Concord Grapes

A couple weeks ago I took a trip to visit my grandparents and along with acquiring a beautiful never been used wok, I found a new favorite fruit. As fall quickly approached us, a new season of foods was brought along with it. Among the fresh apples, pumpkins, and squashes, make sure to keep an eye out for concord grapes. These grapes begin their season in the fall and are grown mostly along the east coast. You usually see concord grapes being used to make grape juice and jelly. The grapes are a blueish black color that unfortunately contain small seeds. But trust me, the bold sweet (tastes like a fruit snack) flavor will make up for having to spit out those seeds. If you search for them in the grocery store you won't find them with all the other grapes. I had to ask the store clerk where they were. Go figure, grapes with all the other grapes? guess I was a little crazy for assuming that. 


Besides the deliciousness of concord grapes they do pack in nutritional value. One cup of concord grapes only gives you about 60 calories and are an excellent source of antioxidants. Grapes also contain Vitamin C and Vitamin A along with the minerals potassium and calcium. Vitamin C is one of many antioxidants and is needed for the growth and repair of tissues. Vitamin A is also an antioxidant (beta-carotene to be exact) that promotes good vision, forms and maintains healthy skin, teeth, skeletal, and soft tissue. Potassium is essential for the heart, kidneys, muscles, nerves, and digestive system to function properly. Calcium as we all know, is needed to help keep your bones strong. Don't get me wrong there are more nutrients in grapes but these are the most prominent. 


Besides eating them from the container try some of these recipes:
Chicken salad with grapes
Curry chicken with grapes
Carrot, grape, and raisin slaw
Homemade grape jam 
Waldorf salad