Cotton Candy™, Moon Drop™, Muscat, Koshu, Bronx, Concord… these aren’t just carnival foods and town names, they’re unique grape varieties, too. I first tried Concord grapes about 20 years ago in Brooklyn, New York, at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket. I remember walking up to a farmer’s stand made entirely from stacks and stacks of plastic bins overflowing with grapes.
The large, round Concords called me over with their beautiful color, a deep purple/blue-black. When I popped one in my mouth, my eyebrows went up: They tasted just like the grape juice I had as a kid on special occasions. The flavor was strong and sweet, very different from the grapes I was used to.
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I’m an East Coast girl originally, so California grape season always sneaks up on me. July just feels too early. But here we are at the end of the month, and California grapes are in full swing.
As with most fruits, the grape harvest starts down south. Farmers harvest grapes in the Coachella Valley first and then move north throughout the summer and into the fall. Miguel, our Southern California produce buyer, shared this update with me and the team: “The Central Valley started harvesting Flame red grapes and Ivory green grapes in mid-July. However, supplies are limited due to the heat wave’s effect on workers.”
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California grows most of America’s grapes with Washington coming in second. But New York and New England (where the Concord originated) produce plenty of varieties worth eating, too. In fact, one of our FruitGuys Community Fund grantees this year is a grape farm in New York called Dear Native Grapes. Its farmers focus on cultivating native and hybrid grapes using regenerative growing practices. You can learn more about their work and how they’ll use their grant funds here.
As much as I love Concord grapes, they’re actually not my favorites. (Concords have seeds, which we like to avoid at The FruitGuys.) I prefer Thomcords—which have a similar flavor without the seeds.
I also still love the varieties I grew up with, Flame red grapes and Thompson green grapes. Whatever grape you choose, I hope you enjoy this year’s season. Its grapes are coming soon to many of our fruit boxes!
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