Imagine yourself as a public relations person working for a food producer. Your job is to come up with tasty ways to market a particular brown, wrinkled product -- raisins.
Oh! Those raisins! We'll be forever charmed by the memory of a bunch of clay-animated raisins, shucking and jiving across our television screens in the '80s musically enhanced by the Motown anthem, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." The commercial gave the dried fruit a fun wrinkle. Sales took off.But you can't keep a good thing groovin' along indefinitely. The charm of the ad eventually wore off; however, small raisin figures are highly sought--after collectibles.
Maybe it's time for "raisin'" the curtain on those puckered pieces of sunshine that were once seedless grapes.
The life cycle of a raisin is rather tedious but interesting. And if you memorize the following facts and trivia about raisins, you'll never again be at a loss for words.
It's said that raisins were discovered when humans stumbled into some grapes drying on a vine. History books record that raisins were sun--dried from grapes as long ago as 1490 B.C. Several hundred years passed before it was determined which variety of grape would make the best raisin.
Sometime between 120 and 900 B.C., practical ways were developed to grow grapes to become raisins. During that time, Phoenicians started vineyards in Greece and southern Spain, and Armenians created vineyards in Persia -- now Turkey, Iran and Iraq. These areas not only had ideal climates for growing the fruit, they were also close to the first commercial markets for raisins -- Greece and Rome.
The raisin became a favorite fruit of the Greeks and Romans, who used them for everything -- from adorning their places of worship, to honoring winners of sporting contests. Roman doctors prescribed raisins to cure anything from mushroom poisoning to old age.
With their growing appeal, raisins increased in value. Two jars of raisins could be traded for one slave in ancient Rome.
The fruit became popular among warriors of the time. Emperor Augustus feasted on small roasted birds stuffed with raisins. Hannibal stored raisins for his crossing of the Alps.
Spain's Queen Isabella sent missionaries to Mexico to teach natives about religion. Among the things the missionaries passed on to the people was their knowledge of grapes -- viticulture.
Moving into California, the missionaries found excellent growing conditions and a long, hot growing season in the San Joaquin Valley. Although only 10 inches of rain falls on this area each year, an extensive irrigation system -- constructed over a century ago -- brings water from the Sierra Nevada, creating one of the most fertile valleys in the world.
California's first raisin crop was grown by nature, not farmers. In September of 1873, a massive heat wave hit the San Joaquin Valley just before harvest. Most of the grapes dried on the vine before farmers could pick them. Not willing to throw his crop away, one farmer took his raisins to San Francisco, where he found a grocer who agreed to sell the fruit, which was unfamiliar to many customers. Raisins soon became popular enough that a sizable market was created.
At that time, muscat raisins were favored. They were oversize with seeds and full of flavor, but they were messy. If consumers wanted to use them for baking, they first needed to force the seed through the skin by hand.
In 1876, Scottish immigrant William Thompson found the perfect grape for raisin farmers. He grew a seedless variety of grape called Lady deCoverly, which was thin-skinned, seedless, and sweet. When sun-dried, these grapes became the dark raisin popular today, and with special processing they became the lighter golden raisins. Today, 95 percent of California raisins are made from Thompson seedless grapes grown in the San Joaquin Valley.
Developing the San Joaquin Valley into the world's largest producer of raisins is credited mainly to the Armenians who began settling the area in the late 1800s. Descended from the people who first founded vineyards in Persia, the Armenians are recognized as some of the world's most experienced viticulturists, Today many California raisin growers are of Armenian descent. The fruitful valley has also attracted many other immigrants to become a part of the California raisin industry.
Growing raisins is no picnic. It's a tedious process, but the rewards are sweet.
It takes at least three years to produce the first crop of raisins, from the time a vine is planted to its initial yield. The vines demand constant attention year 'round, and farmers must tend them by hand.
In January, vines are pruned back to one or two of the most productive branches called "canes," which will bear the next autumn's fruit. The canes are then hand--tied to rows of wire four to five feet from the ground. During the winter months, many growers plant barley or rye between the vine rows. These "cover crops" not only discourage weeds but provide nutrients for the vines.
Early in spring, the first grape buds appear followed by tiny clusters of grapes in March or early April. The hot summer sun swells and sweetens the grapes. A plentiful supply of water from the mountains is essential. Vine roots grow deep and they must be soaked to a depth of three to five feet during the growing season.
In late August, grapes ripen to their fullest -- usually all at once. Skilled workers carefully hand-pick grape clusters, placing them on clean trays between the vine rows. For the next two or three weeks, the grapes "bask" in the sun, being turned regularly so that each grape gets the correct amount of sunshine to become an excellent raisin.
When the level of moisture (15 percent) that makes the best raisins is reached, the trays are carefully rolled into bundles. The raisins "bake" in the sun for a few more days, then they're opened and emptied into bins. The bins are taken to the grower's yard, where they're loaded onto a vibrating conveyer belt that separates the larger stems from the raisins.
The raisins are transferred to large wooden bins called "sweat boxes" for moisture equalization. These bins are stacked and covered so the raisins inside heat up slightly. The drier raisins draw moisture from the juicer ones, until the moisture is evenly distributed.
Finally, the raisins are shipped off to packing plants located throughout the San Joaquin Valley. After moving through laser and steam sorters, the California raisins are again inspected by hand. Quality control technicians make final inspections; the raisins are automatically weighed and packed in a variety of boxes.
You know the rest. Trucks are loaded with packages of raisins and delivered worldwide.
So, are you wondering where we got all the raisin info?
We heard it through the grapevine.
HONEY-MUSTARD CHICKEN AND PASTA SALAD
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons nonfat honey-mustard salad dressing
1/2 cup nonfat honey-mustard salad dressing
1/2 cup nonfat mayonnaise
8 ounces uncooked rotini pasta
1 cup California Raisins
4 cups salad greens
2 cups watermelon cubes
Cook rotini to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; rinse with cold water. Broil chicken 4 to 6 inches from heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in center, brushing with 2 tablespoons dressing during last 1 to 2 minutes of broiling. Cool. Refrigerate until chilled. In small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup dressing and mayonnaise; blend well. In medium bowl, combine rotini, raisins and about half the dressing mixture; mix well. Arrange salad greens on 4 individual serving plates. Top each with rotting mixture and watermelon cubes. Cut each chicken breast half into crosswise slices; place on rotini. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Serves 4.
Each serving contains 528 calories, 32g protein, 4g fat, 646mg sodium, 63mg cholesterol.
From California Raisin Marketing Board
NOTE: Thin honey-mustard dressing, if necessary, by adding 1 to 2 tablespoons milk.
RUTH'S CHRIS BREAD PUDDING
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
6 beaten eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon bourbon, if desired
Pinch of salt
2 cups milk
1 pint half-and-half
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 pound French bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and toasted
Vanilla ice cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugars and divide in half. Add nutmeg, cinnamon, eggs, vanilla, bourbon (if desired), and salt to one of the sugar mixtures. In a saucepan, combine milk, half-and-half, and butter with other sugar mixture. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg mixture, then add egg mixture along with raisins and apples to heated mixture. Add toasted bread cubes and let stand until soaked through to center. Pour mixture into 2 buttered 10-by-3-by-3-inch pan. Bake until just set (about 30 to 45 minutes), then serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Serves 16.
Each serving contains 395 calories, 7g protein, 19g fat, 51g carb, 252mg sodium, 87mg cholesterol.
From "San Antonio Cuisine" by Karen Haram
YAM, APPLE AND RAISIN CASSEROLE
4 medium size yams, peeled and sliced about 1/2 inch thick
2 apples (Jonathan or McIntosh), peeled, cored and sliced in rings about 1/4 inch thick
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1 cup soft white bread crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Layer yams, apples and raisins into a 2 quart casserole, sprinkling each layer with some of the salt. Top with brown sugar and dot with margarine. Cover and bake about 50 minutes until yams are tender, basting once or twice. Mix breadcrumbs and melted margarine and sprinkle over yams. Bake uncovered for about 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Serves 6.
Each serving contains 364 calories, 3g protein, 12g fat, 64g carb, 351mg sodium, 31mg cholesterol.
From Gardening by John Kenna