Monday, April 9, 2012

11. Grapes


11. Grapes

Frozen green grapes
provide a refreshing treat
on a warn summer afternoon.

Black grapes, large, full globes
seem decadent when eaten
for a simple snack.

Red grapes, full of potential,
belong to wine, slowly fermenting
and aging into a tempting beverage.


At the heart of this blog is the grape, so it seemed only just to make this the G entry. I have always been a grape lover. Grape candy, grape soda, grape juice, you name it, I love it. And that desire to eat and drink them has hardly every faded.

When I was young, my family went through a tough economic time. There was little money to spare, so I often had to make due. One trick was dealing with what to eat in the summer. Since my mother wouldn't buy much in the way of cold snacks -- she only bought enough for one serving per day, and I wanted more due to the heat and playing outside -- I had to find refreshment elsewhere. One of those tricks she taught me was freezing green grapes. She would clean them and then store them in the freezer. Several hours later, we would have a round, cold ball that was ready to be eaten in a variety of ways. We could suck on it like a piece of candy, slowly letting it melt. As a child, though, I would nibble at it, breaking away a small piece at a time and crunching on the ice crystals held by the skin.

When I got older, I started eating other types of grapes -- during my youth I would only eat green grapes. My husband kept trying to make me eat others, red and black specifically. Though reds were tasty, there was something about black grapes. These grapes, especially when they are large and ripe, with a tight skin over the flesh, they are incredible. I found they are my favorite to just eat.

As for the red grape, it is a prized item these days. Since I am a big red wine fan, these grapes are very important.  Without them, I couldn't enjoy a glass of wine. In fact, I will forever think of grape stomping. The feel of the grapes squishing between my toes and coating the bottom of my foot. Then there is the sticky residue sticking to my feet, ankles, and just up my legs. It is how I see grapes before they are wine.

1 comment:

  1. That said, those hairy legs and Hobbit toes are mine, not Robin's.

    ReplyDelete