I love grapes, but I can only eat two or three without feeling sick. Anymore I have a terrible stomach ache for awhile. I used to be able to eat tons of grapes. At that time I loved the cotton candy grapes!

In California, we get just about any kind of grape, and they're usually good to great. They're usually too sweet for me, however. Candy. :) Seedless greens are sometimes refreshing, as are the reds. Blacks can be tasty but usually supersweet. My very favorite are champagne grapes. This year they had firm enough stems to pull easily, which hasn't been true for several years. They were just perfect. Of course, blink, and they're gone. :)

Had Moon Drop grapes the other day. They were pretty good.

champagne grapes? Takes forever to peel. :-)

I am trying to grow muscadine grapes.

Also, I like fermented grapes. :-)

dcarch

dc.

I think those dehydrated grapes are tasty too!

^_^

I freeze extra grapes. Tasty still frozen popped in the mouth.

I like real grapes, but not any of the genetically engineered ones taking over in the stores now. I find them all much too sweet.

My favorite grapes are concord, which have become hard to find down here in recent years because the stores like to fake you out with those awful thomcord things, and the native Muscadines and Scuppernongs.

But alas, my grape-eating days are over now, due to this stupid extreme keto thing I have to do.

We used to have a grapevine in the back yard (it came with the house), but we never got many grapes from it, and pests would eat most of them. We did get a lot of grape leaves, but I never got around to making stuffed grape leaves, and so we got rid of the vine (which took up a lot of space) and replaced it with a bench to hold my orchid cactus plants. I do get fruit from these, and pests to do each those fruit. They are sort of like pitaya fruit, but much smaller.

I like grapes but very seldom buy them because they are so many other fruits that I like a lot better. The Centinela Adobe building across the street from me has grape vines, and I have gone over there a few times and eaten some of their grapes. I don't know what kind they are, but they are purple and fairly sweet. The vines have been there for over 100 years.

When I do buy grapes, I buy the red seedless ones. I like grape juice more than I like grapes, and I like wine more than I like grape juice.

I also like them seedless...red or green as long as they're big and sweet.

This topic made me think of this simple recipe with sausages and grapes (from Ina Garten). I've served it several times now. You can use whatever sausage combination you prefer. I've used Merlot or Shiraz for the wine, but you can also make this without the wine. Also, I roast this in a 450 degree oven instead of 500.

Roasted Sausages and Grapes (Serves 6-8)

1 1/2 pounds Italian hot sausage
1 1/2 pounds Italian sweet sausage
3 T. butter
2 pounds red and/or green seedless grapes, stems removed
2 to 4 T. dry red wine, preferably Chianti
3 T. balsamic vinegar
Fresh Foccaccia or Ciabatta bread, to serve

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Parboil the sausages in water to cover for 8 minutes to rid them of excess fat.

Melt the butter in a large heatproof roasting pan, add the grapes, and toss to coat. Over moderately high heat add the wine. Stir with a wooden spoon for a few minutes until the wine has reduced by half.

Using tongs, transfer the parboiled sausages to the roasting pan and push them down in the grapes so the sausages will not brown too quickly. Roast in the oven, turning the sausages once, until the grapes are soft and the sausages have browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

Place the roasting pan on top of the stove over a medium-high heat and add the balsamic vinegar. Scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the roasting pan, and allow the vinegar and juices to reduce until they are thick and syrupy. With a slotted spoon, transfer the sausages and grapes to a serving platter.

Pour the sauce over the sausages and grapes and serve immediately, accompanied with fresh bread.

Gardengal, there is a difference between GMO and genetically-engineered. No, grapes have no material from different species in them (GMO), but the new designer grapes that are pushing the traditional varieties out of the stores (and new apples and other fruits) are not created by simple hybridization.

They involve things like embryo transplant, and generally a whole lot more messing around with the genetic structure than is possible with plain old-fashioned hybridization. They are grapes that could never occur by strictly natural methods, and deliberately so, because it makes it easier to patent them and create an endless revenue stream for the patent holders.

Sweet Tango apples are another example of this process.

If they were making better fruit, I wouldn't have such a problem, but rock peaches that never ripen and mealy apples that used to be delicious are not good and it's a shame they're tricking people into buying fruit that they'll just throw away. :(

Dcarch, I know someone who used to peal champagne grapes. :)

writersblock, I am not going to get into an argument with you but this is nothing new. Hybridization is essentially genetic engineering - anything that is a hybrid has been genetically engineered (I hesitate to use that term as many translate it directly to GMO) as the breeders select specific genetic qualities to be emphasized or eliminated. Quite primitive with the earlier plants produced but with increased technology, hybridization is becoming much more specific and directed. And sophisticated. Any fruit or plant that is seedless does not occur naturally.....that is self-explanatory!!

And not all hybridized or genetically engineered plants are patented. And even if they are, this does not generate an "endless revenue stream" for the breeder, as plant patents are only valid for 20 years.

btw, ALL apples are hybrids. And 'Minneiska' apple (tradename SweeTango) is no super apple....it is just a simple cross of Honeycrisp and Zestar.

There are some ancient olive trees still living. They might also be hybrids of some sort, but they're close to not. The olives of one variety have barely any flesh just crusting a pit the size of a small (shelled) peanut. Most other fruits we have are hybrids. Anyone who has picked wild berries knows most of them are much much smaller and much much more fragile, than the kinds you can buy. Wild strawberries will just about turn into jam all by themselves if you pick them and put them in a jar.

Still, I complain about the fruits that are bred or engineered in labs for appearance and shelf life over flavor and nutrition.

I like black seedless organic grapes best - haven't had any good ones around here in a while, tho.

Not a big fan of grocery grapes but we do like the dark/black variety if very firm. I often just buy a dozen to add to some salads. No need to buy the giant bag being sold by the pound. I like the texture cut in half or quarters if large. They don't absorb any dressings so the flavor burst remains. Mostly for tuna or smoked chicken salads.

I planted grape vines 20 years ago...wine and concord. The concord makes amazing juice. I'm a hack at tending them but prune adequately enough to get a good harvest every year. Mostly for the early leaves I freeze for pickles and a batch or two of domas for the holidays. Excellent for wrapping fish. Steamed or grilled.

Seems like all the grocery store grapes around here all taste the same. Mostly sweet but no distinguishable flavours from each other. The white grapes are huge right now very sweet and juicy but flavor is the same as the red, black, ect....just sweet.