Beating the Bandits!

  On our early morning walk, Mark and I came across a few Muscadines on the ground a fair distance from the arbor.  Uh, oh!  That could only mean one thing.  The coons had been raiding the Muscadine vines during the night!  We had better get a move on if we wanted our share of the grapes!  We hustled up the hillside to the arbor to find that the grapes were indeed ripe!  

  While we were picking both the deep purple Muscadines and the golden Scuppernongs, a thought occurred to me.  Since both grapes are actually Muscadines, why did I feel the need to differentiate between the two?  Why not just call them both Muscadines?  Well, that all goes back to the fact that, while both are indeed Muscadines, there is a difference.  All Scuppernongs are Muscadines but not all Muscadines are Scuppernongs!  Muscadines are a type of grape that is native to Southern United States. Muscadines are a fast growing grape that can be found growing wild in just about any woods, field or roadside in the Deep South. The grapes have long been coveted by folks making jelly and wine.  The flavor and color cannot be beat!  A Scuppernong is a cultivar of the native Muscadine.  It is a "bronze" grape and has been developed to be a good bit sweeter than the wild Muscadine.  Although both grapes have tough outer skins unlike the bunch grapes from the grocer, folks down here will go out of their way to pick at least a bucketful.  The flavor is just that good!

  On the downside, that flavor is also what calls the wildlife to raid the vines.  Birds, coons, squirrels, possums and any other critter that takes a liking to grapes, can be found gorging themselves at the arbor.  Mark and I picked what we could this morning and will be out bright and early again tomorrow.  If we want Muscadines and Scuppernongs, we have to beat the bandits that raid the arbor! The grapes will be made into jams and jellies to add to the shelves for our winter enjoyment.