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Muscadines and Scuppernongs, Now at Open Produce (Hyde Park)

Muscadines and Scuppernongs, Now at Open Produce (Hyde Park)
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  • Muscadines and Scuppernongs, Now at Open Produce (Hyde Park)

    Post #1 - August 20th, 2012, 10:06 pm
    Post #1 - August 20th, 2012, 10:06 pm Post #1 - August 20th, 2012, 10:06 pm
    You'll occasionally find muscadine grapes for sale in Chicago but scuppernongs are rarely seen in these parts. Open Produce in Hyde Park brings in these two prized Southern varieties every year and the grapes have now begun their brief annual appearance. Get 'em while you can.

    Image

    Open Produce
    1635 E 55th St
    Chicago
    773-496-4327
    http://openproduce.org/
    Mon-Fri 7am-2am, Sat-Sun 8am-2am
  • Post #2 - August 21st, 2012, 4:16 pm
    Post #2 - August 21st, 2012, 4:16 pm Post #2 - August 21st, 2012, 4:16 pm
    I could eat these all day. Right up there with sweet cherries, watermelon, & boiled peanuts.
    Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

    Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening
  • Post #3 - August 21st, 2012, 4:42 pm
    Post #3 - August 21st, 2012, 4:42 pm Post #3 - August 21st, 2012, 4:42 pm
    I thought you meant scuppernong wine, which you can keep. The whole grapes, however, that's a different story. 2.75/lb ain't cheap, but ain't outrageous either. I don't think I have had scuppernongs (which are a type of muscadine) since I lived (for a short time) near the Cape Fear river. I will have to make the trek down south while they still have them. At least Hyde Park isn't as far south as North Cakalackee. Did you get some? Were they sweet?
  • Post #4 - August 21st, 2012, 4:52 pm
    Post #4 - August 21st, 2012, 4:52 pm Post #4 - August 21st, 2012, 4:52 pm
    d4v3 wrote:I thought you meant scuppernong wine, which you can keep. The whole grapes, however, that's a different story. 2.75/lb ain't cheap, but ain't outrageous either. I don't think I have had scuppernongs (which are a type of muscadine) since I lived (for a short time) near the Cape Fear river. I will have to make the trek down south while they still have them. At least Hyde Park isn't as far south as North Cakalackee. Did you get some? Were they sweet?



    Call Treasure Island. They frequently carry them.
    Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

    Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening
  • Post #5 - August 24th, 2012, 9:45 pm
    Post #5 - August 24th, 2012, 9:45 pm Post #5 - August 24th, 2012, 9:45 pm
    d4v3 wrote:Were they sweet?

    They're very sweet. The scuppernongs are almost too sugary but the contrast of the tart skin tempers the sweetness. I think I prefer the more complex winey flavor of the muscadines but both are a real treat. For those unfamiliar, these varieties have almost nothing in common with the usual supermarket grapes.

    pairs 4life wrote:Call Treasure Island. They frequently carry them.

    Right you are! I never noticed them at TI before (I usually don't pay a lot attention to supermarket produce during farmer's market season) but there they were next to the figs. I'll probably buy some after I finish what I already have.

    Scuppernongs and muscadines may be more common in Chicago than I realized. I'd seen them in previous years at Pete's Produce on 87th (not related to Pete's Fresh Market) and stopped by recently to find them in stock again.

    Image

    They're slightly cheaper than those at Open Produce and TI but not nearly as good. Neither variety is very sweet and they have a muted, musty flavor. I doubt I'll finish what I bought. Pete's Produce is generally a good store, with some harder-to-find items such as cabbage sprouts.

    Pete's Produce
    1543 E 87th St
    Chicago
    773-374-9732
  • Post #6 - August 25th, 2012, 5:42 pm
    Post #6 - August 25th, 2012, 5:42 pm Post #6 - August 25th, 2012, 5:42 pm
    Both varieties were available at the Whole Foods on Sheffield this afternoon, if anyone is looking over here.
  • Post #7 - August 25th, 2012, 6:43 pm
    Post #7 - August 25th, 2012, 6:43 pm Post #7 - August 25th, 2012, 6:43 pm
    I also saw them at Assi Plaza in Niles today. $2.49/lb
  • Post #8 - August 29th, 2012, 2:59 pm
    Post #8 - August 29th, 2012, 2:59 pm Post #8 - August 29th, 2012, 2:59 pm
    I weighed them so $2.99/for an apx pound of either muscadine or scuppernongs at Fresh Farms in Niles today.

    They are very, very good.
    Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

    Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening
  • Post #9 - August 30th, 2012, 9:04 am
    Post #9 - August 30th, 2012, 9:04 am Post #9 - August 30th, 2012, 9:04 am
    I could swear I saw these near the front door of MarketPlace last week. The box was unlabeled so I didn't know for sure.
    I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love

    There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach

    I write stuff.
  • Post #10 - August 30th, 2012, 9:15 am
    Post #10 - August 30th, 2012, 9:15 am Post #10 - August 30th, 2012, 9:15 am
    Rene G wrote:You'll occasionally find muscadine grapes for sale in Chicago but scuppernongs are rarely seen in these parts.

    pairs4life wrote:Call Treasure Island. They frequently carry them.

    Rene G wrote:I'd seen them in previous years at Pete's Produce on 87th (not related to Pete's Fresh Market) and stopped by recently to find them in stock again.

    annak wrote:Both varieties were available at the Whole Foods on Sheffield this afternoon, if anyone is looking over here.

    CrazyC wrote:I also saw them at Assi Plaza in Niles today. $2.49/lb

    pairs4life wrote:I weighed them so $2.99/for an apx pound of either muscadine or scuppernongs at Fresh Farms in Niles today.

    Pie Lady wrote:I could swear I saw these near the front door of MarketPlace last week. The box was unlabeled so I didn't know for sure.

    I hereby retract my original statement. Maybe we should start a thread on places that don't carry scuppernongs.
  • Post #11 - August 30th, 2012, 9:21 am
    Post #11 - August 30th, 2012, 9:21 am Post #11 - August 30th, 2012, 9:21 am
    I wonder if you can make a pie out of them.

    Well, apparently so.
    http://dearlittlewater.blogspot.com/200 ... g-pie.html
    http://downhomedesserts.blogspot.com/20 ... t-pie.html
    http://www.deepfriedkudzu.com/2010/10/p ... nongs.html
    http://www.thehappyberry.com/recipes/muscadine-pie.html

    I wonder how many make a cup. Like, two?
    I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love

    There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach

    I write stuff.
  • Post #12 - August 30th, 2012, 6:13 pm
    Post #12 - August 30th, 2012, 6:13 pm Post #12 - August 30th, 2012, 6:13 pm
    I've gotta start paying more attention. Of course, if they were just labeled muscadines, I probably would have overlooked them.
  • Post #13 - September 24th, 2012, 9:44 am
    Post #13 - September 24th, 2012, 9:44 am Post #13 - September 24th, 2012, 9:44 am
    When I was a kid growing up in Chicago’s Portage Park neighborhood, our next door neighbor was a guy named Henry Grill. He as an old country Italian (in fact, he came over on “the boat” with my great-grandmother) and he kept a marvelous garden, with an arbor that gave forth concord grapes. As a kid, I liked concord grapes okay, but they always seemed to have too many seeds.

    Muscadines and scuppernongs taste remarkably similar to concord grapes – very sweet with almost gelatinous fruit texture, but here’s the thing: they have a much higher fruit to seed ratio, so it seems worth the effort to pick out seeds.

    Image

    Image

    However, according to some, picking out the seeds may not be necessary.

    At the Greenville, South Carolina, farmers’ market last weekend, we met Walker and Ann Miller, owners of The Happy Berry [http://www.thehappyberry.com/index.html]. When Walker mentioned that you can just chew the seeds of muscadines and scuppernongs, his primary crop, I mentioned that maybe that was not such a great idea for those diagnosed with diverticulitis (pockets in the gut that are irritated by seeds, hard shells, etc.). Ann quickly pointed out that no one has ever found muscadine or scuppernong seeds in the gut of patients with diverticulitis.

    Image

    Perhaps – what’s certain is that the Millers have gulped down the muscadine/scuppernong kool-aid, and they’re fierce advocates for the fruit, calling it on their site the “nutraceutical secret of the South.”

    Perhaps.

    What I do know for sure is that this Southern style grape is one of the tastiest fruits I’ve enjoyed.

    Image
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #14 - September 24th, 2012, 9:57 am
    Post #14 - September 24th, 2012, 9:57 am Post #14 - September 24th, 2012, 9:57 am
    Perhaps this was mentioned earlier and I'm missing it, but what's the diff between muscs and scupps?
    I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love

    There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach

    I write stuff.
  • Post #15 - September 24th, 2012, 10:15 am
    Post #15 - September 24th, 2012, 10:15 am Post #15 - September 24th, 2012, 10:15 am
    Pie Lady wrote:Perhaps this was mentioned earlier and I'm missing it, but what's the diff between muscs and scupps?


    M=blue purple
    S=green golden.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #16 - September 24th, 2012, 10:17 am
    Post #16 - September 24th, 2012, 10:17 am Post #16 - September 24th, 2012, 10:17 am
    I mean, do they taste the different?
    I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love

    There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach

    I write stuff.
  • Post #17 - September 24th, 2012, 10:19 am
    Post #17 - September 24th, 2012, 10:19 am Post #17 - September 24th, 2012, 10:19 am
    Pie Lady wrote:I mean, do they taste the different?


    That is a good question. Taste differences, if any, are slight, though I'd have to defer to people who have more experience with these fruits...though I'm going to eat a few for lunch right now and will report back.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #18 - September 24th, 2012, 2:08 pm
    Post #18 - September 24th, 2012, 2:08 pm Post #18 - September 24th, 2012, 2:08 pm
    this is going to sound dumb, but muscadines are more well...musky, with more tannic undertones.
  • Post #19 - September 24th, 2012, 2:25 pm
    Post #19 - September 24th, 2012, 2:25 pm Post #19 - September 24th, 2012, 2:25 pm
    mgmcewen wrote:this is going to sound dumb, but muscadines are more well...musky, with more tannic undertones.


    I think you may be right. I tried to blind test them, but can't say I detected a lot of differences, though the darker skin seemed thicker and could contribute to some tannic qualities. I think.
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #20 - September 25th, 2012, 7:46 pm
    Post #20 - September 25th, 2012, 7:46 pm Post #20 - September 25th, 2012, 7:46 pm
    Hmmmm,

    I've always thought of scuppernongs as the muskier/earthier of the 2.
    Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

    Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening
  • Post #21 - August 31st, 2021, 6:40 pm
    Post #21 - August 31st, 2021, 6:40 pm Post #21 - August 31st, 2021, 6:40 pm
    Who is selling these during the short season?
    Thanks!
    Molly
  • Post #22 - August 31st, 2021, 9:21 pm
    Post #22 - August 31st, 2021, 9:21 pm Post #22 - August 31st, 2021, 9:21 pm
    fleurdesel wrote:Who is selling these during the short season?
    Thanks!
    Molly


    Historically, Valli's Produce, Tony's Foods, and Fresh Farms Niles would have it.
    Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

    Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening

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