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Filbert, European; Hazelnut (Corylus avellana)

Categories
Harvest & Use
Let the nuts fall. They can be sun-dried in the typical nut-drying way. The filbert is attractive to all nut-eaters (e.g., chipmunks) because it is prolific, the kernel is easily accessible, and the tree is small. The blue jay, ruffed grouse, and some woodpeckers enjoy a filbert now and then The fast-growing plant is often used as a hedge. The nut is best kept by shelling and then freezing. Filberts are high in vitamin E and fat, mostly monounsaturated.
Appearance
Filberts sucker eagerly and grow as shrubs if unpruned. Pruned they become small rounded trees. The leaves are dark green, wooly, and wrinkly; nuts have frilly coverings. The yellow catkins bloom in December.
Cultivation
Filberts are easy to grow, and well-suited to home cultivation. They tend to bear in alternate years. There is a filbert-blight of growing severity; the western native American filbert (C. cornuta) is immune, but the European filbert is not (neither is the eastern native species). There are some reports that deer find filbert trees unappetizing. The filbert grows as a shrub if unpruned; if grown as a tree it is usually pruned to an open center. 800-1600 chill hours.
Comment
In history the filbert is commonly known as the "hazel," and has all sorts of superstitious and romantic connotations. If you woo your chosen one beneath a hazel tree, you are assured of success (I keep forgetting to try this); forked hazel rods are (were) used by witches in various mystical or nefarious ways (Friedlander: 160). The name "filbert" derives from the time of the nut's ripening: around Aug. 22, which is St. Philibert's Day in England and France (another etymology has it that "filbert" means "full beard, in reference to the nuts husk).
Cultivars of Repute {best pollinized by}
The only cultivated filbert is C. avellana, the European filbert.
1. Barcelona: one of the main commercial filberts, along with 'Ennis'. {2,4,8}
2. Butler: a good pollinizer, blight prone {3,4,5}
3. Ennis: very productive and flavorful; of increasing commercial importance; blight prone. {2,4,5}
4. Halle's Giant: good pollinizer, very hardy and somewhat blight-resistant. {2,5}
5. Tonda de Giffoni: excellent flavor and blight resistant. {2,4,7}
6. Rode Zeller: a variety with dark red or bronze leaves, nuts, and catkins. {2,4,5}
7. Willamette: a new variety. Catalogs decribe it as a heavy producer and moderately blight-resistant. {2,5,8}
8. VR 2011: bred for blight resistance and pollen; not very productive.
9. Contorted: an ornamental variety with twisted, spiralling limbs, especially striking in winter and spring when the branches are bare. It was found in a hedge in England. Not to be planted if nut-production is important. {2,4,5}
* Related species are also available. The Turkish tree hazel, Corylus colurna, is a pyramidal tree growing 75' tall and 25-30' wide, whose nuts are said to be small & tasty; it is hardy to -30” F, and more drought resistant than the European filbert. There are also native American species, one for each coast.

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Gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa; R. hirtellum)

Categories
Harvest & Use
Growing gooseberries as a hedge renders the berries inaccessible, due to the criss-crossing thorns. Typical yield from a mature plant is ten pounds. Fruits are often picked underripe to use in preserves or cooking; The Joy of Cooking suggests cooking gooseberries with strawberries or elderberry flowers. Burgundy berries are usually sweet, while the green varieties are tart. The leaves provide a slightly bitter element in salads. Gooseberry plants are larval food for the grey comma butterfly.
Appearance
Six-foot plants with lobed leaves, minor flowers, and thorns like talons. Fruit color ranges from light yellow through dark green to purple. Like its currant cousins, the gooseberry leafs-out very early in spring.
Cultivation
American varieties tend to be more disease-resistant in North America, but Europeans have better quality fruit. Gooseberries have shallow, wide spreading roots that need a lot of organic material. They have a fairly high need for potassium and magnesium. Pollinators of the self-fertile plants are mostly wind and insects other than bees. They can't stand scorching summer sun, and will fruit happily in part-shade. Gooseberries are highly susceptible to gooseberry mildew (powedery white patches on leaves, and poorly formed leaves). The gooseberry fruitworm (pulp-eating, web-spinning borers) and currant worm (foliage strippers) are usually treated with insecticide; the currant worm often requires more than one application. If a gooseberry is trained to grow as a tree, mature height will be around seven feet. Most fruit is borne on wood less than four years old. Propagation is usually by hardwood cuttings taken in fall. 800-155 chill hours.
Comment
The gooseberry is practically a pop-star in England, where many cultivars have been born. Competing to grow the largest gooseberry berry has been a popular sport in England for a century (the record fruit is the size of a crabapple). The Normans probably brought the gooseberry (and civilization in general, if you ask me) to England. An American species, Ribes hirtellum, aka "currant gooseberry" is available, as are hybrids. "Gooseberry-picker" was an early 19th century euphemism for "chaperone," presumably because it described what chaperones did while their charges did something else. The standard, "European" gooseberry is native to North Africa. See also: jostaberry.
Cultivars of Repute
* Achilles: large green fruit.
* Early Sulfur: early-ripening, yellow fruit on a vigorous spreading bush.
* Fredonia: large red berries, highly-rated, late-ripening.
* Glenton Green: green early-ripening fruit.
* Golda or Goudbal: large yellow fruit.
* Hinnonmakis Yellow: very hardy selection from Finland, with yellow fruit.
* Langley Gage: small white fruit, upright bush.
* Poorman: An American-European cross often recommended for home gardens. It is very hardy, vigorous, and nearly thornless, with pyriform, red berries that are sweet when dead ripe. It resists leaf spot and white pine blister rust better than most.
* Red Warrington: late-ripening red fruit.
* Silvia: a very shade tolerant, very hardy, spreading selection from Canada. The green fruit has a red blush.
* Whitesmith: a disease-resistant, upright bush with greenish yellow fruit.
* Winham's Industry: old English variety with red fruit; leafs out much later than average.
General References
[C= cultivation; R = recipes; L = lore; A = all]
* Grigson [R,L]
* Reich [C, L]
* Root [L]
* Schneider [R]

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Grape, American (Vitis labrusca)

Categories
Harvest & Use
Grapes must be dried or frozen (or crushed and fermented...) to be preserved. The leaves are also edible. The wood of the grapevine is said to be the best for open-air roasting. Rich soil produces poor wine-making grapes. Grapes are less nutritious than most fruits. The fruit attracts birds; the brown thrasher, gray catbird, northern cardinal, and northern mockingbird have been known to nest in grape vines (Ortho: 32-33).
Appearance
Thick vines with bluish leaves and insignificant flowers. American grapes bloom relatively late. Seedless varieties produce smaller grapes. Grapes are usually pruned/trained to be about 10' wide. Unpruned, they ramble all over the place.
Cultivation
Most grapes require a long growing season, but a few early-ripening varieties will get the job done in cool summer areas. Grape roots grow well into the sub-soil, often pushing 15 feet down. Grapes require training (trellis, cordon, etc.) for full productivity; an arbor increases yield. Flowers and shoots are borne on one-year-old wood. Lacewing, a wasp that nests in blackberries feeds on leaf-hoppers that feed on grape leaves, so plant some blackberries in your vineyard. Organic vineyards are becoming the norm even among large-scale commercial growers--Gallo grows organically (but adds sulfites in the wine-making process). Muscadine and American grapes are less prone to fungal blights than European varieties. 100-500 chill hours.
Comment
For grape-growing east of the Rockies, and most hobbyist growing, it's best to stick with American species (the muscadine is another American species) or American-European hybrids.
Cultivars of Repute [] = best zones, if different from the standard.
American:
* Concord: reported in Kourik (p.140) to be very hardy. [4-8]
* Cynthiana: good for wine (possibly the same plant as 'Norton')
* Delaware: reported to be very hardy (Kourik: 140). [4-7]
* Missblanc [7-9]
Seedless:
* Canadice: spicy flavor, good fresh; reported to be hardier than average (Kourik: 140); ripens early.
* Glenora: ornamental, better fall color than most grapes; ripens a bit earlier than most; the fruit is blue and spicy [(5)-8]
* Himrod (white): highly-rated white variety; sweet flavor [5-7]
* Reliance [4-8]
* Venus: excellent fresh; ripens early.
American X European
* Baco noir [5-7]
* Catawba
* Cayuga (white) [4-7]
* De Chaunac
* Seibel 9110.
General References
[C= cultivation; R = recipes; L = lore; A = all]
* Bryan [A]

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Grape, European; "The Vine" (Vitis vinifera)

Categories
Harvest & Use
Grapes must be dried or frozen (or fermented) to be preserved. They don't ripen off the vine. The yield of wine grapes usually peaks at around ten pounds (table grapes produce more), which makes a gallon of wine. The pH of a wine-making grape (the fruit, not the soil) should be about 3.1. The leaves are edible after blanching. The wood of the grapevine is said to be the best for open-air roasting. Grapes are less nutritious than most fruits. The fruit attracts birds; the brown thrasher, gray catbird, northern cardinal, and northern mockingbird have been known to nest in grape vines (Ortho: 32-33), probably preferring native species.
Appearance
Thick vines with bluish leaves and insignificant flowers. Grapes are usually pruned/trained to be about 10' wide. Unpruned they ramble all over the place.
Cultivation
Grape roots grow well into the sub-soil, often pushing down15'; rich soil produces poor wine-making grapes. Flowers and shoots are borne on one-year-old wood. Requires training (trellis, cordon, etc.) for full productivity; an arbor increases yield. Lacewing, a wasp that nests in blackberries, feeds on leaf-hoppers that feed on grape leaves, so plant some blackberries in your vineyard. Organic vineyards are becoming the norm even among large-scale commercial growers: Fetzer grows organically. Organic grapes don't mean organic wines, however (sulfites are usually added, for example). European varieties are very prone to fungal blights, and so don't do well in warm, damp climates. Powdery- and downy-mildew are the most common fungal problems. For wine-making east of the Rockies and most home wine-making, it's easiest to stick with American-European hybrids. Fungi risks can be reduced somewhat by planting in very sunny, well-drained spots, encouraging an open, airy canopy, and spacing nine to ten feet apart instead of the usual six. An open canopy can be encouraged through pruning, leaf-removal, and minimized nitrogen feeding (it doesn't increase fruit yield anyway). Water sparingly. 100-500 chill hours. Viticulturists in USDA zones 9 and 10 usually stick to muscadine grapes.
Comment
The Vine probably originated in the Caspian Sea region. The Greeks initiated cultivation approximately 6000 years ago: there's a lot of breeding behind this plant.Vitis vinifera, aka "the vine," embodies the history of western civilization like no other, due to its value as booze. The grape anchors the mythology of the Greek god Dionysus (Bachuus to the Romans). In the following description of Dionysus, note the foreshadowing of the Christos: the relief of pain through blessing, sacramental role of wine, and mediation between gods and mortals. Also, Dionysus was the effeminate son of a male god (Zeus), had prophetic powers, and inspired the masses.

His blessing releases suffering mortals from their pain when they fill of the juice of the vine; he gives them sleep and makes them forget their daily troubles, and they have no other cure for their cares. He, being a god, is poured in libation to the gods, and so through him mankind receives all good things.

--Euripedes, The Bacchae (Tiresias speaking) 440 BCE.

Activities pertaining to cultivation and wine-making are inscribed in Egyptian tombs of the Fourth Dynasty (2400 BCE). The "fruitful vine" of the Bible is the grape, and it is the first plant to be cultivated in the Bible (Noah did it, Genesis 9:20; by Genesis 9:21 he was passed-out naked in his tent). The vine was introduced to France by a banished Tuscan; Romans introduced it to England. By the eve of the Renaissance, all of Europe was drinking wine--perhaps no coincidence! Europeans had established vineyards in Chile by 1541: Francis Drake writes of seizing a boatload of Chilean wine in 1578. The vine was established in California by Spaniards at the beginning of the 18th century. Only in the18th century was the art of bottling sufficiently advanced so that wine aged gracefully rather than turning to vinegar, and vintages were established. On the eve of the French Revolution, per capita consumption in Paris exceeded 120 litres/year--perhaps no coincidence! Southern Europeans traditionally regard northerners as barbarous gulpers, or worse (sherry drinkers).
Cultivars of Repute [best zones]
European [7-9]
* Cabernet Sauvignon: best in California
* Chardonnay (white): best in California
* GewŸrtztraminer: early ripening, rot resistant
* Pinot Gris: best where summers are long and not too hot.
* Pinot Noir: above average resistance to dampness and cold.
* Syrah: vigorous, cold-hardy, disease resistant; small fruit.
*American X European species*
* Baco noir [5-7]
* Catawba [5-8]
* Cayuga (white) [4-7]
* Syval Blanc: resists mildew
General References
[C= cultivation; R = recipes; L = lore; A = all]
* Fernand Braudel's Civilization & Capitalism, 15th-18th Century. (Vol. 1 of The Structures of Everyday Life) contains an interesting section on the economic and cultural role of wine.
* Bryan [A]
* Grigson [R,L]

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Grape, Muscadine; Scuppernog (Vitis rotundifolia)

Categories
Harvest & Use
Best uses are fresh and for jelly; makes a fruity wine. Store by drying.
Appearance
Large vines with bluish leaves and insignificant flowers.
Cultivation
Muscadine is the grape of choice for the southeast United States. Muscadine and American grapes are less prone to fungal blights than European varieties. Some muscadines are self-fertile, some are not; the self-fertile kind can pollinize the other.
Comment
For grape-growing east of the Rockies, and most small-scale growing, it's best to stick with American species, of which the muscadine is one, or American-European hybrids. The name "scuppernog" refers both to the species and to a variety. The scholar-explorer Richard Hakluyt was exceedingly impressed by the profusion of muscadines when he arrived in what is now North Carolina, as part of the first Roanoke expedition (1584); he described the land as:

very sandie, and lowe towards the waters side, but so full of grapes, as the very beating and surge of the Sea ouerflowed them, of which we founde such plentie, as well there, as in the plaines, as well as on euery little shrubbe, and also climbing towardes the toppes of the high Cedars, that I thinke in all the world the like aboundance is not to be found: and myself having seene those parts of Europe that most abound, find such difference as were incredible to be written.
Cultivars of Repute
* Needs pollinizer: Hunt, Scuppernog, Summit, Topsail.
* Self-fertile: Carlos, Cowart, Magoon, Southland.
References
Ison's Nursery comes recommended as a source of muscadines (I have no experience with them):
P.O. Box 190
8544 Newman Highway
Brooks, GA 30205.
404/599-6970; http://www.isons.com/index.html

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Gooseberry Ribes uva-crispa; R. hirtellum Grape, European; "The Vine" Vitis vinifera