scuppernong!

I've prattled before about the awesomeness of Philadelphia's markets, how they offer something for everyone, and the one I probably love the most is the Italian Market. Sure, it's hard to know what's on offer any particular day of any particular week. Sure, there's a chance the produce might grow mold between the time you buy it and the time you get home. Sure, they don't have everything you want and it's not convenient to get there on weekdays and it can be crazy overwhelming on your average Saturday afternoon with the crowds and the strollers and the bottlenecking on the tight sidewalks.

But. But!

1. I am a bargain hunter first and foremost, and if you give me the chance to buy multiple pounds of anything for a dollar, chances are? I will.

2. Random stuff. Cool stuff. Stuff I've never seen in stores before. Like the time I bought fresh olives. Okay, I found out that they're not edible raw and I didn't get around to purchasing lye (lye!) to cure them, but it was pretty neat to see them just sitting there among the fennel and celery and five-for-a-dollar lemons.

You know what else I've never seen before? Scuppernongs.

Not immediately obvious from this shot, I know, but scuppernongs are a type of grape. To be specific, a type of Muscadel grape. Also, they are massive. (For grapes, I mean.)

They have thick, bitter skins, and several large seeds.

How do they taste? Actually, kind of gross. The skin isn't just bitter, it has a faint chemical taste, like oil. Motor oil. Probably better just to eat the flesh itself. Might be good in something cooked, like jam.

So, okay, I'm not going to go out and stock up on scuppernongs. (Neither are you, probably, after reading my not-exactly-laudatory description of their flavor.)

But for a buck fifty, it's not a bad way to learn.

Comments

[Kari]

I'm going off subject here(a little), but have you seen "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"? Last weeks episode, they go to the Italian market-hilarius!

[Sarah]

We can get those in the grocery stores down here. You're supposed to make wine out of them, I think. I've never tried it. :)

[Sarah]

Also, I think one of the start-up breweries down here is going to try making beer with them.

[jael]

They're definitely one of the native American winemaking grapes -- those skins that make them kind of unpleasant to eat out of hand are also really good at protecting them from heat/cold/wet/etc, a classic issue with grapes used for wine. The taste is mild, I think it would be great for beer.