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Produce Briefs...
Ramps
The wild ramp, AKA wild leek, botanical name Allium tricoccum, is a flowering perennial plant that grows in clusters. It is a member of the Allium family along with onions and leeks
Calamondin Limes
The Calamondin lime is a cross between a sour, loose skinned mandarin and a kumquat, therefore technically making it an orangequat.
Salanova® Lettuces
Salanova® lettuce is a full-sized variety developed for the baby lettuce market. Botanically these varieties are scientifically known as Lactuca sativa.
Description/Taste
Gum Drop® grapes are small to medium in size and round to oval in shape, growing in loose, medium-sized clusters. The smooth skin ripens from green to purple, black, or red and they are a little smaller than the common black grape. The flesh is seedless, translucent, and juicy. Gum Drop® grapes are much sweeter than the average grape. They have very little tartness and feature a lingering, sugary, fruit finish on the tongue. They are most well-known for their rich, candy-like taste with unmistakable overtones of gumdrop or gummy bear candies.
Seasons/Availability
Gum Drop® grapes are available in the late summer through early fall.
Current Facts
Gum Drop® is the registered name of a candy-flavored hybrid grape developed by the Grapery company in Bakersfield, California. Gum Drop® grapes were named after consumer taste-testers consistently reported a gummy bear or gum drop flavor. The name Gum Drop® grapes encompasses a variety of flavors that may taste slightly different from season to season, as the Grapery is using the name as a flavor class for multiple varieties of grapes. Gum Drop® grapes are predominately used as a table grape to showcase its unique, sweet flavor.
Nutritional Value
Gum Drop® grapes contain vitamins A, C, and K, flavonoids, anti-oxidants, and B-complex vitamins such as thiamine.
Applications
Gum Drop® grapes are best suited to be eaten out of hand as a table grape. Their sweetness makes them an excellent treat or snack and can be enjoyed by themselves or with desserts such as cakes, sorbets, and ice cream. They also pair well with rich cheeses like brie, edam, and gorgonzola, honey, and salted crackers. Gum Drop® grapes will keep up to a week when stored in a bag in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen in plastic bags for later use and will not lose flavor.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Like the Grapery’s signature grape, the cotton candy® grape, Gum Drop® grapes are met with huge popularity when they are in season. They tend to sell out quickly as these grapes are an answer to a demand for healthful, but very tasty, snacks and fruit. They are considered by some to be a low-calorie dessert alternative and are a popular item for children because of their sweet taste. Gum Drop® grapes were developed to bring new, natural flavors and to widen the selection of grape flavors found in the supermarket. They are also grown without artificial flavors, additives, or infusions and are simply a natural product from selective breeding.
Geography/History
Gum Drop® grapes are the result of twelve years of cross-breeding work between the Grapery, owned by Jack Pandol and Jim Beagle, and fruit geneticist David Cain at the International Fruit Genetics company. The grapes are grown in the San Joaquin Valley in California and were first released in 2015 under the Grapery’s Flavor Pops® label, reserved for experimental grapes that have not yet been named. They were then marketed as Gum Drop® grapes in 2016. Today, Gum Drop® grapes can be found at local supermarkets in the majority of the United States, but they have a very short season and are in very limited supply.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Gum Drops® Grapes. One
is
easiest, three is harder.| Sugar & Soul |
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Apple Grape Salad |
| The View from Great Island |
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Kale and Fall Fruit Salad with Cider Poppy Seed Dressing |
