North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Del Stubbs <northernlights2n@yahoo.com>]

Here are my notes from this season, I am trialing several other varieties but 
they have
not fruited yet.
(Our location in N. Minnesota was  listed as zone 2b, but we don't even see 
minus 40 that
often anymore so I have changed my designation to 3b) Heavy soil, drought 
conditions mid
July to mid Sept. - but plants showed little stress.
All grapes were juiced with a Victorio strainer.
       Grapes: Sept. 16, 2007 picked all grapes after 2nd hard frost of 
season.
Beta:  Sour, must add sugar, poor flavor, (graft over or remove)
Blue Bell:  Very productive, very large berries, needs a little sugar, never 
got blue -
reddish cast - fully ripe? were    very juicy, try mixing with sweet apple 
juice
Frontenac:  Pleasant as fresh eating (only had one little bunch on new plant).
Monitor: - Too tart to eat fresh, dark juice, overipe, splitting berries, 
needs some
sugar to make drinkable juice, ok as juice, full flavored.
1729: Berries are the size of valiant, looser bunches, rich flavor (not as 
rich flavor as
valiant of course, but even sweeter), super sweet! I have no idea who the 
breeder  is or
if number is hyphenated. ( Anyone familiar with this grape?)
ES  8-2-24: - Birds ate 50%, mild good fresh flavor, fully ripe, some acid, 
good wine?
questionable as table grape
sufficiently sweet, good juice, vino?
DM 8521-1: - Very small berries this year, putsy to hand strip, wife's 
favorite for fresh
eating, dark juice, fully ripe, she might prefer it over even valiant as 
juice because it
is smoother,  so gets an A as juice,  I believe it has Merlot in its 
background. Eager to
try for vino!
Sueltor: - Large  berries, easy to strip, fully ripe, dark juice - pleasant  
if  a little
sugar and water added.
Troubador:  Next in flavor to valiant, fully ripe, but irregular ripening, 
many small
green berries, ok for juice.
Valiant: Picked Sept 7, very productive, very flavorful and sweet, little 
bird predation,
made 4 gallons of concentrated juice.



Del Stubbs  www.pinewoodforge.com   zone 3a   N. MN


       
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