Grapes

A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten fresh as table grapes, used for making wine, jam, grape juice, jelly, grape seed extract, vinegar, and grape seed oil, or dried as raisins, currants and sultanas. Grapes are one of the oldest cultivated plants. They are classified as true berries because the fruit wall or pericarp is fleshy all the way through. The cultivation of grapes dates back more than 5,000 years in Egypt, and they were highly developed by the Greeks and Romans. Grapes and raisins are toxic to both cats and dogs. They often make the list of top foods to not feed your pet, along with onions and chocolate. If your cat consumes grapes or any related food or beverageâ??like raisins, currants or wineâ??contact pet poison control immediately. Grape Family (Vitaceae) Grapes are one of the oldest cultivated plants. They are classified as true berries because the fruit wall or pericarp is fleshy all the way through. Grapes are fleshy, rounded fruits that grow in clusters made up of many fruits of greenish, yellowish or purple skin. The pulp is juicy and sweet, and it contain several seeds or pips. It is a well-known fruit; it is eaten raw, although it is mainly used for making wine. As you can see, grapes are a rich source of copper and vitamin K. Copper is an essential mineral involved in energy production, while vitamin K is vital for blood clotting and healthy bones ( 2 , 3 ). Grapes also provide good amounts of B vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin, and B6. Grapes are woody perennial vines. Plant in full sun to provide the heat required to ripen the fruit. Each vine needs about 6 feet of space. Flowers and fruit develop on new shoots called canes. Grapes produce fruit on shoots growing off of one-year-old canes. If you have too many old canes (from no pruning), then you'll get fewer grapes. If you prune back your vines completely each year, then you get lots of new growth, but again, few grapes. The characteristic gustatory sensation of grapes is their sweet-sour taste. The main sugars found in grapes, levulose and dextrose, are of very unequal sweetness (about 1.5:1) and presumably the ratio as well as the total amount of the two may be of importance to the sweet taste. Grapes can be grown in USDA zones 4-10, which is to say almost anywhere in the continental United States. If you have good soil, some space to spare, and don't mind a bit of annual pruning, growing grapes is no more difficult than any other backyard crop