What's So Special About the Concord Grape?

 

It's the Truly American Grape
America is really a land of immigrants, a good melting pot of cultures. Such may be the Concord Grape. Back in the mid-1800's, a guy named Ephraim Wales Bull developed the initial Concord grapevines. He was a committed grape grower intent on creating a grapevine that would be hardy enough to survive the cold Massachusetts winters. Many European varieties didn't do too well in the northern American climate. Mr. Bull is said to own evaluated over 22,000 seedlings in his time before he finally produced his masterpiece. Though he left no complete records of the heritage of this grape, experts speculate he crossed hardy native grapes, Vitis labrusca, also called the Fox Grape, with a European variety, Vitis vinifera. From these created what he considered to be the perfect grape. He named them after the town near his vineyards in Massachusetts.

It's an American Cultural Icon
What's an American supermarket without Welch's Grape Juice on its shelves? Soon after Mr. Bull introduced his perfect American grape at the Boston Horticultural Society, where it won first prize; a Dr. Thomas Welch, a New Jersey dentist of things, appeared on the grape scene. Together with his wife and son, Charles, he gathered about 40 pounds of grapes from the trellis on the property. They blanched the grapes and then squished the juice out through muslin bags into quart bottles lined through to a kitchen counter.

Using the method described by Louis Pasteur, they sealed the bottles and boiled them. This pasteurization was a pioneering effort for the canned and bottled juice industry in America. His intent, however, was to produce juice for non-alcoholic wine to be utilized during communion at his local teetotalist Methodist church. The pasteurization prevented fermentation, more churches ordered the stuff, and the business enterprise grew. Soon, Charles moved the operation to New York from New Jersey and began processing 300 tons of grapes a year. And not merely for churches.

What's America without Peanut and Jelly Sandwiches? Concord Grape Jelly may be the penultimate foil for peanut butter as any American kid, and any American adult for that matter, will tell you. Grape pie is really a regional New England treat. And, according for some, Concord Grapes are a popular American table grape, recognizable by their frosty blue sheen. Usually, whenever an artist or cartoonist desires to depict grapes, the Concord Grape may be the model my website. Any child who has not worn a purple mustache at some amount of time in his / her young life, may not be an American child. The Concord Grape can also be used to flavor and color candies.

It's Chock-a-Block with Nutrients
Concord Grapes found in food goods are lower in sodium and contain no fat or cholesterol. One cup of 100% Concord Grape juice contains almost just as much potassium as within a banana. Concord Grapes are a great vegetable source of calcium. They contain a lot of antioxidants and trace minerals so crucial to health. Studies declare that Concord Grape juice may provide some protections against breast cancer, others that it might reduce blood pressure. It will also help control cholesterol levels. Concord Grapes are heart-healthy, fight narrowing of the arteries, and improve arterial elasticity. And the list goes on