Muscadines are a variety of wild grape that grows in the south. The woods are FULL of their vines climbing trees, bushes and running along the ground. They're beautiful. These muscadines are not ripe. When they ripen, usually in August or September, they'll be dark purple and nearly black. I was an adult before I knew they weren't "muskidimes." We still say it that way, even though we know better. :) If you're lucky, they grow close enough to the ground to reach. But usually, they're WAY up the vine. So, one person shakes the vine, while the rest of us watch the ground. Muscadines are so delicious, it's hard to wait till you get to the house to wash and eat them. You just rub them off a little, bite till it breaks open, and suck out the sweet juicy pulp! Then, spit out the seeds and throw the hull away.
Those who can resist the urge to eat them all while gathering, can make muscadine wine, jelly or jam.
I hope to get pictures of these when they ripen. I'll have to be quick because someone will be shaking the vine!
2 comments:
I'll be watching to see the ripe ones.
I've always heard of muscadines but have never seen them. What a neat story and great pictures to go with! Here we have dewberries that grow wild, and as a kid we would go picking them and eat most of them before we ever made it home...by then we were covered in purple-red juice and my mom would always get mad. ;)
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