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Every use for muscadine?

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posted 7 months ago

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I live in Tx, and we have muscadine absolutely everywhere around me. I have about 200ft of it on my fence alone, producing so much foliage and grapes galore. Help me think of some uses that might not have yet crossed my mind please. The grapes can be eaten, turned into wine, jam, etc... Im curious if you could ferment them while still green as well to eat. Has anybody heard of someone doing that? The leaves are fantastic rabbit food as well as the softest TP your arse could imagine. what else do you guys have in mind?

Anne Miller

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Posts: 18188

Location: USDA Zone 8a

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posted 7 months ago

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Welcome to the forum.

Maybe that would work for a very dry bitter wine?

Have you tried eating the unripe grapes?

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Caleb Arwin

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posted 7 months ago

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I have eaten them green. They're fairly pleasant, a bit less sour and slightly bitter.

Jen Anderson

Posts: 53

Location: Alamo Lake Arizona

posted 7 months ago

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I just want to say that I so with I had your problem! Are you in a hot area of TX? Obviously these grapes have adapted well. Would you be willing to share a root so I can try growing them in Arizona?

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Caleb Arwin

Posts: 6

posted 6 months ago

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I can send you seeds or live plants if you would like. I have intentionally cultivated them further on the property to cover more fence and have a dozen babies growing right now in pots. They cover a huge amount of space in just a couple years. I'm just trying to find as many uses for native and naturalized plants as possible, as they obviously take little to no work. The potential is obviously there. just let me know if you would like me to send you something.

Riona Abhainn

pollinator

Posts: 1324

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

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posted 6 months ago

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How fun! Ever since I read about them in a novel in high school I've wanted to try them, but we don't have them here.

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Caleb Arwin

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posted 6 months ago

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if you're in 8b though, I would imagine they would grow really well there. They are much less sensitive than other grapes.

Elizabeth Horsley

Posts: 103

Location: Dallas, TX area

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posted 6 months ago

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I have wild grapes too. I want to use the leaves to make dolmas, kind of a meat and rice grape leaf wrap from Greece and surrounding area. I just haven't put in the research to make it happen yet. I love ordering them at our favorite Greek restaurant though.

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Caleb Arwin

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posted 6 months ago

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The leaves seem fuzzier than other grape leaves, but its worth a shot. I probably need to try that, I have such an abundance of them.

Terrell Deppe

Posts: 18

posted 6 months ago

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JELLY!

Ellen Lewis

pollinator

Posts: 200

Location: SF bay area zone 10a

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posted 6 months ago

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I have been using grape leaves as a green vegetable. I don't have muscadines, but I'm pretty sure they'd work as well as vinifera or labrusca, both of which work.
Often they're pickled, so they keep into the winter.
https://ferment.works/blog/fermentista-lacto-fermented-pickled-grape-leaves
They also make a good "lid" for other ferments so the little corners of the veg don't stick up out of the brine.
Obviously you won't need many for stuffed grape leaves, though the round form is probably easier to stuff than european grape leaves.
If you chop them fine and stew them for a while they make a nice tart addition to mixed greens or to a soup or stew.
I also use my grape canes for basketry and kindling. Probably work great in a rocket mass heater.

Ellen Lewis

pollinator

Posts: 200

Location: SF bay area zone 10a

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posted 6 months ago

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Plus nibbling on the tender shoot tips while walking around is yummy.

Larry Jackson

pollinator

Posts: 76

Location: Kansas Temperate Zone

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posted 6 months ago

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Ellen, I would be curious if the vines or vine bark sheath may be used to make paper fashioned after the paper made from cloth or from mulberry inner bark?
Just a passing thought. If you cut the vine, does it form a type of pectin or gel on the cut edge to heal itself such as some of the other types of wild grape vines?

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Ellen Lewis

pollinator

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Location: SF bay area zone 10a

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posted 6 months ago

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Larry, I don't know. I usually cut them when they're dormant. They can bleed a bit, but I'm not aware of a gel.
You probably could make paper, but it would be tedious harvesting the nice papery bark.

Gaurī Rasp

pollinator

Posts: 176

Location: Near Asheville North Carolina

posted 6 months ago

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Our neighbor makes wine out of the muscadines! Delicious.
I love muscadine juice.
I have Concord grapes & made some amazing juice that I preserved last season.

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Nikki Roche

gardener

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Location: South Carolina

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posted 6 months ago

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I hadn't thought about using the leaves as a TP alternative! That'll be helpful since our outdoor "pee spot" is near a muscadine vine.

The raw muscadines make my mouth itch, but I can eat them cooked. I usually juice them for baking, reducing and concentrating the juice on the stovetop first. Our favorite uses after that are in muffins or quick breads or in soft granola bars. The golden ones (scuppernongs) add a fruity sweetness without an obvious grape-like flavor like the purple ones.

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