Also found a new wild grape this morning!

I'm just finding all kinds of wild edibles. Must be sign that summer is coming to an end. This morning while on my extrasize walk I walked underneath a tree canopy overhanging the road and happen to notice some kind of berries on the ground underneath. I realized that they were some kind of a wild grape. One that I'm not familiar with. These were green to a light purplish color and a bit more plump than the usual native grapes we have around here. The grapes I'm more familiar with are what we call possum grapes, indian grapes, or some people call them mustang grapes and are very tart even when very ripe. The taste of this new grape was somewhat sweet and had anywhere from 2 to 4 seeds in each fruit. They also were much bigger in size than the usual native grapes but only about a third of the size of table grapes you buy in the store. Since they had more of a sweet flavor to them then a tart flavor I don't think they would make a good wine but not sure as I have never made wine. I do believe they would make a good jelly if a person could find enough to mess with. I'm gonna save the seeds and see if I can get a start from them and try to grow them around a future gazebo or arbor of some type.

[james dilley]

You will need to freeze the seeds for about 90 days to help them germinate, they won't unless they get the cold, Any chance the grapes are from a old homestead?? and not wild grapes

James, I've thought about that, but I don't think there has ever been a homestead right in that area. However I was kind of wondering if someone didn't throw some store boughten grapes out the car window while traveling down the dirt road and that is how it got it's start. Cause to me it really does look like the light green/purplish grapes you can buy at the supermarket. Only smaller in size. Maybe if the vine had more nutrition in the soil to feed on then maybe they might turn out to be the same. I wished I knew a grape expert around here so I could find out for sure.

[oltex]

r.h. I'll bet what you have is muscadine grapes. They make good jelly as well as wine. If you do a google search for "muscadine" you'll get a world of information. Here's one link for info.

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/muscadinegrape.html

Oltex, I believe you are right. After doing a search on Muscadine grapes I found several pictures that resemble the grapes I have found. I've heard of the Muscadine grape but I never knew it was originally a wild native grape here in North America. Thanks for the info. I'm definitely going to try to cultivate the seeds now.