North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lee Sharp" <leesharp@cableone.net>]

Betsy,
One of my favorite things to do with muscadines is to freeze them. After 
picking them wash in sink or large bowl with enough cold tap water to cover 
fruit by about an inch and put one hand full of cooking soda in the 
bowl/sink , them with your hands roll and tumble the fruit in the soda water 
about 30 seconds. Pour that water off and rinse the fruit in about that same 
amount of fresh tap cold water. Let drip dry a short while and put fruit in 
freezer bags and freeze. They could be placed on a dry towel to dry. When 
preparing to eat only take out the amount of fruit you intend to eat 
immediately and place them in a colander and run enough hot water over the 
fruit to partially thaw. They taste like muscadine flavored popsicles. I do 
not eat the skin or seed, just as when eating them fresh and unfrozen. I 
find that after frozen any that are let remain in the fridge unfrozen will 
not taste good the next day or two. You might want to test just a few. I 
enjoy sitting outside on a pretty winter day eating them prepared in the 
above manner.

Lee
8b, Ocean Springs,Ms
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Elizabeth Hilborn" <ehilborn@mebtel.net>
To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2011 3:04 PM
Subject: [NAFEX] Isons muscadine


> I would like to thank whomever recommended this variety to me three
> years ago. My one vine is in its first year of bearing. So far, it has
> been a vigorous plant with minimal Japanese Beetle damage; certainly
> less than my /Actinidia arguta/ this year. It has been easy to train and
> is self fruitful.
>
> The berries are dark purple/black, large, juicy and have a very sweet,
> delicious muscadine flavor. They are coming ripe now for me, but not all
> at once. There are ripe fruit next to partially ripe and green fruit in
> the same cluster.
>
> I am experimenting with uses right now.  When I eat them fresh I
> generally do not eat the skin as I find it a bit bitter at the finish
> unless the berry is very soft/mushy ripe.  However, if I seed and dry
> them, the whole fruit, skin included, is candy sweet.
>
> I see the 3 -4 seeds per fruit are small sunflower seed size. They are
> easy to separate from the flesh and look like a good source of oil if I
> wish to press them.
>
> Because they are not ripe all at once, and I do not have large volumes
> of fruit, I have not attempted to make wine. I wonder- can I freeze some
> as I gather them until I have enough fruit for a batch? Have others
> tried this?
>
> I am not a big jam/jelly person. What are some other uses of muscadines
> people can recommend?
>
> Betsy Hilborn
> 7a central NC
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