Local concord grapes

[dante1]

I can eat a bushel of them, years ago every block had at least one or two yards with a grape vine. Very rare now around here but those grapes were so good. Can only get them about 6 weeks or so in Sept and part of Oct. Do you remember them? Can you still get them at will? I am eating some right now.

I believe the old time Italians made wine with them.

[Snowball]

yeah, my families on both sides had them, my grandfather had a grapevine canopy
in his yard, thick with tons of grapes, we would pick them every season, my mother
and aunt would make juice and jarred jelly preserves.
I did make wine from it once, but found it bitter, it's ok to use them 1/2 concord
and 1/2 california, but alone, well, it makes a harsh tasting wine. The old timers would
add more sugar to get around that taste.
They still grow wild, I have some in the backyard near the woods, often they are around,
just look for the leaves at the edges of woods or even in woods, more often than not
they don't get to the point of yielding full grapes if they are choked out by other trees
and vines.

[dante1]

right, that bitter wine is what the old italians drank. It almost tastes like vinegar very difficult to take. They loved it. Give them a glass of that an old stogie cigar and some Italian card game and they were happy lol

[Snowball]

thats right dante and they did not chill it either. straight outta the cellar.

[Snowball]

the word i was looking for instead of "canopy" is trellis or pergola.

[dante1]

Yes

Snowball I remember watching these old guys play cards, don't know the game. But the cards were crumpled up and they would throw the card down and yell something. The room was filled with cigar smoke and they were drinking that purple disgusting wine. They are all gone. I wish I would have paid attention. I wish I would have learned the language, but to me they were just old simple men. My Heritage actually. I wish...