Looking for Scuppernongs

[noshie]

Does anyone know where I can find them?

[Hailyn]

Scuppernongs and other muscadines are indigenous to the Southeast, and I've never seen any at farmers markets or other markets here. You might, however, like Kyoho grapes, which are a Japanese grape that is a "slipskin" variety just like scuppernongs, and have some of the flowery muscat flavor of scuppernongs. Japanese and Korean marketes sell Kyoho grapes this time of year. I've gotten them at Mitsuwa and Nijiya supermarkets in both downtown LA and the Westside.

[JEN10]

Forgive my ignorince, but what are scuppernogs?

[ipsedixit]

Fancy schmancy grapes.

[Will Owen]

Neither fancy nor schmancy. American wild grape, native to the east and midwest, much like a Concord in that there's a layer of sweet, fragrant juice just under the (tough) skin, while the pulp itself is basically flavorless. Devotees are fanatical about them. Make good jelly and, um, interesting wine...

[JEN10]

What a bizarre name for a grape!!! Thanks for the info.

[Akitist]

Native American word, or an Anglicized version thereof. No more bizarre than Cucamonga.

[silverlakebodhisattva]

Eh, we're well out of locale-specific stuff, but it's also spelled "suppernoNg". Scuppernong grapes are, I believe, the state fruit of one of the Carolinas, and turn up in Faulkner. . .

[Red4Mit]

Scuppernongs (green/bronze) grape color) and Muscadines (dark grape color) are very indigenous to the South. I grew up in South Carolina and we used to pick them all the time to eat and make jellies/jams, and my grandfather made wine from them. I have been in SoCal for 12 years and have never found them at any Farmer's Market here.

[noshie]

I am sorry for the typo. I am sorry to hear they are not available here, I wonder why? I just had some in the South. I just love their thick sour skins combined with the sweet inside.

I haven't had any luck with boiled peanuts here either.

[Akitist]

Boiled peanuts are a Southeast Asian favorite. Try a Thai or Filipino market.

Why no scuppernongs? Well, this is a (the?) major grape-producing state, transport isn't cheap, so there just may not be enough demand to make it profitable.

[silverlakebodhisattva]

Scuppernongs: I'm thinking that this is not only an indigenous Southeast fruit, but one without much commercial production anywhere; people who want 'em know whose backyard, or which vacant lot, has'em. Maybe they don't do well enough under cultivation, or don't ship well enough, to justify anyone selling 'em. Sorta like trying to find fresh loquats for sale in most places,,,. . . and while I'm given to understand that there are in fact still "Paw-paw patches" in the South, as far as I know, I've never seen a paw-paw, notwithstanding the song....

[creamfinger]

I'm curious, can "schmancy" be used without being preseded by "fancy"? To use the example at hand, can you just have schmancy grapes, or are fancy schmancy grapes your only option?

[silverlakebodhisattva]

Naw, you can't really be just "schmancy", just as nobody's going to ever introduce you to all their "gruntled" employees.

R. "too-much-vocabulary" Gould-Saltman

[ipsedixit]

Best bet would be to check some of the local farmers markets, i.e. santa monica, hollywood, etc.

Complete list of farmers market in and around LA: http://www.latimes.com/features/food/...

[wutzizname]

Yes. Always at the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sundays.