Are my grapes ready? How to tell?

[Carol Dee]

Here are our grapes. A bumper crop this year. A big surprise. The vine is only 2 years old. How do I know if they are ready? (It doesn't help we do not remember what we planted!) I wanted a concord for jelly. This looks more like something pink.

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[Greenthumb18]

Carol Dee,

A way you can tell if your grapes are ripe yet is by looking at the grape cluster, all the grapes on that cluster should have that deep pinkish red color. They should also be plump and of course a nice sweet taste to them. If you taste them and they seem sour you know their not ready yet and you should leave them on the vine to develop its sugars.

Hope this helps! and hope you have a nice harvest soon!

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Yes, its all about the sugar content. With an acre of Petite Syrah and a couple other varieties, along with some table grapes in my garden, try a grape from each bunch to gauge the sugar content. When they are sweet enuf for you, you can pick!

 

[vfem]

Oh yeah, taste testing is the way to go.

 

[Veggie PAK]

I wonder if grapes are like what I read about corn in that they are sweeter if you pick them in the morning before the sugars turn to starch in the heat of the day.

I also have grapes and I am delighted that they are coming in with a second crop for this year. I didn't expect that.