Concord Dreams

I was recently in the US on a whirlwind visit to see my parents, and while I was there I reconnected with one of my favorite flavor memories from my youth; concord grapes.

Having grown up in upstate New York (yeah, yeah, I know New Paltz isn't technically 'upstate... get over yourself, Zahava!), and Connecticut, fall is always full of wonderful sensory memories for me: crisp air, beautiful foliage, apple picking, hay rides, pumpkin carving, leaf burning... and of course, eating lots and lots of concord grapes.

Concord grapes have a deep purple skin and a green interior, and are the perfect combination of sweet and tart. 

There aren't many things I deeply miss (relax, I said 'things'!) from the states, but concord grapes almost certainly top the short list.

While I was shopping with my mom during this recent visit, I noticed a fruit stand selling concord grapes and bought a big bunch.  I was in heaven!  I went through them so fast we had to restock a few more times just to keep up with my noshing.

What I can't figure out is why these grapes aren't grown in Israel.  Is the soil here not suitable for this particular vine?  Hard to imagine, given the wide variety of wine and table grapes that are grown here.

Needless to say, if anyone knows where I can find concord grapes in Israel (or has any info as to whether they can be easily grown here), I will be eternally in your debt.