Paleo Foraging

Vitis spp.

Common name: Grape

Comanche: natsomukwe / nosinatsomukwe (Kavanagh 2008:140)

Location in Texas: all TX; very common in Travis Co.

Form: shrub, vine; perennial.

Vitis mustangensis / Mustang grape

Food

Fruits (berries) – eaten fresh or dried and preserved by the Chiricahua Apache (Mails 1974).

Grapes were eaten fresh or sun-dried for storage by the Comanche (Berlandier 1969:120, Carlson and Jones 1939:524,527, Kavanagh 2008:140,397, La Vere 2006:84). Dried grapes were boiled, and the decoction used by the Comanche to make grape dumplings (La Vere 2006:84). Dried grapes were mashed, mixed with grease, and stored for winter by Comanche, with chunks of this toasted to prepare (Kavanagh 2008:397).

Grapes were eaten by the Quapaw (Foster 1998:271) and Asinai (Hatcher 1927d:153).
Grapes were gathered in large quantities by the Caddo (Catlin 1852, Swanton 1996:132) and Natchitoches (Swanton 1996:133).

The dried fruits were dampened, worked into cakes, and baked, with fat sometimes added (Carlson and Jones 1939:525).

Grape seeds were found to be common in 5,000 year-old coprolites from Indians of southwest Texas (Williams-Dean 1978:163,178). Grapes were eaten fresh or dried and stored in great quantities by Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas (Mississippian), and Kansas Indians in 1540 (Winship 1904:219, Varner and Varner 1988:59,122,213,277,532).

Various species of wild grapes, including Vitis aestivalis, V. arizonica, V. californica, V. girdiana, V. labrusca, V. riparia, V. vulpina were eaten by the Apache, Asinai (Tejas), Caddo, Cahuilla, Calpella, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Chippewa, Comanche, Concow, Dakota, Iroquois, Kiowa, Menominee, Natchitoches, Navajo (Diné), Numlaki, Ojibwe, Omaha, Pawnee, Pomo, Ponca, Quapaw, Wailaki, Winnebago, Yokia, and Yuki.

Sap – (of V. cinerea & V. vulpina) was tapped in the spring by the Kiowa, Dakota, Omaha, Ponca, Pawnee, and Winnebago and drunk fresh, being said to taste like the fruits (Gilmore 1977:50, Vestal and Schultes 1939).

Gathering Season – fruits: midsummer. Sap: spring.

Notes – grapes were eaten by members of the La Salle expedition to Texas around 1680 (Foster 1998:124).

Medicine

Fruits – (of V. vulpina) were crushed and the juice used by the Menominee to wash the eyes of foreign matter (Smith 1923:58). A grape seed (of V. vulpina) could also be placed in the eye to grab ahold of foreign matter( Smith 1923:58).

Twigs – a decoction of V. vulpina twigs was drunk by Ojibwe women to more easily pass theior afterbirth (Smith 1932:392).

Material

Leaves – used by the Karok to line earth ovens (Schenck and Gifford 1952:380). The large leaves were used to cover cooking pots (particularly for beans) by the Asinai (Foster 1998:237). Joutel (Foster 1998:237) merely specifies “vine leaves” for this purpose, but the grapevine, with its consistently large, flat, sturdy, and edible leaves, is the most likely candidate, with Smilax spp. being the other possibility.

Stems – were most likely the material used by the Apalachee in 1540 as lashings to construct fortifications to resist the besieging Spaniards (Varner and Varner 1988:244).

Poles interwoven with vines were used to construct houses by the Atákapa (Dyer 1917:2). Given the available vines in the area, Vitis spp. are perhaps the only viable species, with Berchemia scandens possessing the material quality for the purpose but being less common, and other common species such as Smilax spp. or Parthenocissus quinquefolia being of inferior quality for the purpose (e.g. possessing thorns, or weak or thin stems).

Experimentation

I have eaten the fruits of various species many times and made juice and raisins from them. Some species, such as Vitis mustangensis have a somewhat burning effect on the mouth and skin, especially when not fully ripe, but are not harmful.

The fruits are excellent fresh, dried, juiced, or as jelly or wine.

The leaves of all grapevines are edible. They are used for the wrapping of dolmas, a traditional Mediterranean dish. I eat them fresh and raw, as they have a tart and sweetish taste. Some species, such as Vitis mustangensis have tougher leaves, in which case I simply spit out the quid or eat them when young. Mature Vitis monticola leaves are thin enough to eat whole.

The flower and fruit buds are tangy and good to eat, which I have done many times.

GATHERING

Grapes are produced in such vast abundance that they should be a staple for any forager. I have gathered as much as 5 gallons in less than 2 hours and can easily gather dozens of gallons in a given grape season. I am simply limited by how fast I can dry or preserve them.

Fences or similar structures overgrown with grape vines are ideal for gathering, as the usual challenge is being able to reach the grapes. Often, I can also find trees draped with grapevines that reach the ground. An intact forest (no open edges) is the most difficult place from which to gather grapes, as the fruiting vines tend to be far above one’s reach in the canopy. I tend to carry an 8 ft folding ladder around during grape season in order to extend my reach and do things like park my car under a vine and stand on top of it to gather grapes.

I prefer to pick entire clusters rather than one grape at a time, as it is more efficient and keeps the grapes intact, rather than splitting, as is common when trying to pull just one off.

Gathering Season – late summer.

DRYING

They can be sun-dried in a little over a week. You can make a platform using reed stems as the surface (since they improve airflow compared to a solid table). You can put them uncovered in direct sunlight, though a light smoky fire may be wanted in the first day to deter flies. Flies don’t really bother with them after a day or two of drying, and ants or birds do not seem very interested either. You can also cover them, or build a drying box put out in the sun.

You can also dry them in an oven at 140 degrees for 8-12 hours. I keep the oven door cracked to allow moisture to escape. I recommend oiling the pan thoroughly to prevent them sticking. About halfway through, I use a spatula to unstick them from the pan and stir them around for even drying.

The final product tends to be lighter and crispier than raisins from a store, which usually have sugars added in processing. The drying process removes any of the burning sensation associated with the fresh fruits, as well as some of the sour taste.

A benefit to oven-drying is that the seeds are roasted a bit so that they easily crunch up when eating them and they are hardly noticeable.

JUICING

You can preserve juice by mashing them, straining them, and boiling the juice with some sugar and canning it. This juice will keep unrefrigerated for a long time.

If you boil the grapes for juicing on a fire, imparts a bit of a smoky taste (that I like). You can obviously just do it on the stove, but I try to keep it primitive! One could use hot stones to boil in pottery or waterproof baskets, and baskets can serve as the only strainers.

For straining, I use a colander, then a basket, then a mesh bag. One could use metal screen mesh strainers, baskets, or fabric such as a cotton t-shirt.

I prefer boiling it down some and adding extra sugar to make a concentrate that I dilute before drinking at a ratio of 4 parts water to 1 part juice.

The juice is far superior to that produced by my store-bought juicing machine, which is also far more wasteful.

Note that the canning jars and lids need to be properly boiled to sterilize them. I boil them completely underwater for about 20 minutes and remove them with tongs.

WINE / JELLY

This base technique can easily adapt for jelly or wine with the addition of pectin or yeast. For jelly, add several tablespoons of pectin to the final boiling step, and more sugar may be desirable. For wine, add a packet of bread yeast you can get at any grocery store, then keep it in a vented container in a cool, dark place until it sufficiently ferments.