Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Fun Grape Facts From The Golden State Of California


This is my 11th Thursday 13!
  1. Grapes have been cultivated since biblical times;
  2. Grapes have grown wild since pre-historic times;
  3. Grape juice is a concentrated source of anti-oxidants;
  4. The belief that grapes have healing properties dates back to ancient times, long before scientific research gave grapes disease-fighting credibility;
  5. Botanically, grapes are berries;
  6. The Thompson Seedless is the favorite grape in the United States;
  7. Golden raisins are made from Thompson Seedless Grapes;
  8. It is approximated that there are 25 million acres of cultivated grapes worldwide;
  9. If left alone, a grapevine will spread 50 feet or more;
  10. The world produces an approximate 72 million tons of grapes each year;
  11. It takes about 2 1/2 pounds of grapes to produce one bottle of wine;
  12. California produces 98% of the fresh grapes grown in the United States;
  13. California's fresh grape industry is made up of approximately 550 farmers.
Here's some links you might also enjoy:
Young California grapes on the vine.
13 Fun Facts about RAISINS
More of Joy Of Desserts' Thursday Thirteens

Happy Thursday to All!

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10 comments:

  1. Hmmm, I love grapes, especially with a good cheese or when they come in bootles ;)
    Thanks for the interesting list and Happy TT!

    Greets Julia

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  2. I so love grapes Thank you all 550 of you grape farmers

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  3. I'm really surprised it only takes 2 1/2 lbs to make a bottle of wine. I thought it would be much higher than that.
    Great list!

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  4. Living in CA myself I did not know all these grapes facts. Pretty Cool!
    Thakns for stopping by my site.

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  5. I love grapes!!

    A great Thursday Thirteen! Lots of facts there that I never knew.

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  6. Great Grape info, haha. I am one of the grape lovers, especially green seedless, or red too. Yummmy.

    Alice at I Was Born2Cree8
    Or My 24th Thursday 13

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  7. I had no idea that if left alone, vines would just keep growing and growing. Cool! Thanks for sharing, and thanks for visiting my TT.

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  8. I just love grapes and I miss the California prices now that we're here in the north woods.

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  9. You can also try putting fresh grapes in the freezer. They get even sweeter.

    Love your Erma Bombeck quote by the way. My mom has a sign in her kitchen that says, "Life is Uncertain, Eat Dessert First". And she does!

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  10. Thank you, all!
    gtpies7: I also took a double take regarding the 2.5 lbs of grapes to make one bottle, however I found the same fact on several reliable websites, including wineries.
    Jodi: Thank you for the tip. That's great to know. It's probably because freezing removes some moisture, so the sugars get concentrated.
    I love Erma Bombeck's humor. What a great sign your mom has! :-)

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