Grapes: The Pipless Choice

To the list of things we’ve lost for the sake of convenience add seeded grapes, which 20 years ago made up 75% of the California harvest and now account for less than 25%.

What does that mean to you? Because of the extra effort involved in spitting out and disposing of a pip or two, it is now next to impossible to find such gloriously flavored grapes as Ribier, Emperor Tokay and--perhaps most of all--the flowery scented Muscat.

While these late-summer grapes were once the kings of the vineyard, today they make up a minuscule percentage of total production. California ships about 3.9 million boxes of Emperor, 1.2 million boxes of Ribier and 1.2 million boxes of Muscats (also called Italias). To put that in perspective, the state sold 61.5 million boxes of grapes, of which 22.4 million boxes were Thompson Seedless--the most popular variety.

The most dramatic example of the seeded grape’s decline is the Tokay. So popular was it at one time that many grocers still generically refer to any seeded red grape by that name. In 1937, Tokays accounted for 25% of all grapes sold in California--4 million boxes. Today, barely 500,000 boxes will be sold, and most of that will go into brandy.

The sole exception to this trend is the Red Globe, a seeded red grape that is sold mainly in the Orient, where it is cherished for its size (a single grape may measure an inch in diameter). About 2.5 million boxes of those will be harvested this year.

Seeded grapes are grown mainly from Delano to Fresno in northern Kern, Tulare and Fresno counties. Usually, they don’t reach the peak of their harvest until late September or early October, but because of the unusually hot summer this year, some are already showing up in local growers markets. Taste before you buy--these have tended to be a bit underripe.

* How will Hurricane Andrew affect food prices this winter? The question is still up in the air. Southern Dade County, around Homestead, where the hurricane hit hardest, is Florida’s leading producer of avocados and limes and accounts for roughly 15% of the winter tomato crop.

Avocado and lime orchards were feared to be particularly hard-hit by the storm, which flattened buildings and stripped trees bare. Tomatoes, on the other hand, had yet to be planted, so it could be that some can still be grown.

But first, there are other issues that must be resolved, among them the fact that agriculture officials estimate that 38,000 migrant workers lost their homes in the hurricane. “ ‘When are we going to get our power back? Where are our laborers going to sleep? Will they even stick around?’ These are the questions we have to ask first,” said one official. “We’re talking about a place that still has no drinking water, no electricity and no telephones. It looks like a bombed-out city.”

* Don’t count on cheap corn on the cob for Labor Day: Prices are likely to be higher because of rainy weather in the Midwestern growing areas. And hot weather in California is still reducing harvests of squash, broccoli, cauliflower and all lettuces. The same hot weather has pushed along the tomato harvest, though there are reports of uneven quality.

* So what’s to eat? Coleslaw is a good bet since prices of cabbage, onions and carrots are low. Potatoes are also a good buy, as the Washington harvest is strong. And there’s always corn from Olathe, Colo., where they grow an extremely sweet strain. It was hit hard by hailstorms last month, but has recovered enough to have ears in the stores by Labor Day. Although they’re expensive, they are on special at several local grocery chains.