Grapes

Did you know there's a region along the Lake Erie shoreline in Chautauqua County and stretching into Pennsylvania called America’s Grape Country? One of four grape growing regions in the state, this area is ideal for fruit production including more than 50 varieties of concord grapes. 

There are four main wine growing regions, or American Viticultural Areas (AVA) in New York : Lake Erie, the Finger Lakes, Hudson River, and the East End of the Long Island. Lake Erie creates a dense, heavy clay that makes a happy home for vineyards in Western New York. The vast majority of the grapes grown here are actually concord and are used for juice production. There are approximately 31,500 acres of vineyard in the Lake Erie region of New York and Pennsylvania grown on 582 farms, making this the second largest grape growing region outside of California. Of this acreage, 98.5% consists of Labrusca  (American Grape) varieties.  

This week, we debuted the first grapes of the season with Somerset Grapes from Erdle Farm appearing in two curated fruit boxes. Their firm and crisp flesh yield a juicy, strawberry-like flavor.

We look forward to delivering up to 10 other varieties from around the area in the coming weeks. 

Grapes are rich in phytochemical compounds such as resveratrol, a powerful anti-oxidant  found to play a protective role against diseases and some cancers. They are also a good source of vitamins C, A, K, B6, B1, and B2.

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Storage & Preparation

Grapes should be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Place them in fresh cold water for a couple of minutes, gently swish them around a few times and pat day with a soft cloth. ​

Cooking Ideas

• Enjoy them as they are as a snack! Frozen grapes are a delicious way to beat the heat.
• Seedless varieties complement any fruit or vegetable salad, even chicken salad!
• Turn up the flavor with roasted grapes.
• Dried grapes, or raisins, can be used in, puddings, cakes, muffins, bread, oatmeal, and salads.
• You can also use grapes to make your own jams, jellies, juice and wine.
• While some recipes call for peeled grapes, evaluate the recipe to see whether including the skin would actually greatly change the taste and texture, since the grape skin contains many of the fruit's vital nutrients.

Recipes

• 18 Unconventional Grape Recipes
• Roasted Grape Toast
• Easy Grape Jam - Just 3 Ingredients!
• Rustic Grape Tart
• Roasted Chicken with Grapes and Rosemary
• Grape Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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