One of my all-time favorite grabs at the farmer’s market is the muscadine. For those who’ve never had the pleasure of biting into one, know they’re basically giant, southern grapes with thick skins and large, bitter seeds that you have to spit out in the least lady-like fashion you can imagine. They come in green and purple, just like any grape, but are large and densely flavored. I suspect it’s the thick skin that enables their smooth, sweet taste to be so good with every bite (and many indeed need more than one bite!).
If you’re trying them for the first time, the easiest way to eat them is to bite off a bit from the top (where the stem would be if it were on the vine), then dig out the seeds (novices use your fingers, yogis use their teeth then spit them out). Then you just pop the rest in your mouth and enjoy the silky fruit hidden beneath the thick fruit skin. Some people don’t eat the seeds: I equate this with peeling apples, in that its best not to peel it unless you’re cooking a pie/cobbler/making jam (which you could totally do with these!)
If you’re not in to the seeds, or the skin, or just can’t find them near you, look around for a bottle of muscadine wine. This never-expensive drink has all the flavor and smoothness of muscadines themselves, without the need to find a farmer or learn to spit. The wines come in all sweet varieties of red, white, and rose — so get read & go enjoy!
Tagged: eating locally, food, local food, muscadine, wine
