Summer Grapes and Berries

"Grapes are one of the oldest cultivated plants. They are classified as true berries because the fruit wall or pericarp is fleshy all the way through. The cultivation of grapes dates back more than 5,000 years in Egypt, and they were highly developed by the Greeks and Romans. Today there are nearly 200 cultivated varieties. Modern cultivars have all been derived from two main species, the European (Mediterranean) Vitis vinifera (a tight-skin grape with wine-like flavor) and the North American V. labrusca (a slip-skin grape with Concord-type flavor). In the European tight-skins, which are used for wines, the skin does not separate readily from the pulp. North American slip-skin grapes are generally more hardy than the European. The fruit is round with a more watery flesh and a thin skin that slips off very easily. The North American V. labrusca is also called the fox grape and is the source of the famous cultivar discovered in Concord, Massachusetts. Concord grapes are the most important American grape for juices, jellies and preserves. They are also used for certain wines. Some of the best wines and popular eating grapes, such as 'Thompson Seedless' and 'Red Seedless' are cultivars of V. vinifera. Sterile, triploid cultivars have been developed that do not produce seeds because of synaptic failure during Meiosis I resulting in non-viable gametes. Several varieties of grapes are dried and used for raisins. The best raisin grapes are selected for flavor, reduced stickiness and soft texture. In the United States, most raisins are produced in California's Central Valley." READ MORE

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