Frozen Grapes For Healthy Snacks – 22 Facts About Grapes

I love grapes and grapes love me! Ever since I found out about my grain allergy I have been diligently searching for healthier grain free foods, drinks and snacks.

One thing that Alyssa and I have always loved are grapes. When she was a little girl, grapes were a great snack to carry along with us anywhere because they were juicy, satisfying, small enough for a child hold, healthy and not messy. Does a snack get any better than that? Ummm..no. So we eat many varieties of grapes and love them all.

22 Facts About Grapes

Let me tell you some very interesting facts about grapes. I bet you don’t know all of them!

1. The grape is known as as “the queen of fruits” in many cultures.
2. Grapes are a berry.
3. Grapes grow in clusters on woody vines.
4. Clusters of grapes range in size from 15 to 300 grapes in each cluster.
5. Grapes are round or oval in shape and vary in size from pea to plum.
6. A raisin is an dried grape.
7. Not only can grapes be eaten raw, but they can be used in making jelly, jam, juice, vinegar, oil and wine.
8. Wine grapes are smaller, have thicker skins and are sweeter than the varieties we consume as snacks.
9. White grapes are really light green.
10. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the following countries produce the most grapes respectively: China, Italy, United States of America, Spain, France, Turkey, Chile and Argentina
11. 6,000 to 8,000 years ago, grapes started to be cultivated in the Near East.
12. Wine-making dates back 8,000 years ago to Georgia. That’s not Georgia the state in the United States of America. It’s Georgia the country which is by Russia, Turkey and the Black Sea. Evidence of wine was found in ceramic storage jars. Isn’t that cool!
13. Yeast occurs naturally on the skins of grapes.
14. Grapes are high in an anti-oxidant called resveratrol which protects against cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease.
15. Grape juice improves blood circulation by preventing blood clotting.
16. Grapes keep the bladder clean by eliminating waste and stones.
17. Grapes are high in vitamin C which helps the skin and decreases acne.
18. Grapes are high in minerals and great for the liver!
19. Concord grapes are high in “oxalates” and should not be eaten by people who have or had kidney stones.
20. Grapes can kill your dog! Dogs that eat grapes can have renal failure and the reason why this happens is not known.
21. Buy organic grapes because non-organic grapes are high in pesticide residue. If you can’t buy organic grapes, do this to get rid of the pesticides: Soak the grapes in a bowl of water for fifteen minutes, rinse thoroughly in a colander, pat dry between paper towels and then refrigerate
22. A one cup serving of grapes has 104 calories, 27.3 grams of carbohydrates and 0.2 grams of fat. Such a super snack!!!

How To Make Frozen Grapes

With the 22 Facts About Grapes it is obvious that eating grapes as a healthy snack is a good choice. When trying to take some of the processed sugar or grain out of your diet, frozen grapes are a great sweet alternative to popcorn, potato chips or candy.

I haven’t figured out why yet, but frozen grapes are as addictive as chips and dip. I’m not kidding! Also, during the hot summer months, they are a wonderful way at helping to cool down. Frozen grapes also thaw fairly quickly too.

When frozen, the grapes are never too hard to bite in half. They can, however, give you brain freeze if you eat them too fast!

So this is how to make frozen grapes:

• Buy organic grapes because non-organic grapes are high in pesticide residue. If you can’t buy organic grapes, do this to get rid of the pesticides: Soak the grapes in a bowl of water for fifteen minutes
• Rinse the grapes thoroughly in a colander
• Pat the grapes dry between paper towels
• Put the grapes in a large plastic storage bag or container
• Freeze for 24 hours

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!

Do you eat frozen grapes or is this something new to you?