Muscadines

earthbound · **Posted:** Mon Mar 22, 2010 1:45 pm

I mentioned muscadines in another thread so figured I might start a thread here with a bit of info about them. They really captured my attention a few years back but I never got round to getting hold of some.

Here is the basic info from wikipedia and some pictures..

Quote:

Muscadines (Vitis rotundifolia) are a grapevine species native to the present-day southeastern United States that has been extensively cultivated since the 16th Century. Its recognized range in the United States extends from New York south to Florida, and west to Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. They are well adapted to their native warm and humid climate; they need fewer chilling hours than better known varieties and they thrive on summer heat.

Muscadine berries range from bronze to dark purple to black in color when ripe. However, many wild varieties stay green through maturity. They have skin sufficiently tough that eating the raw fruit often involves biting a small hole in the skin to suck out the pulp inside. Muscadines are not only eaten fresh, but also are used in making wine, juice, and jelly.

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They seem to be a fantastic fruit, especially for those living in places like QLD where it has traditionally been too tropical for the standard European grape (Vitis vinifera). I know they have worked on varieties of the European grape that are more resistant to the warmer more humid tropical conditions, but hey, here's one that grows naturally under those conditions.

chillidude · **Posted:** Mon Mar 22, 2010 2:59 pm

Yeah, they look good - thanks EB, never heard of 'em before.

earthbound · **Posted:** Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:40 pm

And with a variety called "scuppernong" How could you not love them....

earthbound · **Posted:** Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:55 pm

Woooooo hoooooooo

They are now available from Daleys.. Well one variety is, and others are in production.

http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/MUSCADINE ... ifolia.htm

BatonRouge Bill · **Joined:** Wed Jan 06, 2010 2:59 pm **Posts:** 60

There is an old plantation town 2 hrs drive from my house that has a pick your own vinyard full of muscadines. I used to take my girls there and pick a couple 5 gallon buckets full for wine and jelly and tour some of the Plantation homes. Muscadines grow wild all over and are seedier than european grapes. They are much more adaptable to different soils than regular grapes. The purple ones are high in pectins and do make a fine muscadine jelly. The skins arent very good except to add color and tannins for the wine. The wasps love making nests in them though! I think the flaky bark makes good nest building material for them.

earthbound · **Posted:** Wed Mar 24, 2010 1:48 pm

Nice, I'm definitely going to get some and give them a go.

dufflight · **Posted:** Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:18 am

Daleys now have them back in stock. Ordered 2 for the back yard. I like the warning.
This variety is owned by FAVGRO. The purchaser agrees that propagation of the vines for sale, without authorisation from the breeder is prohibited.

So if you take cuttings only give them away. :hello:

big worm · **Posted:** Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:55 am

they are a southern treat, hot humid sticky sunstorke claysoil any two of the before mentioned you can grow them. its best to put them on a chain link fence or build a heavy duty structure because they are large fast growers. they make powerful wine, they are a thick skinned fruit with multiseed. you chew and spit the skin and seeds.

earthbound · **Posted:** Sat Feb 12, 2011 5:29 pm

But do they taste good and are they worth growing?

dufflight · **Posted:** Sat Feb 12, 2011 10:41 pm

earthbound wrote:

But do they taste good and are they worth growing?

They look pretty. That enough for me. :joy:

big worm · **Posted:** Sun Feb 13, 2011 12:07 am

well...yea they are good, they are not table grapes like you are used to. they are more flavorful than sweet.....lol perfect for wine and jellies, it would be hard to imagin summer without them. they grow wild here. the bronze ones are best in my opinion, but i have never seen a wild bronze.

dufflight · **Posted:** Wed Feb 16, 2011 7:21 pm

Turned up today. One even has grapes on it.

Tokendude · **Posted:** Wed Apr 13, 2011 4:24 am

earthbound wrote:

But do they taste good and are they worth growing?

As you know, I just put in a small vineyard of them. Because of my climate they are the only real option for long term success as the more conventional types of grapes will become diseased after a few years because of the heat and humidity. Having said that, if I could grow other grapes, I would still grow muscadines because I personally enjoy the flavor that much.

Not all muscadines are created equal though. Some varieties can have ridiculously thick skin (like leather), some varieties can be small and "wild" tasting (good for juice/wine, but not fresh eating), and some varieties can be heavenly; 4cm (or more) in diameter, super sweet yet still slightly tangy, and thin skinned enough to eat the skin and flesh together. They generally are grouped into three colors; Black, White, and Pink.

Also, if giving a go at growing them, realize that there are male and female varieties (color doesn't matter). Male are self pollinating, while females will only fruit if another male is reasonably close by. Males generally produce 50 to 70 lbs/vine when mature and femailes produce 60 to 80 lbs/vine when mature.

Looking at the Daley’s website, the Adonis and Achilles are new varieties created in Australia. Although both are claimed to be large fruited, 15-20mm is generally considered “small”, and the 20-25mm fruits are considered “medium” in the US. Noble is a small berry used for producing wine and juice; it’s not very nice for fresh eating. The “Muscadine Grape – Bronze” is an unknown variety and may be a “wild” version. I would go for a Fry as my main producer and you would need a Dixie to help pollinate. Dixie will be sweeter than the Fry, but small (20mm), while the Fry can reach 30-35mm. Fry is a very popular variety in the US.

Lastly, Muscadines are very vigorous vines and require unique pruning to maximize their output. It’s not difficult at all, but some research should be done. I’ll post pictures of my small set-up here when I get a chance, and keep ya’ll updated if you like. Also, feel free to ask any questions as I’m a Muscadine Maniac!!!

TD

Snags · **Joined:** Wed Jul 07, 2010 10:52 pm **Posts:** 234

Thanx for the info .I will definitely get some for the community garden

big worm · **Posted:** Thu Sep 22, 2011 12:54 pm

we have a bumper crop here, i have 130 pounds in the wine barrel.

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