{"id":1000,"date":"2022-10-09T05:40:03","date_gmt":"2022-10-09T05:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/khetwise.com\/blog\/can-you-eat-wild-grapes\/"},"modified":"2022-10-09T05:40:03","modified_gmt":"2022-10-09T05:40:03","slug":"can-you-eat-wild-grapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/khetwise.com\/blog\/can-you-eat-wild-grapes\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Eat Wild Grapes? 5 Ways to Use Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we purchased our 5 acre homestead a few years ago in the spring, we had no idea that the perimeter fence was brimming with wild grape plants. By late summer, clusters of deep blue grapes were forming all over our property. But our question was, can you eat wild grapes? And if so, how can we use them?<\/p>\n

Can you Eat Wild Grapes?<\/h2>\n

The short answer \u2013 Yes! Wild grapes grow abundantly in the United States. By the late summer or early fall (September \u2013 October) they will form clusters of deep bluish \u2013 blackish grape fruits forming. They are quite tart to eat fresh (which doesn\u2019t stop our kids) but delicious in many culinary applications. After the first frost, wild grapes do sweeten but they can also begin to dry out making their juice less abundant.<\/p>\n

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How to Identify Wild Grapes?<\/h2>\n

They are a long, climbing vine that can grow up to 75 feet long. Wild grapes can be identified by reddish-brown bark, heart-shaped leaves with three lobes and tooth-like margins. You\u2019ll notice tiny yellow-green flowers forming on the vines come springtime. By late summer, fully formed clusters of deep blue grapes will be hanging from the vines.<\/p>\n

Wild grapes grow best in full sun and are often found in abandoned fields, riverbanks, along railroad tracks, woodlands, or dunes.<\/p>\n

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History of Wild Grapes<\/h2>\n

Wild grapes are native to North America and the plant differs in characteristics from the standard wine grapes commonly grown in Europe. There are many species of wild grapes that grow throughout North America. Some of the most popular varieties include: Fox Grape (Vitis labrusca<\/em>), Summer Grape (Vitis aestivalis<\/em>), Riverbank Grape (Vitis riparia<\/em>), and Frost Grape (Vitis vulpina<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Wild grapes tend to have a thicker skin than standard table grapes, making them more suited for cooking than for eating raw. For Native Americans, wild grapes were a sought-after source of food. There are records of Native Americans using the grapes as food as well as consuming for the fruit and leaves of grape plants for medicinal purposes.<\/p>\n

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The first Europeans to settle in America had notes that recorded the vast amount of wild growing grapes that they discovered. Even dubbing the new land \u201cVinland\u201d. These colonizers quickly began using the wild grapes to produce their own wines.<\/p>\n

Eventually, Europeans brought these American wild grapes back to be studied. It was found that the native wild grapes were more pest-resistant than the common wine varieties grown in Europe. Many European grape growers actually grafted the varieties they grew to the Wild American Riverbank Grape (Vitis riparia) to help make their plants more pest-resistant.<\/p>\n

How to Use Wild Grapes<\/h2>\n

Traditionally wild grapes would have been used eaten fresh, dried out, or turned into wines, juices, or jams.<\/p>\n

Our favorite way to prepare them has been to juice them and then turn them into a favorite snack \u2013 wild grape gummies.<\/p>\n

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