Oh that taste of a sweet muscadine, there’s really nothing else to compare it to. As a child I loved sinking my teeth into that thick skin and getting to the sweetness of the pulp. I also discovered that the softer the muscadine the sweeter it is. Every year I look forward to muscadine season, but only recently did I start wondering what is actually in this Southern grape? What I discovered may just be the secret to a longer, healthier life.
It is no secret that red grapes are touted for their antioxidants. The French are believed to live healthier lives because they drink a glass of red wine everyday, studies show that the French have a low risk to coronary heart disease in fact it is less than 1/4 the rate in the United States. Red wine and red grapes contain resveratrol. Resveratrol is like a natural antibiotic that plants produce to help protect from infections. According to WedMd, resveratrol protects the body against risk of diseases like cancer and heart disease as well as has anti-aging properties. But did you know that our Southern grape, the muscadine has 40 times the antioxidant power of a red grape? Yes that’s right 40 times?!?!
Muscadines have 6 times the resveratrol content of red grapes, are the only grapes that contain ellagic acid, and have more fiber than rice or oat bran. Ellagic acid is being studied for its anti-cancer and tumor fighting abilities and muscadines have been shown to prevent, stop the growth, and in some cases suppress cancer. The full health benefits come from the whole fruit with the skin, pulp, juice and seeds. About 90% of the health benefits are in the skin and seeds.
Found over 400 years ago on Roanoke Island in North Carolina’s Outer Banks, the wild growing muscadine thrives in climates and conditions that would kill most European grapes. Muscadines are grown in Alabama, Arkansas, North and South Carolina, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Virginia, and West Virginia. Surviving the tough climate of the Southeast makes the muscadine grape stronger and packed with more antioxidants and nutrients than any other grape.
You can typically find muscadines now through the beginning of October so look at your local farmer’s market, Whole Foods Market, or find a U-Pick farm near you. There are also companies like North Carolina’s Nature’s Pearl that make supplements if you can purchase.