Frozen Black Grapes (OG)

If you ever get the chance to eat black grapes, I highly recommend them. I was pleasantly surprised my the variation in flavor and the extra sweetness these had over the standard green offerings. (The fact that they were $1/lb cheaper than the other colors didn't hurt either.)

I wiped and sorted these grapes, just as I did the green and red variety previously.  One bunch didn't pull off the vine very well without splitting, which I took to be a sign of less than ripeness.  The rest of the grape bunches picked much cleaner.

We taste tested our first batch after an overnight in the freezer.  These have a noticeably softer "bite" when fully frozen, which I attribute to the extra sugars working as an antifreeze.

Frozen Grapes

Wild grape vines are in abundance around here, but fruiting is rare and I have never seen any at the ripened stage.  It is totally possible, the birds beat me to it.  Anyway, if I want grapes, I have to buy them.

Already frozen OG green grapes

Organic Red and Green Seedless Grapes were on sale this week at a store I happened to be in already.  I brought some home and put them in the fridge until I could attend them.  When I was ready and able to put my feet up for a time, I set my self down with a bag of grapes, a clean dish cloth and a box of quart sized slider bags.  I like to "polish" my grapes, rather than wash them. They are usually a little damp from the fridge and wiping them removes dust and dirt, but also the yeast...that white bloom seen on the fruit.  There shouldn't be any chemical residues on OG grapes, in theory.  You don't really know what you are getting unless you grow it yourself. 

Ewwww.....that came off the grapes...

I think I prefer frozen grapes to room temperature ones....at least in this weather anyway.  They are bite sized popsicles and a great way to store grapes during their season.  Mine don't usually last very long though...they make such an easy, refreshing snack.  They turn brown rapidly when defrosted all the way, so if you actually wanted to use them non frozen, I would recommend a cooked dish...like a pie or sauce or...HMMMM, this looks good...



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