Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Kyoho Grapes Are A Local Favorite

By Roger Hall


A fruit that makes for excellent eating and nutrition and taste is the grape. There are many types grown for specific purposes. There are varieties for the table, and those excellent for wines. Some are found used for jams and jellies, or for making raisins, which are sun dried versions.

A variety of the fruit that was first grown in Japan is available during late summer and early fall harvests. Served as a dessert on the table, it is hard to beat. Kyoho grapes are large, very sweet and juicy, perfect for those who want the fruit fresh.

The fruit is as big as a small lemon, wit the bitter, thick skin peeled before being consumed. But peeling it easy, just a matter of slipping it off. In Japanese tradition, the peeled fruit is served chilled. Kee-OH-ho is how it is pronounced, coming from a cross between European and American varietals. The name is a simple rendition from Mt. Fuji, which is simple known as big mountain to people who first grew the fruit in the vicinity.

These are now seen in the city Los Angeles, CA markets as specialties. Distribution is widening because of their abundance and qualities, the American consumer is getting to know and appreciate the fruit. During the Christmas season, demand for it will probably grow as the latest market trends indicate.

The Kyoho has great nutritional elements like vitamin C and thiamine, fiber and potassium, as well as a phytonutrient called resveratrol. The type is also good for cocktails, even if they are just preferred fresh. Grapes are often seen as fruit for making alcoholic beverages like wine, but there are types that cannot be used for them. But the food values are the same with all types.

In Japan from where they came, this kind provides a third of those consumed at tables. Chile and California have taken the breed and now successfully cultivates it. To reiterate, they are becoming more and more well known. Some are now experimenting with growing a variety with no seeds, to follow the most popular breeds for the table.

The fruit has many uses and so versatile. Some producers make wine out their sweet pulp as well as preserves, many have been successful marketing in juice form. The disadvantage for Kyohos is that they are easily damaged, being of the soft grape variety. Harvesting and handling them requires some care, and growers will have the shipped out immediately for eating tables or have them refrigerated right after harvest.

Meanwhile, it is doing great with Californians, now widely accepted and here to stay to give its sweetness and juice to many aficionados and most of all it has become a staple for many local tables. It now rivals the most popular table variety in America as well as the continent. In LA, they are ubiquitous and can be bought wholesale or in bunches, being in favor with many residents.

The affordability of Kyohos is because of the plentiful supply. They are grown as perfect as could be and go to market as bunches of perfectly shaped berries. The Japanese have come to develop a perfect variety that is now appreciated in many places. A good 20 to 30 berries usually belong in a bunch, and can go up to 300 or more grams.




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