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Homegrown: Concord Grapes

One of the few truly American fruits

by Victoria Abbott Riccardi

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You know autumn has arrived in New England when boxes of tangy-sweet Concord grapes start showing up at local markets and farm stands. In fact, these dusky-purple orbs are so fragrant, you can smell them before you see them. Their growing season is brief, so enjoy them now, either straight from the vine or in a recipe. And don't limit yourself to jam or jelly; Concord grapes make fabulous savory sauces and desserts.

To make fresh juice, for example, just whirl whole grapes in your blender (seeds, skins, and all) and pour the mixture through a strainer. Voila -- a gorgeous, violet juice that tastes so sweet, it needs no added sugar. For cooking, just slip off the tart skins and press the pulp through a sieve. Then use the pulp as is, or add the skins back in for flavor and texture. And here's the bonus: Aside from their tantalizing taste, Concord grapes brim with flavonoids, resveratrol, and other antioxidants, so they may help fight cardiovascular disease and some cancers.

A New England Original

Although New York, Ohio, Michigan, and Washington now supply the bulk of the country's commercial crop, the Concord grape did indeed get its start in Concord, Massachusetts. Gold-leaf artisan, horticulturalist, and Concord resident Ephraim Wales Bull (1806-1895) spent years working with 22,000 seedlings before finding a vine worth keeping -- a derivative of a wild Vitis labrusca grape that could withstand the harsh New England weather. He propagated it for five years before bringing his crop to market, thus making the Concord grape one of just a handful of edible fruits native to North America. In fact, a shoot that grew from the original Concord grapevine root still clings to a trellis near Bull's little white house -- a living testimony to the hardy nature of this tasty, healthy treat.

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