UF scientists have just released a tasty creation.
They debuted a new variety of grape this summer that they had been growing, propagating and testing for about 16 years, according to Dennis Gray, one of the developers.
Gray, a professor and developmental biologist with UF's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, said the variety, named the Southern Jewel by a Florida wine maker, is adapted to grow in Florida and the Southeast U.S. because it can withstand the humidity and resist diseases in the environment.
According to Gray, the Southern Jewel is a seeded grape with a thick, edible skin and is classified as a muscadine grape.
"However, unlike most muscadine grapes, which produce clusters of four to six grapes, the Southern Jewel variety produces clusters of 12 to 16 grapes," he said. "It has an extremely fruity flavor, and the berries are quite large, sometimes the diameter of a quarter."
Jacob Paulk, the largest grower of muscadine grapes in the U.S., is growing the Southern Jewels at his farm in Wray, Ga. He said he hopes the plants will help the muscadine grape market, which is limited to the Southeast, to grow.
Paulk said the market is limited because any temperature under 10 degrees Fahrenheit would kill muscadines. People in the Southeast are familiar with them because the native muscadine grapes were grown in this region, but the grapes are not as well known in the Midwest or Northeast.
"New, good tasting varieties will help us sell," Paulk said.
However, the plants are still young and not yet ready for picking. When they are ready, he hopes the new variety can be picked in bunches and packed in the field to save some labor in the factory.
"I'm looking forward to seeing it and packing it," Paulk said.
