Concord Grapes

So it's not a perfect specimen of a bunch of grapes. But they ARE grapes - our first "harvest".  We thought we'd better be picking them before the birds get ALL of them.  There aren't many this year, but there are still a few left on the vines to look forward to. 
 And ............ they are concord grapes!  The taste of only one brings back memories of a childhood in Rhode Island ... Newport and Portsmouth.  Why the walk down memory lane because of a concord grape?  Because, when I was a kid living in Rhode Island, I used to help my brothers with their paper route.  To help my brothers with their paper route meant I rode my bike up and down some little country roads - and along quite a few of those country roads were stone fences - and on those stone fences I would often find grapes growing.  CONCORD grapes!  Yum!  My absolute favorite grapes. When I was told those "things" on the fences were edible grapes, and first tasted them, I was hooked for life.  In grape season my brothers probably wondered why I was so slow; though, they, too, loved the concords and were most likely indulging themselves.

When we lived in France I became pretty well acquainted with muscat grapes and those big, sweet Italian grapes.  They were delicious.  But the concords still remained my "preferred" grape. 

After returning to the states I was always on the look-out for concord grapes.  They were rarely found here in the Midwest.  But when I DID find some I snatched them up, knowing it would be a long time before I found them again.

Now, I admit that our humble concord grape specimen shown here does not measure up to the stately, beautiful ones I remember, and find from time to time (maybe because this is only the second year of our vine???).  But, I have to tell you that as soon as I popped one of the ripe ones into my mouth and bit into it ... I was instantly transported back to those bike rides on the Rhode Island country roads!  Heavenly taste; only way to describe it.  :)  LOVE  'em!  Absolutely LOVE them.

Oh, and listen up:  the ONLY way to eat a concord grape is to pop it into your mouth, bite into it and enjoy that instant glorious squirt of concord grape flavor - and then swallow the WHOLE thing (don't you dare spit out that skin - it's yummy)!  Oooooooooh ... I sure hope the birds plan to leave us a few more .....