When it comes to grapes, Utahns can't stop remembering resin.
This week we've tested, tasted and printed the latest and greatest California grape recipes. But throughout the process, we've found our thoughts wandering into that shadowy arbor of local trivia - illuminated by the recollection of the beloved Utah icon of the '60s . . . resin grapes.Remember those cherished, crystalline, marble-shaped clusters Relief Society moms made with bursts of Donna Reed-like enthusiasm?
Their production was an incredible organized flourish of crafty faddiness.
And their growth was propagated as out-of-state Relief Society women came to Utah and returned to their hometowns. The resin grape phenomenon spread like Welch's jelly - eventually becoming a major craft project throughout the country.
While their children Hula-hooped and recited "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb," moms from Manti to Midvale were pouring molten mixtures of turquoise and purple resin into plastic, grape-shaped molds.
The grapes seemed to be a physical example of culture - something homemakers could create for their ever-evolving home decor.
Valleywide, it seemed that every coffee table and doilied dining room centerpiece prominently displayed a creche-like bunch of the hand-crafted chunks of wood and colored glass.
An alien visit to a Bountiful neighborhood in 1965 would have no doubt convinced the stranger that local inhabitants worshipped dusty bunches of "sacred orbs."
They were everywhere!
And, according to Carol L. Clark, a resin grape collector, they're still a treasured item.
Clark has a "thing" for the things . . . and owns bunches of the bunches. She's a marble maven. A grape groupie.
Clark, who holds a Ph.D. in education, says, "I collect them because they represent a lot of great women who wanted to beautify their homes."
And depending on the area where the fruit was "grown," the grapes mirror the artist's surroundings.
"Different areas did different things," Clark notes. "Farmington grapes had a smaller kind of curvy wood stem, while Mesa, Ariz., grapes have a massive wood base." Her collection is hermetically housed in an antique bookcase in her Salt Lake condo.
An ivory-cast clump of Wyoming seedless tops the treasured trophies, with a favorite grouping of rust-colored gramdmother's grapes situated on a nearby table.
Answering concern as to how she manages to clean the extensive array of art, Clark says a general dusting is sufficient. "No Pledge."
"I don't know who started the grapes, but I don't remember anything that was done in Relief Society that took off the way the grapes did," says Clark, who served for nearly 15 years on the General Relief Society Board for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It was an avocado green, harvest gold and burnt orange era. One tinged with faux leaves and curly little green wire stems. New York was the Big Apple. Utah, the Resin Grape.
Handicraft heaven.
So why the raging resin rally in Utah during the '60s?
"Go figure," says Clark.
*****
Recipes
GRAPE AND CHEESE QUESADILLAS
2 cups California seedless grapes, chopped
1/2 cup seeded and chopped Anaheim chilies or canned diced green chilies
3 tablespoons chopped onion
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
8 flour tortillas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
For Salsa:
Combine grapes, chilies, onion, garlic, cilantro, oregano and salt; mix well. Drain excess liquid by placing mixture in sieve.
For quesadillas:
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese over half of tortilla and spread 1/4 cup salsa mixture over cheese. Fold tortillas over and brush both sides with oil. Heat in non-stick skillet about 2 minutes or until browned. Turn tortilla over and brown second side about 2 minutes. Cut each quesadilla in half. Makes 16 appetizer servings.
- Each serving contains 105 calories, 5g fat, 14g carb, 178mg sodium, 7mg cholesterol.
- From California Table Grape Commission
MAKE-AHEAD SEVEN LAYER SALAD 1/2 cup lowfat mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain lowfat yogurt
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups shredded Napa cabbage
2 cups partially cooked broccoli florets
2 cups California seedless grapes
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup imitation bacon bits or crisp-cooked and crumbled bacon
California grape clusters for garnish
Mix mayonnaise, yogurt, parsley and cayenne pepper. Layer cabbage, half of mayonnaise mixture, broccoli, grapes, carrots and green pepper in 8-inch diameter by 3-inch glass bowl. Spread remaining mayonnaise mixture over top; sprinkle with bacon bits. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours. Garnish with grape clusters. Makes 8 servings.
- Each serving contains 92 calories, 3g fat, 14g carb, 112mg sodium, 9mg cholesterol.
- From California Table Grape Commission
FROZEN LEMON AND GRAPE TREATS
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1 cup California seedless grapes
1 cup lowfat milk
1 carton (8 ounces) lowfat lemon-flavor yogurt
1 package (3.4 ounces) lemon instant pudding and pie filling mix
1 1/2 cups lowfat whipped topping
9 grapes, vertically sliced into 8 wedges
12 small California grape clusters, optional
Combine graham cracker crumbs, honey and butter; mix well. Line 12 muffin cups with paper cupcake liners; sprinkle 2 or 3 teaspoons crumb mixture in each. Divide grapes over crumbs. Combine milk and yogurt in medium bowl. Add pudding/pie mix and blend with wire whisk about 1 minute or until well mixed. Gently stir in whipped topping. Portion into cupcake liners, mounding mixture on top. Freeze at least 6 hours. Decorate top of dessert with small wedges of grapes in a pinwheel pattern. Garnish with grape clusters, if desired. Makes 12 servings.
- Each serving contains 112 calories, 3g fat, 19g carb, 99mg sodium, 7mg cholesterol.
- From California Table Grape Commission
GRAPE-NECTARINE SHORTCAKES
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup California seedless grapes
1 large nectarine, sliced
4 individual shortcakes (recipe below)
Combine sugar, cornstarch and lemon peel in saucepan; mix well. Stir in apple juice and water. Cook and stir until mixture comes to boil; reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and almond extract. Cool mixture. Stir in grapes and nectarine; mix well. Serve on shortcakes.
For Individual Shortcakes:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup softened butter
1 beaten egg
3 tablespoons milk
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in softened butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine beaten egg and milk; mix well. Add all at once to dry ingredients; mix only until moistened. On floured surface, knead dough 10 times. Roll to 3/4-inch thickness; cut into 4 (3-inch) rounds. Place on lightly greased baking sheet; bake at 450 degrees F. 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on rack. Makes 4 servings.
- Each serving contains 379 calories, 14g fat, 56g carb, 403mg sodium, 98mg cholesterol.
- From California Table Grape Commission
GRAPE CHICKEN SALAD
2 cups cooked, diced chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups red California seedless grapes
1 medium apple, cored and sliced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 to 4 tablespoons lowfat mayonnaise
2 to 4 tablespoons lowfat plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Lettuce leaves
Combine all ingredients except lettuce leaves; mix well. Serve chicken salad on lettuce leaves. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
- Each serving contains 180 calories, 6g fat, 19g carb, 57mg sodium, 45mg cholesterol.
- From California Table Grape Commission
PRACTICALLY PERFECT PICNIC SALAD
1 cup California seedless grapes
1 can (15 ounces) small white beans, drained
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup minced green onions
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Lemon-Mustard Dressing (see below)
Lettuce leaves
Combine all ingredients except lettuce; mix well. Serve on lettuce leaves. Makes 4 servings.
For Lemon-Mustard Dressing:
Combine 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; mix well. Makes 1/4 cup.
- Each serving contains 248 calories, 8g fat, 37g carb, 170mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol.
- From California Table Grape Commission