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| The
Muscadine Grape
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| Darlene©
Muscadine |
Photo
Connie Fisk |
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What’s
a Muscadine Grape?
Muscadine grapes are native to the southeastern United States.
Muscadines ripen from late July through mid October. They
will often be on the vine until the first fall frost comes.
They are large, thick-skinned and seeded grapes that grow
in small, loose clusters and are often harvested as individual
berries. They can be bronze, red or black in color. And
they are sooooo delicious! A true southern treat. Georgia
is the largest grower of muscadines with about 1200 acres
in production. North Carolina is a close second.
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| The
History of the Muscadine |
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Muscadines,
known as American wild grapes, are native to the Southeastern
United States, and thus well adapted to the warm,
humid conditions of the region. The muscadine grape
was discovered in America in 1584 by the early English
explorer, Sir Walter Raleigh. Later a golden bronze
colored muscadine was found along the Scuppernong
river in North Carolina and thus was named "scuppernong."
Through the years, these wonderful tasting grapes,
have developed numerous nicknames such as bullis,
southern grapes and swamp grapes. |
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Though
long a favorite of southerners for their sweet,
fruity taste (muscadines make a delicious, nutritious
snack straight from nature), recent research reveals
that muscadines contain high levels of resveratrol.
Resveratrol is one of the compounds in red wine
which is believed to help reduce the risk of abnormal
cells and heart disease. Muscadines are high in
vitamin C and ellagic acid. Muscadines also contain
potassium, vitamin B, and trace minerals.
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Photo
Drew Image
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picture above is of “The Mother Vine”
It is the oldest cultivated muscadine vine in
America circa 1584. It is still living today
and producing fruit on Roanoke Island, NC. |
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Though they still grow wild, most of today's muscadines
and scuppernongs are grown in commercial vineyards.
Harvest season is typically August through mid-October.
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| The
History of the Muscadine Name
Where did the name muscadine originate?
When the early settlers arrived in America, they were familiar
with the Muscat grape, which is a French grape that is used
in making muscatel wine. And the word muscat derives from
the Latin muscus, which describes the smell of a male musk
deer. The early settlers called the sweet, musk-scented
wild grapes that they found here by the same name as the
sweet grapes they had known in Europe, and that eventually
became muscadine.
Is it a Muscadine or a Scuppernong?
One of the most common questions we are
asked is….What is the difference between a muscadine
and a scuppernong ? Many people in fact consider any bronze
muscadine to be a “scuppernong” But this is
actually not true.
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Ison©
Muscadine
named after the Ison family
photo © Ison's Nursery & Vineyards |
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“All Scuppernongs are Muscadines,
but not all Muscadines are Scuppernongs.” The name
Muscadine is a broad category of grape that includes many
varieties of both bronze and black grapes. Both bronze and
dark varieties taste great and make wonderful jams, jellies,
pies, juices and wines.
Scuppernong
is “one” variety of a muscadine that happens
to be bronze. With Scuppernong being one of the oldest and
most popular varieties, the name is sometimes used to refer
to any bronze variety of muscadine. There are now many other
varieties of muscadines used both in wine production and
for fresh eating.
How
to Eat a Muscadine |
Granddaughter
Stephanie Chappell enjoying the first muscadine of the season
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To
eat a muscadine, place the grape with the stem scar facing
upward in your mouth and squeeze or bite the grape. The
pulp and juice will burst through the thick skin into your
mouth. The skin can then be removed from your mouth and
discarded and the seeds can then also be discarded or simply
swallowed. Many love to eat the skin as well.
The
History of the Ison Family
and The Muscadine
Well,
we (the Ison Family) were growing, eating, sharing and encouraging
everyone to try the muscadine grape before they were the
latest craze, before anyone had discovered the extensive
health benefits of eating them and before they had become
a great investment as a cash crop. Our history with this
southern delicacy dates back 74 years to 1934 when our grandfather,
Grady Ison, planted the first muscadine vine on our farm.
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As
a little girl, I thought everyone had muscadines in their
back yard. We grew up in the grape vineyard, 3 girls and
a boy. Darlene, Janet, Pam and Greg. We also grew up listening
to our dad, Bill Ison, promote his beloved muscadines. He
called it “Muscadine Magic” and he was right
– once you taste this delicious southern fruit it
will cast a wonderful spell on you! There is no other fruit
like the muscadine.
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| We
are very proud of our heritage with the muscadine and we are
also very proud of the accomplishments of our dad, Bill Ison,
in the muscadine industry. He had a joy and a passion for
muscadines that I think is still unsurpassed.
This is an excerpt from the book that Bill
Ison wrote before he passed away in 1995 All About Muscadines,
Blueberries and Blackberries For The Growers Of These Fine
Berries.
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| Our
dad Bill Ison(L) and grandfather Grady Ison(R) standing
beside a Hunt muscadine that was planted on our farm
in 1934. |
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Bill
Ison |
“…My
father was a big cotton grower when ‘Cotton was King.’
Although we grew many other crops and raised cattle, in 1934
my father was captured by the magic of musadines. This came
about when my father, Grady Ison, visited Mr. Z. L. Scott
of Hollonville, Georgia. Because of this visit three acres
of several muscadines were planted.
Of all the types of crops grown on our
farm, the muscadines were the most enjoyable. I looked forward
each fall to the ripening time. Even while still a child,
I would visit the vineyard several times a day.
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| From
1964 when my father turned over the management of the nursery
and vineyard to me, we then planted forty acres, growing only
muscadines, blueberries, blackberries and different types
of fruit. Now, Muscadine was “King!” However,
not until 1968 when Mr. B.O. Fry retired from the Georgia
Experiment Station and began his work with me at Ison’s
Nursery did the “Kingdom flourish!” Dr. Fry planted
over 50,000 seedlings and up until this date there have been
25 releases of new varieties developed on six acres of breed
plots and seedling vineyards.” |
The third generation of Isons took over the farm in 1995
and became the keepers of the “Muscadine Magic”.
We continue to grow and expand. We have a watchful eye on
a promising muscadine in our seedling vineyard and it may
be the next new variety that we release. We are proud of
our heritage and are dedicated to the future of the muscadine.
Greg,
Darlene, Janet and Pam |
3rd Generation
Owners
Back: Greg Ison,
Front: L-R Janet Ison-McClure, Pam Ison-Duke and Darlene
Ison-Evans
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