Grape Leaves

Hi,

Today at Culinary Historians our guest speaker was Maureen Abood, who is a Lebanese-American. In the question period after her talk she discussed how Lebanese women carefully scouted wild grape vines, not revealing their location, then collecting vast quantities of leaves to freeze for use throughout the year.

Spring is still early in this region, though it has been in my plan for years to collect and preserve my own grape leaves. There seem to be two schools of thought about grape leaves, some pick them when they are mature in July-August then brine them.

The other school of thought is collect them when they are young and supple in May-June when they maybe 4 inches square roughly. Clean them, remove the stem, when dried stack them with wax paper in between (maybe 50 to a package) and freeze them in ziploc bags.

When collecting grape leaves you want perfect specimens with no holes. As the summer progresses, all leaves toughen by exposure to sun and pitted from insects, wind and weather.

According to the University of Minnesota, wild grape leaves are considered edible.

Regards,

My home town, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, has too short a growing season for grapes. Nonetheless, many years ago my father planted some vines just so they would have their own grape leaves for dolmas. The vines have thrived, as grape vines often do, and produce enough grape leaves for most, of not all, of my mother's fairly prodigious dolma production.

I remember being at the Brookfield zoo one spring morning and noting that there were people doing something among the shrubbery (I"m just barely avoiding a Monty Python moment here) at the far end of the parking lot. It was an informal, and I'm sure unauthorized, wild grape leaf harvest.

Ann,

What is your Mother's preferred method of preservation?

Other plants people mysteriously chase after are wild stands asparagus and Elderberries. I've learned the way to locate Elderberries is to look for their showy white flowers in Spring. The trick is to get to the berries before the birds. If you are so lucky, then a method of removing the berries is using a multi-tine chiffon cake cutter.

Wild asparagus stands can be found in the Summer by their tall Boston-fern-looking foliage. Once noted, then return in early spring to harvest.

Like a lot of stuff, once you know what you are looking for you find it is everywhere.

Regards,

My mother blanches the leaves and then freezes them. She doesn't try to put waxed paper or anything between them. Instead she just thaws a bunch at a time and pulls them off the pile as she makes each dolma.

Our computer at home has crashed and lost its hard drive since I last had my mother's dolma recipe, but I remembered that I'd posted it on CH--and I actually found it there. Here it is. Oddly enough, one of the things that's hardest to find in Marquette is ground lamb. At one point she was reduced to having a butcher grind a leg! Since my local grocery (Pans in Oak Park) carries it regularly and inexpensively, I often serve as her big city supplier.

My mother grew up in Iran, the daughter of missionaries, and ate dolmas there, but this recipe comes from their Turkish cook during the year my parents lived in Ankara.

Hadiji's dolma recipe, via Miriam Hilton :

I LB ground lamb
1 chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped or pressed
1/2 cup raw rice
2 TBS catsup (the secret ingredient in Turkey!)
2 tsp. dried dill weed
salt and pepper
40 grape leaves
Olive oil and lemon juice or Italian dressing to cover.

Wrap 2tbs filling in each grape leaf. Pack closely in 1 1/2 quart casserole or in two pie pans greased with olive oil. Pour lemon juice and oil or Italian dressing over till it shows on the top. Cover tightly with heavy plates or reversed lid in casserole.
Place on edged cookie sheet (It always boils over) and bake for 1 hour at 350.
Afyet olsun! (Turkish "bon appetit.")

HI Ann,

Thanks for the information, family history and your family recipe. Knowing the background makes it so much more meaningful.

Yesterday, I asked Maureen if they blanched, which she indicated they did not. A very light blanching is probably all that is needed. IN addition (and I just double-checked myself), blanching stops the action of enzymes. If enzymes remain active during freezer storage, they can cause undesirable changes in flavor, texture, and color as well as loss of vitamins A and C.

I favor blanching, though I will do a group without just to see what difference there may be.

Thanks again!

Regards,

Wild grapes are quite a weed pest in the Ravenswood Gardens part of Lincoln Square because birds eat the grapes growing in trees along the river and then spread the seeds along with fertilizer. I probably rip out over a hundred plants in an average year. Some people let them grow, though, so there are pretty extensive wild grape vines in some alley parts. We used to see women in the alley collecting leaves while the leaves were young and tender. This hasn't happened much in the last few years as more of the Greeks have moved away.

Hi!

Maybe you should alert us when these grape vines are nearly ripe picking for their leaves. One man's garbage is another man's treasure!

Regards,

Does it matter what kind of grape leaves? (concord vs. other varieties) Is there more than one kind that is considered "wild"?

Hi,

Those on Saturday thought wild had a better flavor.

Given the limited production of grapes in this area, your best bet for acquiring any fresh grape leaves is either grow your own or pick from the wild.

Concord Grapes are native to the United States. So what was once wild is now cultivated. I'm just glad any grape leaf will do without worrying about identifying for toxicity.

Happy hunting!

So, if I was to be a *really* nice person and harbor leaves from my expansive vines in the back yard, what's the best way to keep them? I don't eat them (*gasp*) but know some folks who'd be interested in some.

I'm inclined to wash them, dry them well, individually freeze them and place the frozen leaves in plastic storage bags to transport to those who would enjoy them. I don't know if I'd be doing more harm than good.

What about periodically harvesting new growth? Darned grape leaves seem to sprout till late June.....I could spend all summer plucking leaves!

Thoughts? Comments???

Hi,

The method I would be inclined to use is cleaning, a brief blanch (almost a dip), destem and dry them, then stack with wax paper in between and freeze in ziploc bags. Though Ann's Mother seems to do just fine by simply stacking them. You just have to have the patience to thoroughly defrost before handing.

Periodically picking leaves on new growth is fine. I guess it really boils down to how many do you really need?

I can imagine these things may defrost fairly readily. You may just want people to pick up their leaves fresh to process and freeze once they got home.

I just love these joint learning experiences!

Regards,

I would think that your easiest ways to be generous with your grape leaves (bless you!) would be either to invite people over to pick their own, or to just put a bunch of picked, unwashed leaves in large bags and let people clean and preserve them themselves.

Thanks Ann and Cathy! Both good ideas (as always)!

I know some people locally so picking them and delivering "fresh" is definitely doable. I also like the idea of a picking party.....another excuse to get people together!

Dee

I plan to post on the large supply of wild grape leaves available in Ravenswood Gardens when the leaves are an appropriate size in June. In one case there is a mass of vines running along a six-foot high alley fence for 90 feet or so.

Wild grapes' canes keep growing and producing new leaves at least into September, but the big profusion of tender leaves is in early to mid June. Leaf development is later here than in the western suburbs due to proximity to Lake Michigan.

Hi,

I am a double-dipper picker. I can easily hit the western suburbs with a nice meal to follow. I am also quite willing to come to Chicago with yet another fine meal to follow!

This is already looking to be a fine summer.

Regards,

On the subject of recipes calling for grape leaves, I note the Chez Panisse Vegetable cookbook recommends including a grape leaf in each jar of homemade pickles. The leaves, it seems, have alum in them, which helps keep the pickles crisp.

Neat!

Clemson University Extension wrote:I have an old recipe that calls for adding a grape leaf to each jar of pickles. Why?
Grape leaves contain a substance that inhibits enzymes that make pickles soft. However, if you remove the blossom end of the cucumbers (the source of undesirable enzymes) you don’t need to add grape leaves.

Hi,

Are we approaching Grape Leaf collecting time?

Regards,

We are indeed. I just froze my first batch Friday. Easily enough back by the garage for three or four more batches with no one noticing any are missing. Since my mother, 400 miles north, tells me she's also put up her first batch, that suggests we could have been doing it three or four weeks ago.

The wild grapes here started off very slowly and then took off like crazy in the last week or so. These grapes generally grow in much less than full sun (the biggest collection are on the north side of a long stockade fence) and so are slower to leaf out than ones in open fields. I was at Anderson Winery near Valparaiso, IN in mid-May. The vines near the winery were just starting to leaf out then, which is late.

Most of the wild grapes in the northern Illinois/southern Wisconsin region are from the species riparia. (Although there are a few from escaped labrusca, as well.) Personally, I don't find riparia leaves either physically or gastronomically as desireable as the European wine-species vinifera leaves, and their hybrids.

Finding vinifera vines in our area is pretty much impossible. However, hybrid vines is a different story: there are lots of wineries around, and I'd bet that they could be talked into parting with a few leaves during a visit and tasting by you and your pals.

I've got c. 50 hybrid vines planted behind my house in Whitewater. Next season, I might be talked out of some leaves is someone wants to give them a try, for comparison, I mean, *scientific* tests.

Keep it in mind, if you're interested.

Geo

Very interesting. Sounds like I should make up a batch to try out before I go into major freezing mode.

Ann,

Did you find time to make a batch? Did they meet your approval?

Regards,

No, and now I'm in the U.P., and even though I have plenty of time in which I could be stuffing grape leaves, of course I didn't think to bring them along! My mother poohpoohed the idea that it would make any difference, but since she didn't speak from any actual experience, I'm still inclined to want to test them myself.

Five weeks later, back in the U.P., and this time I did remember to pack my frozen grape leaves and my ground lamb. I finally made the dolmas. It turns out that using wild grape leaves works just fine. They were wonderful. Tender and delicious. Much much better than using the grape leaves in jars or cans and I think as good as the concord grape leaves my mother uses.

Now I'm hoping that all the grape vines that the contractors pulled down when they put the new siding on the garage will grow back so I can do a larger harvest next spring.

Wow, I'm so accustomed to the briny taste of jarred leaves that I have no idea what a fresh/frozen grape leaf would taste like. I may have to go raid one of the wineries near Carbondale (where my cousin lives)...

I've got 60 wine grapevines growing in my backyard in Whitewater. Any of y'awl is surely welcome to stop by and pick up a bunch any time you want. I'll be there next weekend, and my wife is there all the time--just let us know.

BTW, if you do a real quick dip in salted boiling water, like for 5 seconds, then drop in chilled water, you can freeze the leaves forever.

Geo

Geo,

ARe these grape leaves considered too mature for harvesting? Shouldn't we have collected them back in June?

If you are experiencing the same drought we are, how does this bode for your grape wine harvest?

Roughly how many hours is Whitewater from Chicago?

Thanks for the kind offer.

Regards,

Hi Cathy2--

I wouldn't worry about maturity. Grape leaves push each and every day. So you just take them from 'yay-far' down the shoot. It hasn't been much of a drought in WWWI.

But here in KC it's been a totally different story: 7 weeks of awful drought, followed by 4 days of torrential rain. Just ruined about half my grapes. We picked today, some friends and I. This will NOT be a good year, for either quality or quantity. Sigh. Ya puts in yer nickel and ya takes yer chances.

The WWWI grapes aren't bearing yet so that's not an issue.

WW is about 2 hours--straight up US 12, altho' that's not the fastest way.

Geo

Due to a remodeling project, I will be ripping out a bunch of grape vines (which are volunteers anyway -- these ones are eating bushes that are coming out anyway). Anybody who wants leaves and is willing to come out to the NW burbs, leave me a note.

The vines were growing on the north side of my patio when I moved in, I trim the back to prevent them eating the whole house, but I've let them get waaaaaay out of hand this year. They're not even particularly good grapes, being seeded concordish sour grapes. Usually, the opossums and racoons fight over them in the late summer/early fall.