In 2001, the North Carolina General Assembly named the Scuppernong the official state fruit.

“All Scuppernongs are Muscadines, but not all Muscadines are Scuppernongs.”

Cider - Photo by Angela Trevithick

Ingredients for Scuppernong Cider

• 1 quart NC Scuppernong grape juice
• 2 (4-inch) sticks cinnamon
• Dash of ground allspice
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 1 orange, sliced

Directions for Scuppernong Cider

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.
3. Serve warm or cold over ice.

Yield: 8 half-cup servings.

Learning Links on the Scuppernong Grape

Scuppernong Grape – North Carolina’s State Fruit
Learn more about the history of North Carolina’s state fruit.
Source: ClassBrain’s State Reports

Tasty Scuppernong Treats for You

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Photo courtesy of Ian Muttoo-Flickr (Creative Commons license)

According to the North Carolina Secretary of State:

The General Assembly of 2001 designated the Scuppernong grape as the official State Fruit (Session laws, 2001, c. 488).

The first grape to be actively cultivated in the United States, the Scuppernong is a variety of muscadine grape. It was named for the Scuppernong River, which runs from Washington County to the Albemarle Sound. The Roanoke colonists are believed to have discovered the Scuppernong “Mother Vineyard,” a vine that is now over 400 years old and has a trunk more than two feet thick.

Grape cultivation is a small but growing part of the North Carolina economy.

Scuppernong Juice Ingredients

• 3 pounds scuppernong or other muscadine grapes, crushed
• 1 cup water

Directions for making Scuppernong Juice

1. Bring ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan.
2. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Pour mixture through a double thickness of damp cheesecloth, discard solids.
4. To serve as a juice to drink, stir in 1 1/4 cups sugar and chill.

Yield 3 1/2 cups.

Recipe courtesy of the South Carolina Department of Agriculture

Scuppernong Grape – North Carolina’s State Fruit
Learn more about the history of North Carolina’s state fruit.
Source: ClassBrain’s State Reports

A tisane is an herbal tea, and Delaware’s state herb, Sweet Goldenrod, makes an herbal tea that has a light anise-like taste.

For a very light anise tasting tea: Pick the leaves fresh, wash, and then steep with boiling water as usual.

For a stronger, more complex, bright green-gold tea: Pick the leaves of the Sweet Goldenrod, wash them, and then lay them out on a cookie sheet. Slowly dry the leaves in a very low oven until they are dry, but not scorched. Store in an airtight container.

To make the tea: Steep with boiling water, and add a little honey or sugar. This version of the tea has a little bitterness, so the sweetener will round out the taste.

My thanks to Jonathan M. Forester’s article Backyard Tea: Sweet Goldenrod Tea for the information on this tea.

Tasty Goldenrod Treats for You

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