Grapevines are so magical. They give you shade and food and beauty. And wine. For many years I lived in Tuscany where I was told grapes needed to be planted in the earth and not in a pot if you expected any fruit. We don’t have any land but I wanted a grapevine so badly that I had a hole made in our concrete covered parking space just to plant a vine in the earth. And now, after several years, we have this, a balcony vineyard.

Due to COVID-19, we were unable to come in the spring and when we finally arrived in the latter part of August, we found our vine loaded with fruit…more than we were able to eat. So some clusters were given away to neighbors and some I sundried on the roof to make raisins as the grapes are seedless. One night it rained (it takes days for them to dry out) and the grapes got wet so I finished drying them in the oven and it worked out quite well.

When we arrived on Paros, our neighbor gave us a jar of grape spoon sweets (stafyli gliko) that she’d made. Normally spoon sweets are used as a topping for yogurt. I found a recipe to try HERE. And because we have so many grapes, I’ve tried finding different ways of using them such as making smoothies with grapes and figs (from our neighbors). Delicious!

Even though it’s not the right month to prune, I started trimming what I could because grapes were falling everywhere. I will take a few cuttings to Rome to plant on my balcony. From THIS link, it seems as if grapes can be grown in pots but, obviously, produce only a cluster or two of grapes.

Our neighbor makes his own wine. To make sweet wine, the grapes are left out in the sun for ten days. See THIS for more info.

Seedless green grapes are good for your health. The antioxidants in them absorb the bad and increase the good cholesterol. The potassium in them helps lower blood-pressure and the skins are anti-inflammatory meaning they help fight cancer. Grapes contain calcium, magnesium as well as many other essential minerals. And the melatonin in grapes helps fight insomnia. (I am not a doctor and can only retell info I’ve read.)

Grape related recipes: How to Roast Grapes (And What to Do With Them) + 18 Unconventional Grape Recipes + 5 MINUTE GRAPE SORBET + Grape Salsa + Fresh Red Grape Cake + Grape Salad

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