THE SEA GRAPE
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Coccoloba uvifera
FAMILY: FAMILY: Polygonaceae
This tree is a native of the West Indies, where it grows down to the beaches. The sea grape is well-known for being tough. It is a pioneer plant, being the first to colonize on sandy or rocky beaches where it is exposed to seaspray. It is salt tolerant and grows well in saline or rocky soils along the beach.
The sea grape needs a female and male plant to bear fruit. If it is grown from seed, it takes from 6 to 8 years to flower and fruit if both sexes are present. The difficulty is that you can't tell what gender the plants are until they flower. So you could be nurturing a small group of sea grapes to discover they are all males or all females.
Mr. Peter Fontaine of Bouldercombe has been observing his sea grapes for a few years now, and has discovered a way of telling what sex they are without looking at the flowers.
Peter has discovered that the new growth or 'flush' on the female plant has new pink-brown leaves which turn green after 2-3 weeks. The new growth on the male plant has new lime green leaves which stay green.
The female produces fruit prolifically in purple, grape-like clusters of velvet-skinned edible fruits. In late summer or early autumn, the fruits ripen a few at a time. It is easy to pick by holding a bucket under the branches, then run your fingers through the bunches, and the ripe ones will fall into the bucket.Or spread a sheet beneath the tree and shake the branches. They freeze well until you have enough to use.
They make an excellent drink, jelly, dessert, soup and wine.
To extract the juice, wash and measure the fruit. Put in a large saucepan, add an equal amount of water as seagrape fruit. Cook until the skin and pulp is soft, usually about 20-25 minutes. Squashing with a potato masher helps to separate the flesh. Strain.
To the seed and pulp remaining, add an equal amount of water and allow to cook for 15 minutes and strain. This juice can be also used for jam making.
DATE: November 1990
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