and high in carbohydrates,” Ector said. “The muscadine
is a better source of
calcium, iron, zinc and manganese than many other fruits.”

Ector said muscadines are an excellent source of dietary fiber,
resveratrol and ellagic
acid.

High-fiber diets lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels
while they protect against
coronary heart disease, gastrointestinal diseases and colon
cancer. And muscadines are
a better source of dietary fiber, Ector said, than oat bran or
rice bran and almost as
good as wheat bran. They’re as good a source of soluble fiber,
which is helpful for
diabetics, as oat bran and much better than wheat bran or rice
bran.

Resveratrol also lowers cholesterol and may reduce the risk of
heart disease by 40
percent. Ellagic acid may 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. County Extension
Service agents can
tell how to
grow them.