The oldtimers around here tell me that these volunteer grapes known locally as “possum grapes†make good preserves and jellies. It just takes a ton of these tiny things to make anything at all. (Each of the grapes you see in this picture has about the diameter of a pencil eraser.)
Well, I think I’ll give it a whirl this year since the vines have totally covered most of our backyard’s chain link fence. I like the cover. The leaves are attractive, and the berries turn a beautiful color as they ripen. Tried one today that was nearly ripe, and it has plenty of “grape†to it… for a fruit that’s about half fruit and half seed. We’ll see how it all comes out. Anyone with “possum grape jelly†recipes for me to compare to some oldtimers’ suggestions, leave ‘em in comments.