Grape Leaf Season

My friend in Rockridge was trimming her grape vine last night during our visit. I grabbed the discarded tendrils and stripped off leaves to make stuffed grape leaves. May is a good time to harvest grape leaves for stuffing in most climates, although here in California many of the leaves are already too big and tough. You want the smaller ones, the size of a saucer or a lunch plate. But I kept the largest leaves as well, for a special mushroom dish I got from Elizabeth David (in "An Omelet and a Glass of Wine").

Baked Mushrooms in Grape Leaves

Line a deep casserole with grape vine leaves. (Leila's note - I blanch them and freeze them first for keeping - if using right away, merely blanch 2 minutes in boiling water) Fill the casserole with plain old button mushrooms, either the boring white kind or the nicer brown criminis. Add a strip of bacon or some bits of ham if you like; salt, pepper, a garlic clove or two, and a healthy amount of good olive oil - at least a quarter cup. Cover the top with more vine leaves, then cover the whole casserole with a lid or tin foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven until mushrooms are tender. Serve with crusty bread to mop up all that mushroom liquor. This trick turns the tamest mushrooms into wild flavored delights.

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Harvest unsprayed grape leaves in early summer (May or June). Blanch leaves 2 minutes, drain, store in plastic bags, and freeze. When ready to make stuffed grape leaves, thaw frozen leaves.

If using canned leaves, rinse to remove extra brine.

Saute half a pound ground lamb or ground beef until just brown.

Add to a cup and a half (or so) of uncooked rice. Add a little tomato sauce, dash cinnamon and allspice, and the meat. Stir to mix.

Spread a leaf out, ribs face up, and put a teaspoon of the rice mixture onto the base, near the stem. Spread the rice out into a cigar shape. Fold the leaf ends over rice, then roll towards the middle. Don't roll too tightly - remember the rice has to cook and swell up. Put packet into a large kettle and repeat until you've used up the rice mixture. Stack the leaf packets pretty tightly.

You could put a lamb chop or lamb bone on the bottom of the pot, for flavor. My dad sometimes put in a couple of strips of bacon - very inauthentic but good. Pour in boiling water or stock to cover, bring back to the boil, put a plate on top to keep the packets from bursting, cover the pot and simmer on low for about an hour or until rice is fully cooked. (I hate crunchy rice). Be sure to check regularly and add water if needed.

You may also stir in tomato sauce or paste to the boiling water before adding.

Towards the end of this process, strew chopped garlic over the top. At the end, squeeze lemon juice and drizzle olive oil over all.

Stuffed grape leaves are served hot or room temperature, alone or with dollops of yogurt.

This recipe may be made vegetarian by substituting chickpeas for sauteed ground meat. You must then use tomato sauce in the cooking water, add lots of garlic, and use spices.

Comments

[Food Tech]

Hi and thanks for info on using some of my grape leaves- I will try the stuffed receipe. Blanching and freezing is helpful too.
I have been growing grapes for about 5 years and not taken full advantage of the crop, other than small amount of jelly and wine.Very tasty so this will add some variety.
Best Regards,
John

[James Bowden]

Hi, could you tell me what type of grape would best be used for grape leaves?
Thanks for any help on this.
James

[Leila]

Doesn't matter. We used to harvest leaves from fruitless wild grape vines in the Midwest. Just get 'em early in the season, like May or early June (depending on your climate) before they are tough.

[GARY HOWELL]

HOW MANY LEAVES CAN ONE TAKE FROM A VINE WITHOUT DAMAGING THE VINE? I HAVE A WILD VINE THAT I PLAN TO HARVEST LEAVES FROM. THANKS, GARY HOWELL.

[Kelli]

A rule of thumb in wildcrafting regarding preservation is to harvest no more than 1/3 of the herb from a large group of plants. In regard to leaves only, I read an article on grapevine leaves... http://www.virtualitalia.com/wine/viansa_grapeleaves.shtml It says that picking the 3rd layer (under-layer) of leaves helps the vines produce healthier grapes by allowing more energy to get to them (light, water, food).

I would suggest harvesting 10% or 15% this year and see how the vine does next year. You'll be able to tell if the harvest boosted the health of the vine.

Also, you might try propagating that one vine. http://www.asksomeone.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=5481

Good luck!

[Leila Abu-Saba]

Thanks for adding this reply, Kelli. People still come to this post looking for info on grape leaves.

I might add however that often the vines I have found in the wild are not being grown for grapes. In the Midwest the vines just don't bear fruit or the fruit is so tiny it's not worth eating. Here in California, my favorite urban "wild" grapevine grows on a park fence near a public organic garden; I believe its purpose is to attract pests away from one or more of the food plants. It grows on a chain link fence and doesn't seem to be cultivated for fruit.

[Phone System Seattle]

Phone System Seattle
This is just a great article. I really enjoyed it.