This grape is rarely used to make wine. With Greek origins 2000 years old, it has only just surfaced in the U.S as a ‘table grape’ with our new lust for mini-sized fruit. Extra juicy, they are indeed so cute and little, small, petite, toy box size. Perfect for your mid morning sweet tooth.
The grapes are harvested mid August through late September, so you have to get going before they disappear until next year.
To eat this perfect Raw food, just rinse them under cold water in a berry colander and consume. I like to eat mine ‘Roman Style’, right off the stem. You may want to be more delicate, pluck and nibble, pluck and nibble.
They’re soooo sweet and yummy, you’re going to want to eat the whole box, but just a bunch the size of your palm is plenty.
My favorite ‘warning story of eating too many grapes at a time’ is from our favorite greasy spoon gal, Paula Deen. She was on television telling Dr. Oz how she had been eating grapes non stop on her flight from Atlanta to Chicago. Of course she was bloated and told us all that she had gas. (More of a good thing is not always better! Balance and Moderation!).
When it was found that Paula Deen had been hiding her own diabetes from her public, she made an attempt to add fresh foods to her famous ‘heart stopping’ recipes. Yet her tortured relationship to the grape continued. Her ‘grape salad’ recipe calls for 4 1bs of grapes, ½ cup of sugar, ¼ cup of brown sugar, 8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese, 8 oz cream cheese, and 8 oz of sour cream. Lord help us!
Now on a higher note, Livestrong.com advises consuming grapes whole in their natural form to get the max benefits from the antioxidants in this nutrient dense fruit. Science Daily recently found the antioxidant pterostilbene in grapes is linked to cancer prevention and has anti-diabetic properties. Dark skinned grapes are likely to contain the most pterostilbene, while green grapes,(also know as white grapes) contain less. This is good news for the Champagne Grape, as its the color of the nite sky!
Be sure to give them a try. I plan to eat them till the season ends.
Blessings and the best to your health!