Hello my dear readers,
Another week, another Monday
Although today we find excellent grapes during the entire year, the best season to eat quality grapes is autumn and September in particular. In the wide range of types existing on the market, everyone can find the one that is most similar to their tastes: the crunchy, the sweet, with seeds or without, with the thin or thick peel … all united by the many healthy virtues: in fact, grapes are rich in polyphenols, which counteract cellular aging.
The grapes can range between different shades of color, from the lightest of white grapes to the darkest of black grapes, and are many varieties; the main distinction is between wine grapes or table grapes, of which Italy is the world’s largest producer. The season of Italian table grapes is between July and October, with maximum production in August and September. In Italy the regions that cultivate significant quantities are Sicily, Puglia and Lazio.
The origins of the vine and the grape are so ancient, to become a legend: some trace the origin of the vine back to Adam and Eve. It is thought to have developed around 7500 BC in the trans-Caucasian region, which today corresponds to Armenia and Georgia. Some Egyptian hieroglyphics dating back to 2500 BC already describe various types of grape processing. From Egypt the practice of grape production and processing spread among the Jews, Arabs and Greeks, and are the Greeks that even dedicated a divinity to the wine, Dionysus, the God of conviviality. It was the Greeks who favored viticulture in Europe and brought it to Italy, in the south; the Etruscans learned this art and passed it on to the Romans.
The birth of Christianity and the consequent decline of the Roman Empire, marked the beginning of a dark period for grapes and wine, also because was considered to lead to intoxication and ephemeral pleasure; in addition with the spread of Islam in the Mediterranean, between AD 800 and 1400, the viticulture in all the occupied territories was banned. On the other hand, it was the monks of that period who continued, almost clandestinely, the viticulture and the practice of grape processing to produce the wines to be used in religious rites. In any case, we will have to wait for the Renaissance to find a literature that gives wine back its role as the protagonist of Western culture, a role it still preserves today.
Grape vines not only produce sweet and versatile fruits, they also add an element of drama to your garden or landscape. They are vigorous growers, and with the proper pruning, they will produce fruit with ease for even 100 years.
If you plan to start to cultivate vines and produce table or wine grapes, it is necessary to have a very sunny terrain. This is the primary condition, since the vines do not like the shaded or damp places.
To choose the best type of grape for your climate you can check with the nursery from your area, or search for a suggestion online, once you have identified the characteristics of the terrain and the climate in which the plants will be positioned and you’ll need to assure a good drainage and absence of water stagnation.
In addition to the good ventilation and sunshine of the terrain, you must consider that the vine needs space, so each stem will be placed at least 2 – 3 meters from each other. Before planting, construct a trellis or arbor, as grape vines will need to be trained to some sort of support to grow upward. The soil needs to be deep, well-drained, and loose. The best time to plant grapes is from October to May. It is necessary to dig a hole of about 50 cm, to position well the roots. Trim off broken roots and set the vine into the hole slightly deeper than it grew in the nursery. Cover the roots with soil and tamp down. Fill with the remaining soil, but don’t tamp this down. Prune the top back to two or three buds at planting time and water abundantly.
In the first couple of years, the vine should not be allowed to produce fruit as it needs to strengthen its root system before it can support the weight of fruit. Remember that to have great grapes, pruning is very important. Prune annually when vines are dormant, in March or April, before the buds start to swell and remember, the more you prune, the more grapes you will have.
In the kitchen the grape is versatile and can be used to make sweets or tasty second courses of fish and meat.
At the time of purchase we must first check the stalks: if they are green it means that the grapes are fresh; if they are brownish and rather withered or even almost dry it means that the grapes have been harvested for a long time when they were still very green and will hardly be sweet and tasty. Table grapes, if not too ripe, should be stored at room temperature in a fruit bowl. If not, put it in a paper bag and keep it in the fridge. In principle you can keep it for a week.
Grapes are consumed as a fresh fruit, in fruit salad or reduced to juice; the vincotto, overcooked must that is very sweet, is prepared with the very ripe fresh grape, and is used to prepare some traditional sweets. Grapes are also used for jams, cakes, biscuits and muffins. From the seeds (grapeseed) of the grapes an oil rich in fatty acids is obtained which is beneficial to health if used raw. Dried grapes or raisins are used in many recipes, both sweet and savory all over the world. Even the vine leaves are edible: in Greek, Romanian and Lebanese cuisine it is used to steam them and then wrap rice and meat in them.
And to not forget the wine 😉🍷
Grapes contain water (80%), carbohydrates, fiber, mineral salts, vitamins and very little fat. It is thirst-quenching, purifying and at the same time nourishing and energetic: it is a real mine of therapeutic virtues. The grapes have antioxidant and anti-cancer properties, mainly due to the content of polyphenols and resveratrol, present in the skin of black grapes; it also has antiviral properties, thanks to the content of tannic acid and phenol, able to counter the herpes simplex virus. Those who suffer from digestive disorders should eat grapes without peel and seeds.
The grape has numerous therapeutic properties: first of all it carries out a laxative and diuretic action. It is useful for fighting dyspepsia, hemorrhoids, urinary stones and biliary tract. In addition, it activates liver functions, facilitates digestion, contributes to reducing the level of cholesterol in the blood and eliminating uric acid. The grape also has disinfectant properties, it is beneficial to the nervous system, and it is useful in the demineralization processes of the organism, such as pregnancy and lactation.
Thank you all for reading.
Join me next time and let’s discover Toscana or Tuscany, one of the Italian regions that produces high quality wines.
And until then, always remember to eat and drink in style
And if you would like to discover more about our food, you may enjoy my previous posts
- Discovering our food: Eggplants
- Discovering our food: Parsley
- Discovering our food: Zucchini
- Discovering our food: Watermelon
- Discovering our food: Tomatoes
- Discovering our food: Basil
Brilliant 👌👌👌👌
Thank you 😊
Welcome
I don’t know what I liked more, your brilliant article or your super funny gifs!!
Thank you very much for your kind words 😊 Important is that you like them both 😉
That’s so true 👍👍
The food of the gods.
Indeed 😉
You always find ways to introduce info about food the fun way. Love reading them and I just love the gifs too. Grapes is missing in our kitchen only a few days a week. I love baking it together with cod fish.
I prefer normal grapes with seeds, sadly they are hard to find 🙁 only seedless grapes are available most of the time.
Thank you very much dear Jess, I’m really glad you like them 😉 I think we need to know more about our food but we also need to have some fun right? 😉🤪 I did not tried it with fish but only with pork or chicken, but I guess is very good!
In Italy I never find them seedless 🤪 Here in Singapore I still find them with seeds….I guess because they import from all around the world and there are all kinds 🤪
But sometimes, I prefer it seedless 😉
My husband found it weird too the first time I told him that I’m gonna bake cod fish with red grapes, almond and spring onion, but he loves it now haha 😀
Yes, it’s a bit easier to gobble up the seedless ones, but I read that it’s healthier to get those with seeds?
Husbands sometimes can be unconfident but once they try it they love it 😍
Yes, seems that grapes seeds has a lot of benefits: reduce blood pressure, is antioxidant, antibacterial…😉
Hi Ribana, I Always like both seed and seedless grapes! 💙I read in an article it stimulates our blood circulation!🤗 Sometimes we visit near the state to see the plantation! Good share and gif are excellent!👌
Have wonderful evening! 🌸💕
Thank you Suni! Yes, I like them both too 😉 and have quite a lot of benefits 😉 is great to see the vineyards, I think is so calming 😉 Have a wonderful day dear Suni 🤗🌸💕
Great post! 😊❤️🌺
Thank you 😊 🌸
You’re welcome! 😊❤️️
I like grapes, always tasty and full of vitamins, my favourite is green medium size grapes, i can eat them everyday, also i like the little green without bones inside.
We have a lot of grapes here in Cote D’azur, mostly for vine making, i have noticed, that grapes for vine taste differently than normal ones in the shop.
Love the gif, where to women squeezing vine with feet, so funny😂
Yes, the table types are very different that the wines one but I do like them all 😆
I guess is a perfect landscape there for delicious wine 😉 🍷
Better, as I love wine too 😉🥂🌸
Thank you Ilona for your time! I’m glad you like it! 🤗🌸
They are healthy and tasty🤗💛yes there are special landscape where they grow grapes and do wine, there is also possibility to try the wine at the place🤗💛
Wonderful 😉 Same as in Italy 🥂😉 What a beautiful world 😉
Great post! You have covered everything about grapes and made this post not only informative but also enjoyable. 🙂
Thank you Megala for your kind words! I’m really glad you like it 🤗🌸
By the way here is the video, i got an egg plant 😀 https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/ciccophoto.com/4708, if the link doesnt work you can check the post cold Here it is:D of course if you wan and if you have time, is not long:)
Hi Ilona, the link doesn’t work and I have also checked your blog but cannot find anything regarding the eggplant 🤪
Hi happens🤗💛the post called Here it is and there was the video in this post🤗💛
Yay, I saw it 🤗🤪
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2722249274461595&id=100000296477327&refid=17&ref=content_filter&_ft_=mf_story_key.10158763533044622%3Aog_action_id.10158763537329622%3Atop_level_post_id.10158763533044622%3Atl_objid.10158763533044622%3Acontent_owner_id_new.632634621%3Aoriginal_content_id.2722249274461595%3Aoriginal_content_owner_id.100000296477327%3Athrowback_story_fbid.10158763533044622%3Aphoto_id.2722249244461598%3Astory_location.4%3Aattached_story_attachment_style.photo%3Athid.632634621%3A306061129499414%3A2%3A0%3A1569913199%3A3692371468219220956&__tn__=%2As%2AsH-R
Wrong long delete that huge red thing, sorry💛💚💙
No problem 🙂
My great grandma had grape Vines in her backyard. She taught my mom how to make jelly and how to can. Many years later, my mom has a small grape vine and she makes and cans grape jelly. I love grapes. My son, however, will tell you he does not like them. Maybe he will grow into it? Lol
My grandparents used to have it too but they used to do wine 😀
Sometimes we change our tastes during the years so never say never 😉
I should mention the wine to my mom. Making wine would be cool to do!!
And to drink too 😉🍷
Here, finally got it https://www.google.com/amp/s/ciccophoto.com/2019/09/14/4708/amp/
Saw it 🙂
Thank you very much Ilona :)🤗
I shared your blog of prickly pear on Pinterest cause it’s a product I very seldom see. Nice work.
Thank you very much! Very appreciated!