It is the truly American grape

The United States is a land of immigrants, a great melting pot of cultures. This is the Concord Grape. In the mid-1800s, a guy named Ephraim Wales Bull developed the first Concord vines. He was a committed viticulturist with the intention of developing a vine that was tough enough to survive the cold Massachusetts winters. Many European varieties did not do very well in the North American climate. It is said that Mr. Bull evaluated over 22,000 seedlings in his time before he finally produced his masterpiece. Although he did not leave a complete record of this grape’s heritage, experts speculate that he crossed resistant indigenous grapes, Vitis labrusca, also known as Fox Grape, with a European variety, Vitis vinifera. From these emerged what he thought was the perfect grape. He named them after the town near his vineyards in Massachusetts.

He is an American cultural icon

What’s an American grocery store without Welch’s grape juice on its shelves? Soon after, Mr. Bull presented his perfect American grape to the Boston Horticultural Society, where he won first prize; a Dr. Thomas Welch, a dentist from New Jersey, appeared on the grape scene. Together with his wife and son, Charles, he picked about 40 pounds of grapes from a trellis on his property. They blanched the grapes and then squeezed the juice through muslin bags into quart bottles lined up on the kitchen counter.

Using the method described by Louis Pasteur, they sealed the bottles and boiled them. This pasteurization was a pioneering effort for the canned and bottled juice industry in the United States. His intention, however, was to make non-alcoholic wine juice to be used during communion at his local Teetotal Methodist church. Pasteurization prevented fermentation, more churches ordered the material, and the business grew. Soon Charles moved the operation to New York from New Jersey and began processing 300 tons of grapes a year. And not just for churches.

What’s America without peanut jelly sandwiches? Concord Grape Jelly is the penultimate foil for peanut butter, as any American kid, and any American adult, will tell you. Grape pie is a regional New England delicacy. And according to some, Concord Grapes are one of America’s favorite table grapes, recognizable by their icy blue sheen. Generally, whenever an artist or cartoonist wants to depict grapes, the Concord grape is the model. Any kid who hasn’t worn a purple mustache at some point in their youth is probably not an American kid. The Concord grape is also used to flavor and color candy.

It is a block of nutrients

Concord grapes used in food products are low in sodium and contain no fat or cholesterol. A cup of 100% Concord grape juice contains almost as much potassium as that found in a banana. Concord grapes are an excellent plant source of calcium. They contain many antioxidants and trace elements so vital to health. Studies suggest that Concord grape juice may provide some protections against breast cancer, others that it may lower blood pressure. It can help control cholesterol levels. Concord grapes are healthy for the heart, fight narrowing of the arteries and improve arterial elasticity. And the list goes on.

You see, there is a lot to appreciate about Concord Grape. In fact, Horace Greeley called it “The Grape of the Millions.”