Muscadine Info
The Health Benefits of Muscadines
Muscadine grapes, native to the southeastern United States, aren’t much like the green and red grapes you typically spot in the produce aisle. Muscadine grapes, which are sometimes called “scuppernongs,” are indeed grapes, though their thick, fleshy skin might make you think otherwise. This thick outer skin plays an important role in muscadines’ existence, as they protect the fruit from disease, fungi and pests, according to the North Carolina Muscadine Grape Association (NCMGA).
Muscadine Jelly Recipe
The flavor is as unique as the names. It’s somewhat tart and musky. I find the color of the jelly stunning.
Ingredients
- 4 cups muscadine juice
- 1 1.75 ounce box powdered pectin (I use Sure Jell Premium Fruit Pectin)
- 3 cups sugar
Instructions
- Wash canning jars in soapy water. Rinse and sterilize by boiling for 10 minutes. Keep hot until ready for use. Wash lids and rings and place in a small pot. Bring up to a boil and then let simmer until ready for use.
- Mix juice and powdered pectin in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add sugar all at once, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil rapidly until mixture reaches 220 degrees (or 8 degrees above boiling point if you’re in high altitudes) or until the mixture coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam.
- Pour jelly immediately into hot canning jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims and adjust lids.
- Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.
- Remove jars and set on a kitchen towel. Let them sit for 12 hours undisturbed.
Where to Buy Muscadine Plants
Ison’s Nursery is the Largest Muscadine Vines Grower
The Muscadine Is Known As America’s First Grape
In 1584, one of the first things that the first explorers sent to the New World by Sir Walter Raleigh observed on Roanoke Island was that the land was overflowing with grapes. What the explorers saw was probably the agricultural work of the local Croatoans. These grapes undoubtedly provided sustenance for the early settlers of the Lost Colony. Roanoke Island is home to the oldest known grapevine in the United States. This four-hundred-year-old scuppernong “Mother Vine” has a trunk two feet thick and once stretched across half an acre.