The Southern Mercantile
  • Home
  • Getting Acquainted
    • OUR STORY
    • MEET OUR MAKERS
  • blog
  • Shop
  • Recipe Archive
  • Events

Muscadines, Grandma, and a Husband

8/11/2016

0 Comments

 
PictureJorjanne
 As a little girl, my sisters and I were forced to pick whatever fruit or vegetable was in season, wherever my parents or other family members grew it. I even remember stopping on the side of the road not far from the house I grew up in just to pick blackberries so Mama could make a cobbler. (It was delicious!) Since I was a lazy baby sister, I never enjoyed these trips to the garden or orchard or friend’s backyard because they meant working in the sun rather than reading in my room. I did, however, enjoy the “fruits” of all our labor! Now, as an adult, I realize the value of hard work and am grateful for these memories.

Picture
One of my favorite memories is of going over to Grandma Willa Ree Tucker’s house at the end of every summer to pick muscadines and scuppernongs. She had quite a few rows of those beautiful vines that were always loaded with the sweet fruit of a southern summer. And, Grandma Ree loved nothing more than to share all that she had. There was always a debate among my sisters and I as to which was better - the purple muscadines or the bronze/green scuppernongs? As a child, the purple were always my favorite, but as I’ve grown older, I tend to love the bronze. I can still remember popping the skins with my teeth, sucking out the juicy pulp, then spitting out the seeds, all while I was supposed to be putting the muscadines in my bucket. For some reason, my bucket never seemed to fill up.

Little did I know that across the county, another family was growing muscadines and raising a little boy into the man I would marry! ​
Picture
 I guess it’s a good thing I fell in love with muscadines before I fell in love with him, since they would become such a large part of my adult life! We built our home right in the middle of his family’s muscadine vineyard, and my husband has taken the family business from growing and selling fresh muscadines to creating products made from muscadines. Now, I help with the social media for the family businesses and even make the jellies that we sell. 
Picture
We talk to a lot of people about muscadines, some to educate on what they are, how to eat them, and how good they are for you. For most who grew up in the south, though, it’s to reminisce about their time in the woods or their grandmother’s backyard, or how their grandfather made homemade muscadine wine! I always love seeing their faces when they eat a muscadine or try our juice or jelly, then hearing their stories. You can see how the taste and scent take them back to the innocence of childhood and the joy they felt in a simpler time. I love being able to provide people with such a nostalgic experience!
Picture
Since it is muscadine season, we’d love to hear your stories and memories! If you need a little inspiration and don’t have access to muscadines, you can always order a jar of Paulk’s Pride Muscadine Jelly, Preserves, or Sauce from us here at The Southern Mercantile! In case you’re wondering the differences, the Jelly is made from muscadine juice for a smoother texture, while the preserves and sauce have the skins for a chunkier texture. The sauce also has spices like cinnamon and cloves, which makes it delicious on pork or with turkey and dressing - it’s my personal favorite! Either way, we’d love to hear your stories and how you serve muscadines!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Shop our Muscadine Products Now!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    @thesouthernmerc



    Categories

    All
    Alder Street Renovation
    Beauty
    Beech St. Bungalow
    Brick House On Beech Street
    By Jorjanne
    By Roxie
    By Tara
    Childhood
    Christmas
    Curated Collection
    Decorating
    Easter
    Events
    Faith And Community
    Fall
    Family
    Free
    Gardening
    Getting Crafty
    Get Togethers
    Gift Ideas
    Meet Our Makers
    Organization
    Printable
    Recipes
    Renovations
    Showers
    Southern Summer
    Spring
    Style
    Thanksgiving
    Traditions
    Travel
    Tutorial
    Valentines-day
    Video-tutorial
    Wedding
    Words From Fellow Southerners

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required



Home



About



Contact

Pinterest

instagram

Facebook

Picture
Copyright © 2015