Concord grapes were developed in 1849 by Ephraim Wales Bull in Concord, Massachusetts. They’ve been a smashing hit ever since. There are just two problems for us: Concords are available for only a short few weeks each fall, and they have seeds. The seeds are nasty: small and hard. If you are making a beverage or a dessert, you have to deal with the seeds. It’s manual and it’s time consuming
Enter modern science. New grape species have been developed, and for some reason named after the planets, that are Concord-like but are seedless. They vary in color and flavor but do resonate that distinctive Concord twinge.
The photo above is a cluster of Mars grapes, which Suzi and I love even more than Concord. They are sweet but have a slightly muted bite. Great for noshing away your afternoon. We get them at our local farmers market in Kingston, New York.
We’ve also tasted Jupiters but were less happy with those than Mars. There is a Venus grape out there, but we have not found it yet locally. There are Neptunes, too, but they are green and not that blue-purple color that urges us to buy and bite.
If you want to try to grow these species yourself, you can find sources online. Burpee, for example, sells Neptunes. But, beware. Many states regulate what you can “import” across state lines. Burpee notes that they CANNOT ship Neptunes to twenty of the states, including New York, Oregon, Washington, and California.
I am not sure about those restrictions. I suppose there are “agricultural” reasons where farmers are afraid of some influx of disease. Or transmutation of their existing stock. Perhaps the protectionism is purely, and selfishly, commercial.
That Burpee website has an interesting page about what you CANNOT ship to each state. You cannot, for example, ship potatoes to Florida or Montana. Oregon bans grapes, hopes, prunes, plums and pluots. And Washington forbids blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, shallots, and garlic. No lemongrass, geraniums or zinnias for California.
I was unaware of this “food eugenics” program. If any of you have insights, please let me know. I’m smiling, but not fully.
In the meantime, before the frost hits, find your planetary grapes and enjoy them. Even if you have to smuggle them across state lines.
Oh, Pluto grapes? No, not since they demote the best planet after Earth. Although there are Plytó grapes from Crete. No relation to Concords.