Comments on: Things southern: Scuppernongs

By: Jacqueline Wheelock

Jacqueline Wheelock — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:56:03 +0000

I grew up in south Mississippi and am very familiar with the delicious golden wild grapes we called scuppernongs. The darker grape we called bullets.

Does anyone know if the scuppernong still grows wild in abundance in Mississippi, or do they mostly come from cultivated arbors now?

By: Larry Niver

Larry Niver — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:03:26 +0000

We at Maria’s Vineyard in Dothan, AL have 11 varieties of Muscadine grapes that are ready for U pick from August thru September. Come visit and try them.

By: HELP!!!

HELP!!! — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:08:19 +0000

I need help! For my English class we have to make scuppernong juice since we read the book ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. I need either scuppernongs or muscadines. Does anyone know where to find them? In central florida? HELP!!!!

By: Riley

Riley — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:58:10 +0000

Wow, I can’t believe I have never heard of this amazing fruit before! I, too, am reading To Kill A Mockingbird and had to look up what they were talking about. Being a native Nevadan (where hardly anything grows lol), of course I wouldn’t have heard of it. Does anyone know if they would grow out here? Now I’m really intrigued haha

By: jfmorg

jfmorg — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:40:50 +0000

I live in NW Ga and started growing muscadines three years ago because I really enjoyed the scuppernongs and the wine that my mother made years ago.
Muscadines can be black, white or red. They can be self fertile or female. One of the white muscadines, Scuppernong, was discovered, growing on the banks of the Scuppernong river in N.C. centuries ago, is female and needs a self fertile variety in close proximity to really produce a large crop. Also, the Scuppernong, medium size, has about 17% sugar content.
Even though I am a Ga Tech Grad, The University of Ga has an excellent site regarding culture.
http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/L225-w.html
I have Scuppernong, Carlos, Fry, and Cowart.
My two Concord grape vines would have yielded fruit but the drought just dried them up. The wasps and bees loved them.
The watering restriction didn’t allow my grapes nor the blueberries to do much except to survive.

My advise to potential growers:
Use wires that are stong enough to support heavy vines. I must soon install steel to replace large aluminum clothes wire. The aluminum has stretched and sags.
If I had a sunny patio, I would erect an arbor over it. I would use Fry muscadines( large, self fertile, and reasonably high sugar.).
The birds, bees, and wasps will love you.
John

By: P.Weaver

P.Weaver — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:35:26 +0000

There are two types of the wild purple/black muscadines that grow wild here in Alabama, the
larger ones we always referred to as Mucadines,
and the much smaller berry are referred to as
Fox grapes and are much sweeter than the larger
berry.We grow both of the tame varieties of
muscadines in our yard, being the blue/back we
refer to as muscadines and the bronze colored
berries as scuppernongs and somewhat sweeter.
They are just great to pull from the vines and
eat, we’ve made lots of jelly that’s really
good on those hot biscuits in the mornings, or
you can make some of the best tasting wine that
you will ever find,it’s out of this world and
may I add that my Morgan Horses said they prefer
them right off the vine.If you’ve never eaten the
fruit, just don’t know what you’re missing !!
Oh yes, when purchasing the the vines, there are
(several) different variesties of the dark & bronz
so besure to check. ENJOY

P.Weaver

By: J.R.Clark

J.R.Clark — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:40:04 +0000

I live in MS and the way we pronounce them is scuppie-nons.My grandmother would make a pie from ones growing in her backyard.She would juice them in a colender and add sugar.She would then make homemade yeast roll dough.On the bottom of a deep metal pan(about 4″) she would place small bisket size dumplins of roll dough.Add the juice then place strips of dough on top then bake.When you get ready to serve add a big dollop of butter and enjoy.

By: Jeanette

Jeanette — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:51:40 +0000

Just a tip: here in Georgia they are pronounced “SKUP-nuns”. They grow wild, or people have a vine in their back yard. You can get them at most farmers markets at the right time of year.

We mostly just eat them plain. Now, for muscadines (their relative), my aunt makes a delicious cobbler!

By: Frank

Frank — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:48:23 +0000

I always wondered about scuppernong wine from reading the book “The Old Man And The Boy” It followed them on their travells and adventures thru the carolina’s. Mention of sweet delicious scuppernong wine ran thru out the book. Well much to my delight I found a bottle of scuppernong wine while visiting the outerbanks of north carolina. It was simply wonderful. delicious. I think I want to find more bottles to make a good sangria with the suppernong wine as the base. Anyway over and out from NYC.

By: Wendy

Wendy — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:01:20 +0000

I grew up in NYC, but my mother was from North Carolina, We spend many summers there, and I have a vivid memory of her getting all excited that we were there at scuppernong time: We drove down a winding dirt road pm Grandfather’s farm and stopped at a fairly nondescript spot, but in the tangle of overgrowth there was an ancient grape arbor, covered in vines, that Mom remembered from her girlhood. You could smell the ripened grapes in the warm breeze, and there is no way I can describe the taste or the smell, except to say that it’s one of those smells that makes you just float away in ecstasy. We spend the afternoon picking grapes and eating them, warm from the sun and so sweet and tender, and Mom, normally a bit reserved and severe, thawed in the Carolina sun as we shared a ritual of her girlhood. We picked a bucketful for my grandmother and brought them home to her, but nothing beat the taste of the grapes right from the vine, golden and warm, and sweetened with memories.