I’m Over the Moon That This Fruit Is Finally Back in Season
Moon Drops are long, fingerlike grapes with crisp flesh and a deep, purple color. They’re great for cheese boards, salads, and morning ricotta toasts.
My husband jokes that I am a sucker for the term “limited edition.” Whenever I see it on a label, even though I know it’s a marketing ploy, my interest in the product spikes. This is doubly true with seasonal fruit.
Though I know we live in a global marketplace where a lot of fruit is available nearly all year round, some fresh varieties are truly limited to a short window of time. So when a fruit pops up at the grocery store or farmers market that I’m not familiar with, I immediately get curious.
That’s how I discovered Moon Drop grapes. When I saw these finger-shaped, black grapes with their distinctive, dimpled ends, I knew I had to buy them. The minute I popped one in my mouth, I was wowed by its intense taste and crisp texture. This was the ideal grape for me: sweet but not too sweet, with a lush grape flavor and a dark, almost gothic black-purple color that looked as intriguing as the grape tastes.
Moon Drop grapes, sometimes called Sweet Sapphire grapes, are sold in well-stocked and upscale grocery stores, as well as farmers markets. Though they look a little odd, my quick research into their origins assured me that they are not genetically modified fruits but were actually developed through selective breeding.
Flavor is their biggest selling point. They boast an intense grape-jelly taste without the cloying sweetness of a jar of Smucker's. This is because the tannins in the skin lend astringent tartness to balance out the sweetness.
Like the traditional jelly grape, Concords, Moon Drops are seedless. Their skins are thinner than Concords’, and their interior is so crisp and firm, you can snap them in half with your fingers.
To enjoy them, toss Moon Drops into a leafy green salad, add them to fruit salad or skewers, roast them for ricotta toast, or add them to your cheese board, where their striking shape and color offer intrigue and beauty against the creamy, white wedges. Nevertheless, I usually just eat Moon Drops out of hand.
When shopping, look for Moon Drop grapes that are firm and still attached to a bright, green stem. Avoid any grapes that look wilted or deflated or are attached to a brittle, brown stem. If the grapes are squishy, that’s a sign that they have started to go bad, so toss them.
Store fresh grapes unwashed in the plastic bag they come in, or in a paper bag until you eat them. Moon Drop grapes hold up well in the fridge, lasting one to two weeks if stored properly. This makes them ideal for those who plan ahead for that weekend cheese board, or those who can’t get to the grocery store very often.
It also means, if you’re like me and are often on the hunt for an easy alternative to potato chips for snacking, you can buy a couple of bags for the fridge and always have Moon Drops in reach through the fall.
