Saw an article in the paper recently explaining that produce this year is more flavorful than every because of the unusual growing season we have had. Of course there has been drought, but they were referring to an early hot spell that moved fruit into maturity sooner, and the continued heat helping to concentrate flavors in fruit.

We have noticed this with green grapes. They have been larger, firmer and oh-so-good! DH said he was going to go back to the store and get more and I said you'll never find any as good as the one we had just finished. He did. So perhaps there is something right about grapes this year.

Jodi-

uyou know cynic I could have wrote exactly what you wrote including tasting them. I have been so disappointed so many times with the grapes I never buy them anymore without tasting them. I live 40 miles from Pierre and it isn't easy to just take them back if they are no good.
Saturday I was in Pierre and I went to the grocery store and they were 1.48 a pound I tasted the black ones first and they were really good. The red ones had seeds in them and I didn't want them but they were really good. The green ones were a little tarter but not bad so I spent 12.00 on grapes. I like to freeze them though and eat them all winter. A lot of them are cracked but they are so good. If you have never had frozen grapes you have to try it. Not good for salads or anything after that but just for a snack they are really good.

I've never tried freezing them but I've heard a lot about it. I need to try it.

yes just try a few and see if you like them.

You can cool off your drinks with frozen grapes without diluting the drink.

I like frozen grapes. And I like frozen cherries even better. Unfortunately, I don't think it was a good cherry year. The best ones I bought were at the end of the season, from Jealous Fruit in Canada.

I hope a good grape year means it was a good wine year.

When buying grapes, whether red or green, feel of them and if they feel firm, they are good. If they are soft, they aren't.
And green grapes that have more of a yellowish tinge are much sweeter than if they are very green in color.

Speaking of a good year for grapes, I heard someone on the radio, talking about wineries in Texas, saying they had a bumper crop of grapes this year.

I eat a fresh fruit bowl for breakfast every day, and green grapes are a part of it. They are amazing this year - huge, firm and sweet.

BTW - fruit lovers, the South American clementines started coming in last week. They're pretty good, but I can't wait for the Spanish ones. Tried some from California last year - tough and bitter.

My FIL has an organic orchard on many acres here in CA. The key to good fruit is planting on time, caring for the produce, mature trees - but not too old, no late rains, SUN SUN SUN and picking the fruit ripe. This is why things taste better at Farmer's markets - because they are picked ripe. He sells to grocery stores but they don't want ripe fruit - because it'll rot on the shelves but he sells ripe tomatoes and onions to restaurants in San Francisco. He also grows these incredibly delicious plums that I've only seen him grow. The ripe plum is bright green on the outside and ruby red on the inside. Absolutely delicious...

I don't know if it works the same with commercially grown grapes, but Mom's grape vine produces like crazy one year and the next has an off year. This was the off year for that vine.
We have had grapes on sale for 99 cents to $1.29 a pound. Love it - but I need to watch or I can eat a whole bag and even though the "points" are free for grapes - a bag of grapes won't get any weight off me. Mmmm love frozen grapes - love them more when they are half frozen..

Same here,all the grapes have been excellent this year,the red,green and black seedless,as that's the only kind we eat.Can't stand grapes with the seeds in them!!

But even better for us is that they carry the same ones at our .99 cent store as they have in the regular grocery stores,nice,firm sweet and oh sooooooooooo good.We also have been getting our honey dews,nectarines,blue berries and black berries.

We have one of the biggest and best 99 cent stores in this area,people come from all the surrounding towns to shop here.

I always try to go on days when i know shipments will be in.
Kathi

Kathy, I bet you have the same one that we have here, because the chain is in California and Arizona, and maybe a few other states....It is the 99 Cents Only Store. Unfortunately, there isn't one very close to me...heck, I am so far in the boondocks, nothing is close, but I love to go to them when I am in Houston. I can buy bags of apples for 99 cents...great for my animals, and broccoflower...which is expensive in the supermarkets. Five pounds on nice russet potatoes for 99 cents. Plus they sell live plants...sometimes some very nice and unusual tropical plants, bedding plants, rose bushes, big flower pots (seconds, but for 99 cents, I don't care). All kinds of neat stuff and it is an enormous store.

My grape vine did not produce this year as the frost got them when they were budding! I like frozen grapes too and have a bunch in my freezer. I like the dark colors of grapes better than the green ones.

Sue

Marilyn C,it must be so.I've got some of the nicest,healthest succulents there and a lot of my african violets came from there.The last time i went i got a few pots of yellow mumn,and a pretty little minature rose.

These are from the .99 cent store

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These are all from the .99 cent store.
I need to go this week and get some more clay pots for my cactus.
Kathi

I've noticed some awesome green grapes too! My favorite way to eat them is room temp before refrigerating. They are never as good afterwards. Also around Christmas, Holiday grapes are in season-I eat a lot of those while they're around.

And when it's a good year for grapes, it will be a great year for wine. Seems the drought we've been experiencing has made the juice inside the grapes more concentrated and sweeter.

I had wondered about the correlation between the grapes & wine but wineries use their own grapes so the location will be different, the breed will be different and I'm not too sure if it's good for one, is it necessarily good for another? I don't know. Just wondering. Nevertheless, I've been pleased with the results in the store this year.