A Discovery!

Before I talk about today's amazing discovery, I just realized that I didn't share this picture of Maya from the other day! This girl is just beautiful, inside and out, and I LOVE this picture of her!

Anyway... back to my discovery! We were supposed to have a playdate today (involving a litter of Great Dane puppies!), but my friend had to cancel. So we ended up having a productive day (for me) at home, which was nice! After lunch, we went outside to play. Nikos wanted me to push him on the swings, so I was walking to that end of the yard. Now, that end of the yard is along what we call "the ditch," although that is not an accurate description. There is a drop-off there (less than 10 feet, and it's a slope), and then a huge flat area that is basically impenetrable because of all the plant life. Animal life, too, since that area seems to be where everything lives (deer, fisher-cats, rabbits, etc.). We own a chunk of this space, but it's not really usable land. Just lots of beautiful woods to admire!

So I was down by the ditch, getting ready to push Nikos on the swing, when I noticed a cluster of berries hanging from a maple tree. Curious, I got a little closer. And I thought to myself, "Hey, those look like grapes!" and "I didn't think maple trees had berries? Those are huge!"

Fast forward a minute or two, and I was able to see where the vine was climbing up the maple tree. And as I followed it down into the ditch, my mind was blown to realize that a) those ARE grapes, and b) we have the biggest grape vine I have ever seen in my LIFE, growing on our property. I risked life and limb to snag one little bunch for research purposes, and convinced the kids to come inside. My friend Google quickly helped me confirm that these were Concord grapes. And a (nerve-wracking) taste test further solidified that classification. They taste like Welch's grape juice! And we have a TON of them! I can't believe they have been growing right under our noses! I took a picture of just one little section. Harvesting them will be tricky, but I can't wait to make jelly, juice, and maybe even some wine! Hooray!