here in east tn we have many wild grapevvines growing on our property. my guestion is can they be tamed to produce grapes? they never have in the wild. they get little "things" that look like grape clusters , but don't develope into grapes. can we get grapes from these things or is it better to kill them? ( they are killing trees , etc. ) thanks in advance for any help you can give. I'd really like to have grapes.

-- bill van (van37725@yahoo.com), October 04, 2001

Answers

wild grapes are concords,,,so yes they can be,,just have to tame them

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), October 04, 2001.

Fox grapes grow wild mostly in the northeast. Most are concord but there are some red and white ones also. We used to pick them in PA. They were always developed but not as big as commercial type grapes. Being in TN, they may be muscadines. They fall off as they ripen so maybe that why you don't notice them developed.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), October 04, 2001.

In Texas, wild grapes are Mustang--lousy for eating, but great for making juice.

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), October 04, 2001.

Bill, I don't know about taming them. In the wild they produce pretty well around here but not every year. They make the BEST grape jelly you ever tasted, though, when they produce. Grapes are wind pollinated, so perhaps the vines you are looking at don't have a close pollinator. I have a huge vine right by my house that never produces and it's probably for this reason. They flower (the little "things" that look like grape clusters) but don't produce. (They also have a wonderful smell when they are in bloom.) Yet other vines around here will. Take a walk in the summer and check out grape vines as you see them in hedgerows, then keep an eye on them as fall approaches and watch for the grapes to ripen. You have to move fast to beat the birds! It's great fun to have these little secret spots you can go to harvest from. Personally, if I'm going to fool with grapes, I'd rather have a tame vine, but there's no doubt that the wild ones make great jelly. It's about 150% grape taste. :)

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), October 04, 2001.

My sister makes some AWESOME grape vine wreaths from these!

-- DW (djwallace@ctos.com), October 05, 2001.

This year they took over the place LOL Grapes everywhere you looked. They are smaller but make better jelly than tame grapes I think.

-- Teresa (c3ranch@socket.net), October 05, 2001.

Let'em go. If they are not in the way of anything. Wife and I made some of the best grape jelly you ever had with them. Just pick the clusters throw them stems and all into a cheesecloth jelly bag squish the juice out and use it for jelly.

-- indiana jack (injack1@aol.com), December 29, 2001.