Pickled grapes?

[CarolAnn]

I found a reference to pickled grapes in a novel I was reading, and had to look them up on the internet because I've never heard of them before.

Have you ever pickled grapes? I'd love to hear if anyone has, and . . . are they good or a waste of fruit?

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 whole cloves
1/4 cup crystallized ginger
2 medium jalapenos, diced
1 bunch green or red seedless grapes, plucked from stems
Directions
Mix the vinegar, sugars, coriander, cinnamon and cloves together in a saucepan. Boil over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the ginger and jalapenos. Add the grapes and allow to sit at least 1 hour or preferably, overnight. Use the grapes in your next chicken or fruit salad.

[Shamrock1121]

I wonder if these are similar to spiced grapes you can purchase in a can? I remember my mother adding them to molded Jell-o SURPRISE! :o The shocking things people did to Jell-o ;)

-Karen

[OzarkMtnDaredevil]

No fish-eyes in my Jello, please! ;)

[CanNerd]

You can do a Google search for "Pickled Grapes" and you will get several recipes and information.

[cubcadet]

I knew a guy who made his oun hard cider, and he poured boxes of raisins in it. I saw them. They absorbed the alcohol and blew back up into grapes again!

[CarolAnn]

We're drifting here, but I've got to add this -
Cub - my daddy used to make home brew in a 10 gallon crock. He added all sorts of stuff to see how it would aid the taste - and once he added raisins. Kinda looked like dead flies in there! :P
He said "well, if they were flies, they died happy!"

[GoodDaughter]

I'll add a bit more drift, sorry...

I often add raisins to my wine if I'm using a fruit that produces a kind of 'thin' tasting wine; you know how a wine tastes if it seems like it's missing something, when there is no complexity of taste and it seems bland. Wine made out of plums often turn out bland, even if you use really ripe, good quality fruit. But if you put in a lb. or so of raisins (MUST be free of all preservatives) they add a great deal of complexity without taking away from the character of the fruit. But yeah, they swell up and look gross. Made a batch of strawberry wine once and when I took the mesh bag out that contained the strawberries, it looked like a bloody head in a bag. :P

[goodwifefarm]

Hi CarolAnn

They sounded a bit like pickled beets until you go the the jalapeno part.............wonder if they'd have a taste like a spicy pickled beet? *I'm not sure.........never heard of it. *I wonder if they'd get mushy? *I mean if you make grape juice the grapes get pretty soft..............things that make ya go..........hmmmmmmmmmmmm......

I just found a reference from this site

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12111218

"Before Brandon, I'd never dreamed of such things as red onion pickles or pickled prunes with orange zest. I now know that a kosher dill is good, but a pickled grape is great."

This is the recipie from that site Pickled Grapes

Enlarge

Molly Wizenberg

These may sound curious, but they're a real crowd-pleaser: crunchy, sweet and warmly spiced. The recipe is adapted from Susan Kaplan of Boat Street Kitchen in Seattle. I like these grapes best within the first four days after they're made, but some people like them even more after a week or two. Their pickled flavor gets stronger over time, and their skins will wrinkle slightly.

Makes about 3 cups

1 pound red grapes, preferably seedless

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 (2 1/2-inch) cinnamon stick

1/4 teaspoon salt

Rinse and dry the grapes, and pull them carefully from their stems. Using a small, sharp knife, trim away the "belly button" at the stem end of the grape, exposing a bit of the flesh inside. Put the grapes into a medium bowl, and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; then pour the mixture immediately over the grapes. Stir to combine. Set aside to cool at room temperature.

Pour the grapes and brine into jars with tight-fitting lids (or cover the bowl with plastic wrap), and chill at least 8 hours or overnight. Serve cold.

[AlyBlu]

No clue - but the recipe sounds yummy

[silvergramma]

looks like a wonderful recipe.. just cant figure out what i'd use them for

[awesome_possum]

I remember reading a recipe of some sorts that turned grapes into an olive substitute....maybe they're like olives.