Monday, September 08, 2008

Grapes anyone?

They are hanging over my pergola on my patio. There is so much of them I've given some to my friends, but there is still a lot more.

The birds are feasting on them, and some are falling on the ground. If we're not careful we step on them; crush them; and drag the sweet sticky juice inside the house. Which, of course, annoys me no end when my flip-flop sticks on my wood floor. Some people wouldn't even notice something got stuck on their shoes, and they would walk right in the house and leave residue on the floor I have to scrub them. More work for me. Grrrrrr!

I planted it many years ago, this Thompson grapevine. The fruits have to be harvested at the right time, when the color has turned yellowish green, that is when they are sweet. Last year they were the size of peas. This year they are a bit bigger than garbanzo beans. They seem to get bigger as the vine gets older. Perhaps, next year they would be much bigger, just like the commercial ones.

They are small now, but I am enjoying them; munching on them; sharing them with my friends; with the birds; and with the ants.


32 comments:

Anonymous said...

me first???really??lol

Anonymous said...

OMG!!!I love grapes!!!I wish you were my neighbor,Marie!arent you livin in a paradise?grapes are so expensive here,and of course,mas masarap yung pipitasin mo lang,hehe..

i wonder how big your patio is... :)

have a great week ahead!!

cheers!
ghee

Anonymous said...

wish we were neighbors, how i love grapes! and i am yet to taste a freshly picked one!

Gina said...

Sorry , I have to decline the offer ;-P

Right now, I'm 'up to here' in grapes from my in-laws garden, lol.

Eating the grapes from their backyard is like playing Russian Roulette. Sometimes i bite into a real sweet one, and every now a then, a really sour one that makes me grimace.

Don't you just love harvestime?

Nance said...

I just love grape season. I live in a wine area and around this time of year, there are so many wine grapes to choose from. It's delish to pair them with brie cheese.

mari, looks like you have a good harvest this year!

Photo Cache said...

These are really good. I want to plant a grape vine sometime in the future.

Anonymous said...

wow wow!! grapessss! and at your home pa talaga..

that is sooo nice... penge ate mari..

missed visiting your blog. *HUGS*

Anonymous said...

Season ba ngayon? Dito kasi ang mura at dami ng grapes sa supermarket granting walang tanim dito.

Mari said...

ghee,
Yes, you are first. LOL

I haven't met a person, yet, who didn't like grapes. Sana nga neighbors tayo. Ikaw taga pitas, ako taga kain. LOL

My patio is not that big. I'll take a picture someday and post it.

Thanks for the visit.

Mari said...

sexy mom,
Another new neighbor. LOL
They taste the same. It's just the joy of having your own that's so rewarding.

Thanks for dropping by.

Mari said...

gina,
Aw, sour grapes. LOL When they have matured and ripened that's the best time to pick them. So, it's all timing.

Thanks for the visit.

Mari said...

nance,
I had a good harvest last year, and this year.

Thanks for the hop.

Mari said...

photo cache,
It takes a few years before they start bearing fruits. If you plant now, in about 5 -6 years you'd have tiny fruits for a start - pea size and a few clusters only. LOL

Thanks for the comment.

Mari said...

tina,
I wished you were that close, I could give you a bagful.

I missed you too.

Mari said...

ann,
Season niyan dito sa banda namin. Sa ibang lugar maaga sila.

Thanks for the visit.

Anonymous said...

Share it with me Mari, waaa!
Tirhanmokoha? hehe, grapes right in your yard, that's cool! Sana neighbor kita.lipat kaya ako diyan? Gusto ko ang grapes kaya
last sunday, I went to this grapeyard near our apartment, iyan sana ang ipopost ko. I went picking, it's not mine...wala namang tao eh. haha! Iba kasi pag bili kesa sa ikaw ang namitas, bad me.

Mari said...

nona,
Sana nga kapitbahay tayo. LOL

Naku, baka mahuli ka ng may ari at pahuli ka sa pulis. Wakanga!!!

Kaya ako nagtanim nito para dito na lang ako mamitas, sa bakuran ko. Halika na dito ka na lang mamitas. LOL

Thanks for the visit.

Anonymous said...

i love grapes! hay, i wish i can grow grapes here! i would love to make grape jelly!

CONNIE said...

Fresh grapes from the vine are just so perfect. I'm always fascinated with vineyards...no matter how small it is.

Thanks, Mari for your comforting comments... you're such a sweetheart!

Have a nice weekend!

MeMeMe said...

wow! ngayon lang ako nakakita nito sa puno heheheh well except for those at the vineyards...

show your whole patio!

Jeannie

Pepe said...

I know what you should do Mari, think RAISINS....! My Uncle's grape vine in his backyard was also producing a lot of fruits last season and he turn them all to raisins or sultanas....! He's got this portable fruit drying machine, i don't know where he got that from but it works like magic....! =D

Mari said...

lady cess,
Di siguro puwedeng tumubo diyan, kasi maulan masyado. It can tolerate heat, but not a lot of rain.

Mari said...

connie,
Good thing about it, is that it doubles as cover on my patio; makes it shady during the summer.

Take care.

Mari said...

jeannie,
It's the same thing as what's in the vineyards, only small scale. LOL I'll show you when I get a shot at it.

Mari said...

pepe,
Yeah, I've been thinking of doing that. I've seen one of those drying machines around. Or, maybe, make jam out of it. LOL Does it need preservative? Baka amagin ah. LOL

Dennis Villegas said...

Wow, grapes in your garden! I wish I were your neighbor, too, because I love green grapes. Back here in my backyard I only have a few kaimito and bayabas hehehe!

Mari said...

dennis,
Let's trade backyards. LOL I miss kaimito and bayabas. I used to have a lot of those back home. We don't have them here.

Vk-mahalkaayo said...

wow, sweet pa.....

oo nga grapes season na, dito siguro next week harvest na nila.

started na rin dito ang new wine....hay masarap ito sa onions cake.

kanina nagpunta kami sa bad duerkheim.
wine festival, kagaya ng october fest sa munich?
kaya ito wine lang, sa munich is beer....

nakita ko ang daming mga grapes na....mabuti na doon mag-bikes, tapos dala kuha ng grapes.....yon wlang bayad, bantay lang hindi makita....lol

masarap yon kay sa bilihin.....hehheh

aware lang hindi makita, baka maka tanggap ng love letters.....

GingGoy said...

i love grapes but have yet to really taste the green ones...wala masyado dito saka mahal sya around P180/kilo

Mari said...

tutubi,
Mahal nga. Kahit dito merong kamahalan ng kunti.

Cielo said...

wow sis...this is a very good harvest time for you...

are you the one doing all the planting....ako I dont have that green-thumb

Mari said...

cielo,
Yeah, I had a good harvest this year.

Tinanim ko yan nung araw pa. Mga 18 taon na yan. And it had taken a long time before I could enjoy the fruits of my labor...matagal din. Wala akong green thumb, tsamba lang yata yan. he he

Salamat sa dalaw.