Muscadines Wild Edible Food
Muscadines(Vitis rotundifolia) are a fruit of a grapevine species native to the southeastern and south-central United States. They range from Florida North to Delaware, and west to eastern Texas and Oklahoma.
The Muscadine grapes range from bronze to dark purple to black in color when ripe. Muscadines are not only eaten fresh, but also are used in making wine, juice, and jelly. The young leaves can be cooked in hot water until soft and eaten in a salad, or you can use them to wrap other foods.
You are unlikely in my experience to ever find Muscadines in great quantities naturally. By that I mean you may find some and fill your belly. It is not going to normally be enough to supply you with many meals over many days.
But you can grow Muscadines on a trellis or something resembling an old clothesline and grow your own in a more controlled manner. This way the fruit will be closer to the ground and competition for sunlight, moisture and nutrients can be controlled. Growing your own can turn an plant that provides very little volume-wise into a more prolific producer.
Muscadine can be recognized as a vine that has roundish, triangular teeth, v-shaped sinus at base, 2-4" wide (5-10 cm). Muscadines flower in early spring forming clusters of small greenish-yellow flowers.
The Muscadine grapes range from bronze to dark purple to black in color when ripe. Muscadines are not only eaten fresh, but also are used in making wine, juice, and jelly. The young leaves can be cooked in hot water until soft and eaten in a salad, or you can use them to wrap other foods.
You are unlikely in my experience to ever find Muscadines in great quantities naturally. By that I mean you may find some and fill your belly. It is not going to normally be enough to supply you with many meals over many days.
But you can grow Muscadines on a trellis or something resembling an old clothesline and grow your own in a more controlled manner. This way the fruit will be closer to the ground and competition for sunlight, moisture and nutrients can be controlled. Growing your own can turn an plant that provides very little volume-wise into a more prolific producer.
Muscadine can be recognized as a vine that has roundish, triangular teeth, v-shaped sinus at base, 2-4" wide (5-10 cm). Muscadines flower in early spring forming clusters of small greenish-yellow flowers.
