Friday, October 2, 2009

Hallowe'en Countdown--Day -30/ One of the Unofficial Fruits of Hallowe'en


I would like to nominate the muscadine grape as one of the official fruits of Hallowe'en.  Some would argue the apple is #1 and I would not disagree but the muscadine (pronounced "musky-dine" by most here) has to be up there somewhere.  The large Southern grape grows wild on large vines has been cultivated and grown commercially for a number of years.  The fruit is deep purple to almost black with tiny specks of white like stars on a Hallowe'en night.  The strong, dark, heady scent of the muscadine is deep and smells like a mysterious Hallowe'en perfume, almost intoxicating.

Unfortunately, they are usually only found in the Southern states but to my Northern friends, I would encourage you to try a jar of muscadine preserves or a bottle of muscadine wine, both can be found online.  I bought a couple of baskets from a curbside market today and am going to make homemade jelly from them.

8 comments:

Belle Dee said...

Muscadine wine is the best!! I LOVE it!!

Mr. Macabre said...

Ain't it though? I'm usually a white wine drinker but I do love a muscadine merlot!

Diane said...

wow, i havent thought about those in a long time. used to eat them as a kid. yum!

Carrie Mae said...

Mmm... muscadines. I love them!

And the vines are just so... viney. :)

The Artful Gypsy aka Wendy the Very Good Witch said...

Never thought about them as a Hallowe'en perfume....that is an ingredient that really should be considered. I'll have to tell Bath & Body Works it could be their next big seller!

Peter Varvel said...

This California boy has never ever heard of these. Fascinating! I would like to try the preserves or jelly version, at least.
Thanks for teaching me something new!

Chris 'Frog Queen' Davis said...

Never had one....hum, got to check them out...in the wine form of course.

Cheers!

NA said...

Being a California native living in South Carolina, I have never seen these in SC or CA. I will have to look harder. They do look like a perfect Halloween fruit.