My mother grows Black Monukka on the Wasatch Front in Utah, where it is dry enough that there is no mildew problem with this variety. She loves it, but it ripens in cool fall weather and I think it would be sweeter in California. As I recall, Trader Joe's sells big Black Monukka raisins during the holiday baking season. Once upon a time, you could get raisins made from muscats with the seeds removed for boiled raisin cake, etc. Black Monukka raisins are a reasonable substitute. A guy who runs a Thompson Seedless vineyard near Fresno told me that Black Monukka would hang on his home vine into December unless rains were heavy. Not that this information does you much good where winters start earlier. There is a commercial variety of black seedless grape from Australia or New Zealand which is fabulous. I've only tasted it once and I can't remember its name. At the time, growers were guarding test vineyards. Black Monukka is a parent.

That looks just like mine that are having a bit of leaf hopper infestation. Look on the underside of the leaf and see if you can see some little hoppers that jump or fly away if disturbed. Mine are easily killed with many insecticides.

I'm growing about 8 varieties in 12 gallon pots in my greenhouse. They fruited about 6 clusters each the 2nd year and about 10 the 3rd. That's about as much as I'll allow. I water once a day in summer. My favorite varieties are earliest to latest: Flame, Summer Royal, Princess, and Crimson. Summer Royal best overall. It has large berries and great flavor if not over watered. Summer Muscat is the best tasting grape I've grown but the berries are small and crack badly for me.

For our big halloween party we usually have 50 to 80 people. I usually make a crockpot of meatballs (amongst other things), but make a Swedish meatball type sauce for it. Just yesterday a friend contacted me for the recipe for the sauce for a party he's having this evening. Bob's "Swedish" Meatball sauce Ingredients: 1 stick of butter 4 medium onions chopped fine with food processor 1/2 cup flour 1/2 cup medium dry madiera 3 cups strong beef stock 2 cups half-and-half 1 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce Melt butter in large pan over medium low heat, add onions and cook and stir for 15-20 minutes until onoins are nearly caramelized. Add flour and stir until the flour is absorbed into the butter, and cook for another minute or two. Next stir in the Madiera, then the beef stock, and heat to a simmer for a few minutes to thicken the sauce. Next use a stick blender to puree the sauce smooth, and add the half-and-half and Worchestershire sauce. Pour over heated meatballs in crockpot on low.