If you are planting a purple muscadine cultivar, ‘Noble’ is an ideal choice due to its productivity, disease resistance, and high-quality juice. Photo by Leonard, Adobe Stock.
Discover the Charm of Muscadines
Imagine walking through endless rows of lush grapevines, each brimming with clusters of plump, juicy muscadines. Scientifically known as Vitis rotundifolia, muscadine grapes are a species native to the southeastern US, with a range extending northward from Florida to Delaware and westward to east Texas and Oklahoma.
The FAMU Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research serves as a hub for studying and developing new cultivation techniques, aiming to enhance muscadine grape quality and resilience to various pests and diseases. Photo by Molly Jameson.
Unlike their traditional grape cousins, muscadines have a unique, robust flavor profile that is often described as rich, sweet, and pleasantly tart. For those who grew up enjoying muscadines, their taste often brings back fond memories of languid, late summer days. Here in the Panhandle, muscadines thrive in our long, hot summers and flourish in our sandy, well-drained soils.
Muscadine grapes are not only a delight for our taste buds, but they are also packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, making them a powerhouse of nutrition. The high levels of the polyphenol resveratrol, a potent antioxidant, have been linked to numerous health benefits.
In the culinary world, muscadine grapes, with their thick skins and rich colors, spark creativity and exploration. Their unique flavor makes them perfect for everything from fresh fruit to preserves, pies, tarts, and juice. And naturally, muscadine grapes are ideal for winemaking, bringing a distinct twist to the wine market.
While muscadine grapes may not possess the storied history of their European counterparts, they have a rich history of their own in the southeastern US, where they are native and have been a significant part of the region’s agricultural and cultural landscape for centuries. Native American tribes in the southeast, including the Cherokee and Seminole, were the first humans to utilize muscadine grapes. They used the grapes for food and medicinal purposes, appreciating their nutritional value and distinct flavor. In the 1500s, early European settlers, including the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh, documented the abundance of muscadines growing wild. Seeing their potential, settlers began cultivating muscadine grapes for winemaking and other purposes.
Muscadine grapes come in a variety of colors, including deep purple, black, bronze, and green, each offering its unique flavor profile and appeal. Photo by Tanya, Adobe Stock.
Unlike European grapes, muscadines are naturally more resistant to many common grape diseases, such as anthracnose and Pierce’s disease, and are less susceptible to pests due to their thick skins and natural antifungal compounds. However, they can still be affected by diseases such as angular leaf spot and other fungal rots, and pests such as grape vine borer, birds, raccoons, and deer. In contrast, European grapes are highly susceptible to a range of fungal and bacterial diseases, including powdery mildew and botrytis bunch rot, and are more vulnerable to pests, such as grape berry moths. European grapes also require specific chilling hours which cannot be achieved in the southeast US, and they are more sensitive to both drought and excessive moisture, requiring careful irrigation management and more intensive fertilization.
Today, muscadine grapes are cultivated extensively in the southeast, catering to niche markets. In Florida, there are many muscadine cultivars that thrive, each known for its unique characteristics and adaptability. Cultivars such as the purple ‘Alachua’ and ‘Noble’ and the bronze ‘Carlos’ are popular choices among growers for their high yields and suitability for winemaking, producing wines noted for their fruity flavors and distinct aroma. Muscadines like the purple ‘Supreme’ and the bronze ‘Fry’ and ‘Summit’ are renowned for their sweet taste and are often enjoyed fresh or used in jams and desserts. The muscadine harvest season typically starts in early August and goes through early October, depending on the cultivar, so it pays to grow a variety to extend the season. For more information about muscadine grape cultivars, check out the UF/IFAS Extension EDIS publication The Muscadine Grape.
The wine produced at the FAMU Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research in Tallahassee showcases the region’s rich muscadine flavors with a focus on innovation and quality. Photo by Molly Jameson.
With ongoing research and cultivation efforts, Florida is broadening its range of muscadine cultivars, ensuring a diverse and thriving grape industry. This research is actively enhancing muscadine varieties, including at the Florida A&M University (FAMU) Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research located in Tallahassee.
Efforts at the Center focus on improving grape and small fruit cultivars, particularly those adapted to Florida’s unique climate. Their research includes enhancing disease resistance, boosting fruit quality, increasing yields, releasing new cultivars, and emphasizing sustainable agricultural practices.
Be sure to visit the FAMU Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research during the annual Grape Harvest Festival. This year, the festival will be held Saturday, September 14, 2024, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring activities such as a vineyard run and walk-a-thon, insect demonstrations and computer simulations, grape varietals tasting, guided vineyard trailer rides, grape throwing and stomping competitions, a wine making workshop, grape picking, and more. Learn more and register to attend the festival at https://my.famu.edu/event/ghf24.
I grew up with muscadine grapes. I liked them as a kid and still enjoy them today. In my opinion, they are a southern late summer and fall treat.
Not everyone shares in my fondness for this native fruit of the Southeastern United States. If you did not grow up here, muscadines may be an acquired taste. They are different than the bunch type grapes that most are accustomed to eating. As a matter of fact, most first timers require some instructions in how to eat a muscadine. Nowadays you can search “how to eat a muscadine” on the internet and find written instructions and even short videos on how to eat this grape.
Muscadine grapes (Vitus rotundifolia) on the vine. Credit: David Nance, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.com
Muscadines have thick skins (hulls) and contain fairly large seeds. Some muscadine purist may pop the entire fruit in their mouth, bite down and eat hull, pulp, juice and seeds. The few people that eat hull, seeds and all may do it for health benefits. The skin and seeds are full of antioxidants and nutrients. But most people do not like the thick and sometimes bitter hull or seeds. So, one technique is to place the grape with the stem scar facing upward in your mouth and squeeze or bite the grape. The sweet juice and pulp will burst into your mouth. The thick skin is then removed and discarded. The seeds are contained in the pulp. It can take some practice removing the seeds from the pulp while in the mouth. Some people enjoy the juice and spit out the pulp with seeds. Others use their teeth and tongue to remove the seeds and then eat the pulp. Some swallow pulp with seeds.
Apparently, muscadines were a pleasant find by the early European explorers to our area. Many names have been used to denote this native grape in the wild including Bullace, Bullis and Muscadine. ‘Scuppernong’ was the first named variety of the bronze muscadine discovered growing in the wild in North Carolina in the mid-1700s. Even though there are now numerous named varieties of the bronze muscadine such as ‘Carlos’, ‘Fry’ and ‘Summit’, many southerners still refer to all bronze types as Scuppernong. Purple or black varieties are commonly called muscadines.
Muscadines range from bronze to dark purple to black in color when ripe. There are more than one hundred improved varieties from which to choose.
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Chitosan is used as an edible coating material to extend the shelf life of perishable commodities. It is a natural polysaccharide derived from chitin, a main component found in the exoskeleton of crustacean such as crabs, shrimps and insects. Chitosan is nontoxic, biocompatible, biodegradable and has antimicrobial activity that works against a wide range of bacteria and fungi. The incorporation of chitosan into the packaging material or direct application on the food surface helps to inhibit the spoilage caused by microorganisms. Moreover, chitosan has good moisture barrier properties as moisture accelerates the deterioration of many food products, leading to microbial growth, enzymatic reactions, and other forms of spoilage. Chitosan-based coatings or films act as a protective barrier against moisture, helping to maintain the quality of the food and prolong its shelf life. Chitosan can be applied as an edible coating directly onto the surface of fruit, vegetables, and other perishable products. This coating provides a protective layer, retarding moisture loss, reducing microbial contamination, and maintaining product quality for a longer period. Previously, chitosan applications were noticed to be efficient in reducing postharvest decay in strawberries, avocado, papaya, mango, and blueberry.
Blackberry (Rubs spp) belongs to the family Rosaceae and is known as super food due to its high nutritional value containing vitamin C, antioxidants, and phenolic compounds. Blackberry is a deciduous crop that grows best in temperate climates. Several blackberry species are native to Florida, and varieties that performed well in North and North Central Florida include Osage, Chickasaw, Apache, Arapaho, Choctaw, Ouachita, and Kiowa. Recently significant planting of different blackberry varieties has been done in North Florida due to the favorable climatic conditions. However, highly perishable nature of the fruit poses substantial implications for fresh market and storage.
Cold storage is a widespread approach used to extend the shelf life of fruit, including blackberries. Cold storage helps to slow down various biochemical and physiological processes, involving respiration and microbial growth, which are responsible for the deterioration of fruit quality. Blackberry fruit is fragile and highly perishable and must be handled with care. Moreover, blackberry fruit is typically stored no more than 2-3 days at cold temperatures (1 to 2◦C). In addition, blackberries are also susceptible to water loss, fruit softening, fungal rot, mechanical injuries, leakage, and red drupelet reversion.
Fig 2: Effect of chitosan on the shelf life of blackberry fruit (Osage) stored at 1◦C for 7 and 21 days.
Credit: Muneer Rehman, UF/IFAS
Chitosan emulsion as pre-harvest spray application significantly reduced fruit weight loss (%) in blackberry fruit stored at 1◦C for 7, 14 and 21 days. Fruit weight loss during cold storage is a critical factor in deciding the blackberry quality. Furthermore, weight loss (%) has correlation with fruit firmness, leakage, red drupelet reversion and marketing index.
Fig 3: Pre-harvest spray application of chitosan emulsion reduced fruit weight loss (%) during the fruit stored at 1◦C for 7, 14 and 21-days Credit: Muneer Rehman, UF/IFAS
Blackberries stored in cold storage showed signs of mycelium growth if conditions were favorable for fungal development. The most common contaminants during the postharvest handling and storage of blackberry fruit are fungi and molds. Direct application of chitosan on the fruit surface reduced the mycelium growth.
(B)
Fig 4: Chitosan treated fruit (A, top photo) with no or little sign of mold, while (B, bottom photo) is control.
Credit: Muneer Rehman, UF/IFAS
Research trials on the effect of different concentrations of chitosan emulsion alone and in combination with growth bio-stimulants as pre-harvest and postharvest are ongoing at Fruit Physiology Lab, North Florida Research and Education Center, Quincy.
There are fruit types that grow well in North Florida and that do not require a lot of space. For high yields they do need a spot that gets direct sun for at least half the day. An area only 10 by 10 feet can support a gratifying amount of fruit production.
Some of the best fruit choices for small areas are rabbiteye blueberries, blackberries and muscadine grapes.
The rabbiteye blueberry is native to the Southeastern United States. Blueberries require a soil pH below 5.3. So, it’s advisable to have your soil tested to find out what the pH is before planting. Mixing peat moss into the soil can lower the pH, if needed. There are many rabbiteye blueberry cultivars. Be sure to plant at least two cultivars together for pollination. Here is a link with more information on blueberries for Florida. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MG359
All of the other fruits like a soil pH of 6.0 to 6.5. Garden lime can be used to raise the pH but only if you have the results of a reliable soil test indicating how much lime is needed. Your County Extension Office can help you determine how to have your soil tested.
Blackberries are productive if you select the correct cultivars. Cultivars adapted to Florida produce large, attractive fruit. Some are self-fruitful while others require a pollinator. Some have thorns while others are thornless. Some grow more erect while some have a trailing growth habit, requiring trellising. ‘Brazos’ is a late fruiting cultivar that does well in our area and does not require cross-pollination but it does have thorns. Here is a link with more information on blackberries for Florida. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/hs104
The muscadine grape was one of the pleasant surprises found by the early colonists in the Southeastern United States. An extensive breeding program has resulted in many improved cultivars. Scuppernong is a variety of muscadine. Other popular varieties include ‘Cowart’, ‘Fry’, ‘Carlos’, ‘Summit’, ‘Higgins’, and ‘Nesbitt’. There are many others. Some are self-fruitful while others require a pollinator. There are cultivars that produce bronze, black, red or purple fruit. Some cultivars produce larger fruit, some have a higher sugar content and are sweeter. Muscadines are ready to harvest in late summer to early fall. Some mature early season, mid-season or late season, based on the cultivar. Here is a link with more information on muscadines for Florida. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS100
Even though these fruit plants can be grown with limited space, they do require some care, including correct fertilization and pruning. Mid-December to mid-February is the best planting time for these fruit plants.
The Common Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana, is a southern native small to medium fruit tree that is becoming more popular for homegrown fruit. The bark is grey or black and forms chunks or blocks that give it a checkerboard look. Fall color can be a spectacular red in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 8b. It is well adapted to cities but requires fallen fruit maintenance and wildlife control. Its mature height can be 40 to 60 feet, with branches spreading from 20 to 35 feet and a trunk two feet thick, but it is commonly much shorter in landscapes. The trunk can be a single form or multiple trunks and the species tends to form colonies. The leaves are alternate, simple, and a rich green color. The leaf margins can be entire or somewhat serrated. The funnel-shaped flower has four petals and ranges in color from white to cream to gray.
Full Persimmon Tree, UFTree Bark, UF
The Common Persimmon fruit is smaller than a ping-pong ball. This round fruit possesses an orange to reddish-purple color, with a size of 1 ¼ inches across. The flavor is more fermented and sugary-sweet. In Florida, the harvest season is from late August to early November. Fruit do not ripen at the same time. When ripe, the fruit turns from green to burnt orange. They also fall from the tree. The fruit is soft, sticky, and very delicious, but it needs to be separated from its skin and seeds before being used in recipes. They can be eaten when fully ripe and can also be pureed, dried, and used in preserves, chutneys, quick breads, puddings, pies, and sweet and savory dishes. The fruit is very favored by wildlife. Persimmon fruit is an essential food source for songbirds, turkeys, and small and large mammals.
Common Persimmon Fruit, UFCommon Persimmon Fruit, UF
Common persimmon prefers moist, well-drained, bottomland or sandy soils but is known to be very drought- and urban-tolerant. It is a fantastic tree in its adaptability to site conditions, including alkaline soil. It is commonly seen as a volunteer tree in old fields but grows slowly on dry sites. Its fruit is an edible berry that usually ripens after frost. Some cultivars do not require the frost treatment to ripen. Persimmon fruit is hard and astringent when unripe. Most American cultivars require both male and female trees for proper fruiting.
Besides fallen fruit maintenance, persimmon maintenance is easy and is suggested that it persimmon should be planted more often. Due to a coarsely branched root system, transplanting is difficult. The trees should be balled and burlapped when young or grown from containers. The wood from the tree is used for golf club heads because it is tough and almost black.
Common persimmon is troubled by a leaf-spot disease in the South. This disease causes black spots on the leaves and premature defoliation in August in the North and September in the South. The tree will not die from the disease. It is also susceptible to a vascular wilt, which can devastate established trees. There are no severe insect pests fort his native fruit tree, except occasional caterpillars.
For more information, please contact your local county extension Office.
