wild grapes?

[bdw593]

Just found these today. I've seen alot of wild grape vines around In the trees but this is the first time I've seen grapes actually on the vine.

 

[beenthere]

Those look great. Used to get bunches like that every few years on the fence rows in IA. Picked several bushel and Grandma made juice and a lot of grape jelly. I just like to get in and eat them.

 

[BruceWard]

Very cool. Do you know what kind of grapes they are?

 

[bdw593]

No clue what kinda grapes they are.... I drove all over the property and have grapevines in alot of the trees but that's the only vine that actually has grapes on it...weird... Most of the old vines don't even have leaves on them let alone grapes... Anyone have an explaination?

 

[dave1949]

They look like Concord grapes to me. If they are Concord, they can be used to make great jelly. A Concord grape, when ripe, has a sweet tasting skin and a bit tart flesh inside around the seeds.

Maybe your grapes are vines that have gone wild over time, aren't getting enough sun light to be really healthy due to tree growth, just sort of 'hanging on'.

Did/does the property have any old houses or cellar holes that would indicate someone may have kept a garden years ago?

Dave.

 

[grnspot110]

True wild grapes are much smaller than domesticated varieties, maybe 1/4-3/8" diameter. They will be much "tarter" than domestic varieties. Great for grape jelly, takes a lot of sugar! I used to use them quite a bit, but don't anymore. ~~ grnspot110

 

[jbooth]

It's a little hard to get a perspective of the size of those grapes as compared to what the oldtimers called "frost grapes" in KS. Our KS. version were 1/4 to maybe 5/16 diameter. I was told the name came from the almost frost appearance on the surface of the grapes when it was picking time. The white frost appearane rubbed off when picking. My mother made a lot of jelly and Dad made wine. Both were good, but I had to sneak the wine. I see a lot of green grapes from my boat when the water is up in the lakes in the spring, but lack the ambition to pick when ready. The ticks and chiggers may have something to do with my lack of interest also.

I imagine the "frost grape" name was a local thing and the same grapes were named differently in other localities.

 

[beenthere]

They are just wild grapes. They have one seed, and very little around that one seed except skin.
Here is a site that has some good pics of the varieties of wild grapes. Don't know where "frost grapes" fit in to the scheme. Like grapes, they grow one year and set grapes in following years, I think.

Wild Grape Varieties

 

[NorTracNY]

I have plent around my place. They don't taste very good, so I put in some seedless around the house. This will be the first year of getting any.

 

[Chuck52]

The wild grapes in this area are much smaller than those appear to be. Are they about the same size as Concords? I think the Concord was developed from wild grapes, and if those are that big they would seem like a good candidate for breeding selection. The only wild grapes I've seen that are as big as those look are muscadines, but they don't grow in bunches like those. If they taste good I'd sure use them for something. It's is fun to find something growing wild that you can use.

Chuck