mercredi 7 décembre 2016

Kyoho Grapes Are A Local Favorite

By Roger Hall


A fruit that makes for excellent eating and nutrition and taste is the grape. There are many types grown for specific purposes. There are varieties for the table, and those excellent for wines. Some are found used for jams and jellies, or for making raisins, which are sun dried versions.

A variety of the fruit that was first grown in Japan is available during late summer and early fall harvests. Served as a dessert on the table, it is hard to beat. Kyoho grapes are large, very sweet and juicy, perfect for those who want the fruit fresh.

This grape variety comes as big as passion fruit, and the skin, which is bitter and thick, is taken off before consumption. It is type called slipskin, easily peeled off. It being served chilled is a Japanese tradition. The name is pronounced kee-OH-ho, and is a cross between European and American types. The word is a description of Mount Fuji, big mountain, viewable at the place where it was first grown.

These are now seen in the city Los Angeles, CA markets as specialties. Distribution is widening because of their abundance and qualities, the American consumer is getting to know and appreciate the fruit. During the Christmas season, demand for it will probably grow as the latest market trends indicate.

The Kyoho can provide excellent doses of vitamins like thiamine and vitamin C and minerals like potassium, fiber and resveratrol, a phytonutrient that is good for the heart. They can also be served in cocktails, aside from their being mostly good fresh. While grapes are generally seen as a fruit for making wine or spirits, some types will not make good drinking. The nutritional elements are still there though in all types.

With the Japanese, who first grew them, the variety has a third of the market for table breeds. California and Chile have followed the Japanese model and they now grow Kyoho for their own markets. As has been said, these have become more well known. Many breeders are coming up with a seedless type, to rival the best quality of some of the most well known varieties.

The fruit has many uses and so versatile. Some producers make wine out their sweet pulp as well as preserves, many have been successful marketing in juice form. The disadvantage for Kyohos is that they are easily damaged, being of the soft grape variety. Harvesting and handling them requires some care, and growers will have the shipped out immediately for eating tables or have them refrigerated right after harvest.

Meanwhile, it is doing great with Californians, now widely accepted and here to stay to give its sweetness and juice to many aficionados and most of all it has become a staple for many local tables. It now rivals the most popular table variety in America as well as the continent. In LA, they are ubiquitous and can be bought wholesale or in bunches, being in favor with many residents.

It is quite affordable because a lot of growers are producing it. Grown in bunches that are perfectly suited for marketing, the Japanese have truly made a perfect grape. A perfectly shaped bunch can weigh from 200 to 400 grams and have usually 20 or more berries.




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